Wendy Williams has a net worth of $20 million as a TV anchor, entrepreneur, media personality, and author in the United States. Since 2008, she has been the face of “The Wendy Williams Show,” a syndicated talk show that airs across the country.
How Much Does Wendy Williams Make Per Show?
Each year, Wendy earns $10 million for hosting The Wendy Williams Show. There have been years where she has filmed 180 episodes. That’s $55,000 an episode in salary.
Table of Contents
Birth and Childhood
Wendy Williams was born in Asbury Park, New Jersey on July 18, 1964. She was the second of Shirley and Thomas Williams’ three children. The family uprooted to Ocean Township, New Jersey when Wendy was five years old. She earned a Bachelor of Science in communications from Northeastern and worked as a disc jockey at the university’s radio station, WRBB.
Expertise in Radio as a Profession
WVIS in the Virgin Islands was her first real job in radio. She then was hired on as a fill-in DJ for New York’s WRKS radio station. One year later, Williams was hired as an afternoon host at WOL in Washington, DC. Wendy moved to New York City’s Hot 97 urban station in 1994, staying there until 1998 when the station changed formats. She was let go in 1998, but soon after was hired by WUSL, a Philadelphia television station. The man who would become her husband and agent was Kevin Hunter, whom she met in Philadelphia.
Her popularity grew as a result of her openness about her own experiences with miscarriages, prior drug addiction, and breast augmentation surgery, and the station jumped from 14th to 2nd place in the ratings as a result. Williams’s career in radio was propelled by a crazy interview she conducted with Whitney Houston. Since 2009, when Wendy decided to pursue a career in television rather than radio, she has not broadcast her show. By that time, she was already a member of the Radio Hall of Fame.
“Windy Williams’s Show”
Wendy rose to prominence as the host of “The Wendy Williams Show,” a talk show that quickly became a national phenomenon.
In 2008, Debmar-Mercury offered Williams a six-week trial of her own television chat show. After the success of its premiere in July 2008, Fox inked an agreement with Debmar-Mercury to air “The Wendy Williams Show” across the country. In addition, BET acquired the cable rights to screen the programme at night, and in 2010, BET International began showing the programme in 54 countries. Her programme is quite popular, with an average of 2.4 million viewers tuning in each day.
Complications from Williams’ Graves’ illness compelled him to take unscheduled time off in February 2019. Until Wendy’s return on March 4, 2019, the show was hosted by various guests, including Nick Cannon. It’s spring of 2020, and the show is already on its twelfth season. For her work as host of the talk show Wendy: The Wendy Williams Show, Williams was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 2015 and again in 2016 in the category of Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host. She was nominated for a People’s Choice Award for Favorite Daytime TV Host in 2016.
Performer’s Profession
Williams has dabbled in stand-up comedy in addition to his many other acting and performing endeavours. She has guest-starred on Martin, One Life to Live, and Dancing With the Stars. Wendy’s cinematic credits include the original and two sequels to Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man.
After releasing a stand-up comedy album in 2014, Williams embarked on a nationwide tour to promote it. She began her The Wendy Williams Sit Down Tour: Too Real for Standup in 2015, visiting 12 cities.
Wendy Williams Productions was founded in 2013 by Williams and her husband Kevin to produce reality television.
Publications and Other Projects
Wendy has written several books, including Wendy’s Got the Heat, The Wendy Williams Experience, Ask Wendy: Straight-Up Advice for All the Drama in Your Life, and the forthcoming book, The Wendy Williams Legacy. Is the Bitch Dead or What?, Her Name Is Drama, and What Kind of Drama Queen Is She? Hold Me in Contempt: A Romance and Ritz Harper Goes to Hollywood. Wendy’s signature catchphrase “How ya doin?” has become a cultural icon.
On March 28, 2015, Williams released her range of clothing with Home Shopping Network (HSN), which included dresses, slacks, sweaters, and skirts. HSN is the official retailer of the Wendy Williams collection, and Williams boasted on her talk programme that the introduction of her brand was the most-watched in HSN history. Williams has a jewellery brand called “Adorn by Wendy Williams,” which is distributed on the home shopping network QVC.
Separation and other Private Matters
Having hyperthyroidism and Graves’ disease, Williams has been transparent about her health difficulties. Wendy’s first marriage ended in divorce after five months of separation and another year and a half of court processes.
Upon meeting Kevin Hunter, she immediately proposed to him and they tied the knot on November 30th, 1997. In 2000, Kevin Jr. was born to the happy couple. Kevin was promoted to manager at Wendy’s in the end. Kevin Hunter cheated on Wendy multiple times, so the rumours go. There were also rumours of him being physically abusive and an extreme micromanager.
In 2019, there were whispers that Kevin had a child with a mistress. About this time, Wendy discussed her experience in a sober house following her admission on her show that she had struggled with a cocaine addiction in the past. Wendy, who had been married to Kevin for 22 years, filed for divorce this past April. A petition was filed in court to determine child support obligations and divide property on the grounds that the couple could not reconcile their disputes. Home for Wendy and Kevin was a 6,000 square foot house in Livingston, New Jersey that she purchased in 2009 for $2.1 million. In August of 2020, Wendy received $1.47 million for the sale of her home.