WGNO

Wendy Williams taking break from show due to ‘serious’ health complications

FILE - In this Nov. 7, 2014, file photo, TV talk show host Wendy Williams arrives during the 2014 Soul Train Awards in Las Vegas. (Photo by Omar Vega/Invision/AP, File)

(WJW) — A new season of “The Wendy Williams Show” is soon returning to TV, but without its host at the helm.

The daytime talk show announced Tuesday that Williams has experienced “serious complications” from Graves’ disease and a thyroid condition. Although her health is continuing to improve, she has not been deemed well enough to return to work.

In a Facebook post, the show said, “Wendy is a valued and stalwart member of the Debmar-Mercury family and has been so for 12 years. We want her health to be her top priority. As soon as she’s ready, she will be back in her treasured purple chair.”

In the meantime, fans of the program can expect a lineup of guest hosts and other celebrities starting on Oct. 18. The 13th season of the show was originally set to premiere on Sept. 20.

Williams was diagnosed with COVID-19 last month, although she was reportedly asymptomatic. Around that time, TMZ reported she was voluntarily taken to a New York hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.