It’s officially the end of an era! “The Wendy Williams Williams Show” will conclude its 13th and final season on Friday, June 17, reports Variety.
According to the publication, citing a rep for the talk show, the final episode will feature a video tribute to Williams who hosted 12 of the show’s 13 seasons. The current season has been without Williams as she was out due to personal and medical reasons. Williams will not be present for the final episode.
Earlier this year, it was announced that producer Debmar-Mercury would be wrapping production on the show this season with comedian and veteran talk show host Sherri Shepherd filling Williams’ timeslot next season on the FOX Owned Television Stations with her own syndicated talker, “Sherri.”
Separate from her health-related issues, Williams has been battling with Wells Fargo in recent months. The bank recently forced a financial guardianship against the host due to concerns over her mental health, a matter which Williams denies. “Wendy wants the world to know that she strenuously denies all allegations about her mental health and well-being,” read a statement from a representative for Williams released in March.
Despite ending her talk show, Debmar-Mercury co-presidents, Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus, have previously stated that a Williams-hosted show could eventually return should Williams be fully available.
“It doesn’t mean the next day, but we will put it together and figure it out,” said Bernstein in a statement. “It’s not like we have a Plan B where we hit a button and it’s back in a week, but we do have the desire to be in business with her, if she can come back and be healthy, and so does Fox.”
“Other than her health, she could have continued to keep doing it as long as she wanted. She was still getting a rating and she has a die-hard audience that turned it into a profitable show,” added Marcus. “We were protecting the business, while we waited for her. And at some point, we had to say, ‘We have a business to run and she’s not here.’ It was a hard call.”