What Wendy Williams’ Fans Loved About Her Show
variety.comDaniel D'Addario Chief TV CriticThe news that Wendy Williams’ talk show is to end makes official what fans had suspected for months: TV is losing one of its most distinctive talents.And “talent” is the word that feels right to describe Williams, a former radio DJ who made the leap to daytime in 2008.
Her show, defined by its host’s off-the-cuff chatter at the start of every episode, was the opposite of studied. And Williams’ own persona was loose and provocative in ways that felt like the result of an inborn gift for living out loud, an ability to transmit private amusement to an audience of millions.
Who could teach a person to act like Williams? And who, but Williams, could be fearless enough to commit so fully to making a career out of idiosyncracy and attitude?
A TV career, that is: Back in her shock-jock era, Williams was known as a hard-nosed interviewer. But on TV, she limited her ire towards people who were not in her line of sight.
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