Wendy Williams makes first public appearance amid health issues

How’s Wendy Williams doin’? She says she’s booked, busy and a soon-to-be doctor

Wendy Williams smiling in a colorful shirt and pink jacket

Nov. 23, 2022 10:42 AM PT

Former daytime TV star Wendy Williams has a lot on her plate months after she entered a wellness facility earlier this year.

At the WBLS 107.5 Circle of Sisters 2022 event in New York City, the longtime “Wendy Williams Show” host made her first public appearance in months and said she’s making more business moves and looking to fall in love.

“[The show] was really becoming a burden after 14 years,” she said Monday. “For me, I was just ready for something new.”

In a 30-minute conversation with WBLS personality Jus Nik, Williams told the audience at Resorts World New York about her health condition lymphedema, which causes her feet and legs to swell.

The television star, who also lives with the immune system disorder Graves’ disease, checked into a wellness center in September to “help manage her overall health issues.” She left the facility in October and says she is “back and better than ever.”

On Monday, she brought that optimistic spirit while speaking about her upcoming self-titled podcast. Williams said she can “just be free” with her audio project and forgo most of the production logistics she experienced while on her talk show.

Williams also said Monday that she “can’t wait to fall in love.”

“It’s not enough that I sit home by myself at 58 years old,” she said. “I love men and I will never deny it.”

The television and radio personality has been married twice — first to Bert Girigorie in 1994, then to Kevin Hunter in 1997. Both marriages ended in divorce. Williams, who shares a child with Hunter, said she now wants romance without tying the knot.

“I don’t wanna get married. I want him to have already had kids,” she added.

In the Q&A portion of the conversation, she echoed her sentiments on marriage: “I would never marry again in my life. I love, but I don’t love that hard.”

Williams also revealed that she will receive an honorary doctorate from her alma mater Northeastern University. Williams — “Call me Dr. Wendy” — said the honor is “a really big deal for me.”

While musing on her new ambitions and endeavors, Williams reflected on her past — specifically the gigs she won’t take up again. In 2013, Williams made her Broadway debut in “Chicago” as Matron “Mama” Morton. And it seems she had her fill with that.

“That was one of the best, worst things of my life,” she said.