The 57-year-old TV personality gave a phone interview, and opened up about her recent struggles.
Wendy Williams is speaking out about her ongoing absence from her popular talk show, The Wendy Williams Show, and the rumors surrounding her health and finances.
The 57-year-old TV personality gave a pre-recorded phone interview with Good Morning America's T.J. Holmes, and was asked right off the bat if she was "of sound mind." Williams jokingly replied, "Absolutely! Are you?"
During their conversation, Williams addressed her financial struggles with Wells Fargo bank, who claim she is "incapacitated" and in need of guardianship. The financial establishment filed a letter in court claiming it "has strong reason to believe that [Williams] is the victim of undue influence and financial exploitation."
"Well, you know, when people want control of their accounts, they say anything, including something crazy like that about me," Williams told Holmes. "They say that I need somebody to handle my account, and I don't want that. I want all my money. I want to see all my money that I've worked hard for my entire life. My entire life. I don't lie, I don't cheat and I don't steal. I am an honest, hard-working person."
Wells Fargo previously noted that Williams has been working for 15 years with a financial advisor, claiming this person is "a 23-year veteran of the financial services industry with an unblemished record."
An unnamed member of Williams' team also spoke on the phone interview with GMA, claiming that Williams had sought to involve her 21-year-old son, Kevin Hunter Jr., in her finances, and the move didn't sit well with the bank, claiming that it cut a bank employee out of close contact with the TV host.
"I want to spend more time with my family and, you know, working out and waiting for the responses to my money situation and Wells Fargo. And they don't like that," Williams said.
As for her health, Williams assured fans that she's doing OK. "[My] health is very well, and I've actually had a few appointments. You know, I'm 57 now, and I have the mind and body of a 25 year old."
In regard to returning to her talk show after being away for more than six months, Williams insisted, "I'm very comfortable [with returning to work]. You know, my partners with the show, everybody's ready."
When pressed about if she could return as soon as this week, she replied, "Well, give me, give me about three months. There are private things that I have to deal with and then I'll be ready to come back and free and ready to do my thing."
Holmes said that Williams insisted her reason for the delay had "nothing to do with her health," but is rather "things she needs to work out."
The TV personality ended her interview with a message to her fans, saying, "Keep watching because I'm going to be back on The Wendy Show, bigger and brighter than ever."
It was announced last month that The Wendy Williams Show is coming to an end as guest host Sherri Shepherd will be getting her own talk show, Sherri. The Wendy Williams Show will continue through the end of its season with rotating guest hosts, including Shepherd who will helm the series once a month.
However, Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein, co-presidents of The Wendy Williams Show's producer-distributor Debmar-Mercury, noted that their production/distribution company is open to reviving Williams' show if she's interested.
"This is also a bittersweet moment for us and our partners at Fox. We all have a great love and affinity for Wendy, who grew into a true icon during her 12 incredible seasons as the solo host of a live, daily talk show dishing on 'Hot Topics' and interviewing celebrities," Marcus and Bernstein previously told Deadline. "Since Wendy is still not available to host the show as she continues on her road to recovery, we believe it is best for our fans, stations and advertising partners to start making this transition now."
The statement concluded, "We hope to be able to work with Wendy again in the future, and continue to wish her a speedy and full recovery."
RELATED CONTENT:
