Kevin Hunter, Wendy Williams and their son Kevin Jr.Photo:Bruce Glikas/Getty
Bruce Glikas/Getty
Wendy Williamsdoesn’t mince words about her divorce in the shocking new Lifetime documentaryWhere Is Wendy Williams?
Though Williams puts on a cold front while speaking of Hunter, 52, in the documentary — which Lifetime will air as planned on Feb. 24,despite an ongoing lawsuitfrom Williams' guardian against the network’s parent company A&E — her family says they saw the loss of her 21-year marriage take a huge toll on her.
Hunter has declined PEOPLE’s request for comment.
“[Wendy’s mom] Shirley, may she rest in peace, would always remind me that your aunt would trade everything that she has — every dime, every car, every wig — to be able to have a strong loving household and a loving husband," Williams' niece Alex, 33, tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story. “That was ripped from her right after her son had to go off to college [in 2018]. Emotionally, it was just a lot. It was too much for her world.”
Williams' brother, Tommy, agrees: “It put her back into that dark space."
Williams and Hunter met at a skating rink in 1994 and married three years later. In 2000, the pair welcomed their son, Kevin Jr., whom Williams calls “very important to me” in the documentary.
Wendy Williams and her son Kevin Hunter Jr. in Florida in 2021.
While rumors of Hunter’s cheating long plagued the couple, Williams often brushed the accusations off. When she revealed on her show that she’d beenstaying in a sober living housein March 2019, she went so far as to tell her audience: “I want to shout-out to my husband. I’m still wearing my ring.”
“He’s my best friend, he’s my lover,” she said at the time. “I know what you’ve been seeing … I’m still very much in love with my husband and anyone who’s been married … you know.”
A month later, Williams stopped wearing her wedding ring on the show. Shortly after, PEOPLE confirmed her divorce.
“My aunt is a lover of love,” Alex says now. “Being married and having a family was everything to her. She loved having her show, but the thing she loved more than that was the family unit that she created. The fact that ended so tragically and so publicly, I’m sure it must have felt embarrassing for her, not that she’ll ever admit that. Her heart was breaking at a time when she had to go out and still make people smile. Would I say that [the divorce] played a role in what we are seeing now? I think absolutely. Absolutely.”
Wendy Williams and her niece Alex Finnie in the Where Is Wendy Williams? documentary.Lifetime
Lifetime
The years following her last appearance onThe Wendy Williams Showin July 2021 have been especially difficult for Williams.
Where Is Wendy Williams?,filmed between 2022 and 2023, shows her in the throes of alcohol addiction and her struggles with health issues includingGraves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder that can cause bulging eyes, and lymphedema, a condition that causes swelling in her feet.
On Thursday, Williams' care team announced that she has primaryprogressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia(FTD), a diagnosis Williams' family says they were kept in the dark about. According to apress release, Williams received her diagnosis last year, and her care team said the conditions “have already presented significant hurdles in Wendy’s life.”
“Wendy is still able to do many things for herself,” the team said in a statement. “Most importantly she maintains her trademark sense of humor and is receiving the care she requires to make sure she is protected and that her needs are addressed. She is appreciative of the many kind thoughts and good wishes being sent her way.”
Wendy Williams attends the 2019 NYWIFT Muse Awards on December 10, 2019 in New York City.Lars Niki/Getty
Lars Niki/Getty
Williams' family says Williams' guardian is the only person who currently has unfettered access to her, and while she can call them, they can’t call her.
During their recent phone conversations, Alex says Williams has sounded “really great.”
“To hear my aunt now in terms of just how clear she is, just how focused she is on the importance of family and the reality in terms of facing and understanding where she’s at physically and mentally and emotionally, it is like a 180,” she says.
On Friday, Williamsspoke out for the first time since her diagnosis, telling PEOPLE in a statement: “I want to say I have immense gratitude for the love and kind words I have received after sharing my diagnosis of Aphasia and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD).”
“Let me say, wow! Your response has been overwhelming. The messages shared with me have touched me, reminding me of the power of unity and the need for compassion,” she said. “I hope that others with FTD may benefit from my story. I want to also thank the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration for their kind words of support and their extraordinary efforts to raise awareness of FTD. I continue to need personal space and peace to thrive. Please just know that your positivity and encouragement are deeply appreciated.”
For more on Wendy Williams, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday, or subscribehere.
source: people.com
