Wendy Williams Hunter is an American former broadcaster, media personality and author. Williams began her career as a radio DJ and quickly became known as a shock jock in New York City. She gained notoriety for her confrontational interviews of celebrities. The VH1 reality series The Wendy Williams Experience broadcast events surrounding her radio show in 2006. From 2008 to 2021, she hosted the nationally syndicated television talk show The Wendy Williams Show.
Williams was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2009. On her 50th birthday, the council of Asbury Park, New Jersey, renamed the street on which she grew up to Wendy Williams Way. Her other endeavors include authoring several books, appearances in various films and television shows and touring her stand-up comedy show. She has also created a fashion line, a wig line and a jewelry collection.
Due to health complications, Williams retired in 2021. She was placed under a guardianship one year later and was diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in 2023. A neurologist challenged Williams’ dementia diagnosis in 2025 after the findings of a court-ordered medical evaluation were released.
