Wendy Williams is getting real about her health. In new interview with TMZ, Williams got candid about her struggle with lymphedema — a condition that causes swelling in an arm or leg due to a lymphatic system blockage.
While Williams is “100 percent retired” from “The Wendy Williams Show“, she did say she’s interested in starting a podcast, or even a line of sneakers for those suffering from the effects of lymphedema.
“You know I have lymphedema, you know what that is, correct?” Williams asked TMZ’s Harvey Levin and Charles Latibeaudiere, during her interview on TMZ Live, to which the pair responded, “No.”
“All right, you don’t know lymphedema? All right, I’ll show you,” Williams said, reaching down to lift up what appeared to be a very swollen foot as a result of her ongoing battle with the disease. “Ok, lymphedema is this. Do you see this right here? Look. No, look closely.”
“Do you see this?” Williams continued, still holding her foot up for the camera. “It’s up and down. I can only feel maybe five percent of my feet. Do you understand?”
The condition is bad enough, Williams said, that it could put her in a wheelchair.
“Which means, normally, I would be in a wheelchair,” she shared. “I’m not in a wheelchair. I stand up.”
When it comes to how she’s feeling physically, Williams said she’s doing better.
“Better than you,” Williams quipped.
As far as what’s next for Williams, she’s likely to go down the podcast route, with the former TV show host telling the outlet that she’d make more money from it than from “The Wendy Williams Show”.
“When you’re famous, podcasts will make more money for me, being famous, than doing The Wendy Williams Show,” Williams said.
She continued, “So, podcasts. Where will I go? I’m not sure. Europe, you know. France. Wherever I want to go,” adding that her media connections would provide her some interesting guests.
While she didn’t give away too many details, Williams did confirm that she’s completely done with TV.
“Excuse me, I am 100 percent retired in “The Wendy Williams Show”, and I do not want to be on TV except for guest hosting,” she maintained.
Williams’ health update comes just days after “The Wendy Williams Show” came to an end, following a successful 13-year run.
During the show’s final episode, guest host Sherri Shepherd bid goodbye to the show, and called Williams an “icon” before complimenting her long run on daytime TV.
“Miss Wendy, you are an icon, and you are loved by so many, so many,” Shepherd said, prompting a chorus of “Wendy” chants.
“Most of all, we have to thank you, Wendy Williams,” Shepherd added. “You have to say — there is nobody like Wendy Williams. From her days on the radio, to ruling daytime talk for 13 seasons, Wendy earned her title as the queen of all media. If you think about it, Wendy Williams changed daytime talk with her unique take on ‘Hot Topics,’ her one-of-a-kind celebrity interviews, the signature ‘As Wendy’ segments and, of course y’all, her famous ‘How you doin?’”
The final show also included a video montage of Williams’ reign on daytime television.
Williams, who had been the original host of the show since its debut in 2009, had not been on to host since 2020, after a myriad of health issues kept her off the air.
In her absence, a number of guest hosts, including Fat Joe, Remy Ma, Leah Remini, Michael Rapaport and Shepherd stepped in to talk “Hot Topics” and interview celebrity guests. In February, it was announced that the show would officially end in the fall, and that Shepherd will have her own daytime talk show, titled, “Sherri”.
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