Wendy Williams Show Canceled

It’s the end of an era.

The Wendy Williams Show will officially end in June after airing on daytime TV since 2008. 

LoveBScott broke the news the weekend citing show sources, and now Debar-Mercury, the distribution company behind the show, is confirming the report. LoveBScott reported that show sources confirmed not only that Wendy Williams‘ iconic talk show is over, but also that Sherri Shepherd is indeed set to replace her with her own show this fall.

Source: Manny Carabel / David Livingston / Getty

“The producers informed everyone that the [Wendy Show] was being canceled at the end of June. Then in the next breath they hired everyone to work on the new Sherri show.”

The same source added that Wendy lost access to her “Wendy Show” Instagram account after the 57-year-old popped up with a brand new verified IG account over the weekend. The source also alleged that Williams staff thought she “didn’t want to be there” before her December medical leave and noted that she allegedly “had tantrums” and “threw things.”

After the report was released, Debmar-Mercury confirmed Tuesday that The Wendy Williams Show will end after 14 seasons.

The company also confirmed that Sherri Shepherd will headline a new syndicated strip in the fall that will take over the time periods held by Williams’ show on Fox owned-and-operated stations.

“Sherri is a natural who proved her hosting skills for many years as a panelist on The View, on Fox’s Dish Nation and again this season as a popular guest host of Wendy,” said Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “Like our viewers, we have been impressed by the unique comedic twist Sherri puts on our daily live ‘Hot Topics’ segment, her creativity and interactions with our guests. Her love for the content and daytime fans is obvious, and we are excited to partner with her to create another long-term talk franchise.”

Marcus and Bernstein added,

“This is also a bitter-sweet moment for us and our partners at Fox. We all have a great love and affinity for Wendy, who grew into a true icon during her 12 incredible seasons as the solo host of a live, daily talk show dishing on ‘Hot Topics’ and interviewing celebrities. Since Wendy is still not available to host the show as she continues on her road to recovery, we believe it is best for our fans, stations and advertising partners to start making this transition now. We hope to be able to work with Wendy again in the future, and continue to wish her a speedy and full recovery.”

THR adds that Wendy Williams showrunner David Perler will have the same position on Sherri, executive producing alongside Shepherd and her producing partner Jawn Murray.

Source: Michael Stewart / Getty

Speaking on her new forthcoming talk show, Sherri released a statement saying;

“OMG! I am so excited to have my dream come true and debut my very own talk show Sherri in the fall. I can’t wait until I return to NY to host the show and merge everything I love — pop culture, talk, entertainment and comedy. I am thankful to Debmar-Mercury and Fox for partnering with me on this show and look forward to this new journey.”

Before the news was made official, fans and celebs reacted to news of Williams’ cancellation with kind words and tributes to her impact on television.

“The Real” co-host and comedienne Loni Love shared on Twitter:

‘Wendy Williams revolutionized daytime tv.. this woman would open her show BY HERSELF for 20 minutes and keep the audience captivated! Agree or disagree with her no one can deny her skill for talk. I have learned a lot from you Wendy Williams and wish you well.’

Are YOU shocked that Wendy’s show is ending?