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Is this the end of Wendy Williams? Ailing host may NEVER return to talk show

'That Wendy, who for ten years had that spark in her eyes, that cheeky grin and that little wink is not the same now,' a person close to the show said

Wendy Williams has not appeared on The Wendy Williams Show since the beginning of the season in September, leaving viewers wondering as to what is going on with the troubled 57-year-old and the popular show. She hasn't appeared on her daytime talk show since July 2021, according to The Sun. The ailing 57-year-old broadcaster has been spending time with her son Kevin Jr., who earlier this month shared a photo of his mother eating breakfast in bed in Miami, and she was seen by an eyewitness in the Bricknell area on January 21. Tommy Williams, her brother, also claimed to have paid her a visit on Sunday in Florida during January, The Sun exclusively revealed.

Wendy was replaced by guest hosts Sherri Shepherd, Leah Remini, and Michael Rapaport, leading to speculation that Wendy was fired from her own show. These speculations are false because Wendy has not been fired, but according to The Sun, she is unlikely to return to the show.

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The once funny, bright host of 'The Wendy Williams Show' isn't the same as she used to be, according to The Sun's multiple sources, as she battles numerous medical issues. "The spark is gone," a person close to the show claimed. "That Wendy, who for ten years had that spark in her eyes, that cheeky grin and that little wink is not the same now.”

For the previously fierce daytime diva, some days are better than others, according to the insider. “She’s not always functioning like she used to be. She has days where she needs help eating, getting out of bed, and getting dressed. Sometimes she goes out in a robe and without shoes on- the old Wendy would never have allowed herself to be seen out like that.” 

Even more upsetting is the fact that she doesn't always recognize people she's known for years, according to the insider. “There are people who Wendy knows- who have worked closely with her- and there are days that she has no idea who they are.”    

Between September 9 and October 12, the Wendy Williams Show published four statements, blaming her absence from her show and any promotional duties on a groundbreaking COVID case, "ongoing medical concerns," and Graves' disease symptoms. 

Wendy published a message on the show's Instagram on November 8, claiming she was still dealing with health concerns and that as a "woman of a certain age," she knew to listen to her physicians and that "right now, Wendy has to focus on Wendy." It was Wendy's only ostensibly public statement since the beginning of the season.

'The Wendy Williams Show' confirmed that the roster of fill-in guest hosts will continue through the end of January, despite Wendy supporters' hopes that she will return to host the rest of the season. Meanwhile, there has been no word on whether or not the show would be renewed for a second season.