Wendy Williams' net worth today: What happened to her fortune?

Wendy Williams' net worth today: What happened to her fortune?

Wendy Williams' net worth today can be impossible to imagine because she was raking in millions of dollars in the past. She was the definition of an American celebrity gossip talk show at some point, now claiming she has no money.

Wendy Williams during an interview
Wendy Williams during an interview with host Seth Meyers. Photo: Lloyd Bishop/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank, Johnny Nunez/WireImage (modified by author)
Source: Getty Images

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Considering her financial stamina years ago, Wendy Williams claiming she has no money has several people curious about what went wrong. Most believe she has money but may likely not be in charge of it because of her health challenges.

Profile summary

Full nameWendy Williams Hunter (née Wendy Joan Williams)
GenderFemale
Date of birth18 July 1964
Age59 years old (as of May 2024)
Zodiac signCancer
Place of birthAsbury Park, New Jersey, US
Current residenceUnited States of America
NationalityAmerican
EthnicityAfrican American
ReligionChristianity
SexualityStraight
Height5' 10" (177 cm)
Weight79 kg (175 lbs)
Body measurements41-30-40 in (104-76-102 cm)
Shoe size 11 (US)
Dress size12 (US)
Hair colourBlonde
Eye colourBrown
MotherShirley Williams
FatherThomas Williams Sr.
SiblingsThomas Williams Jr.; Wanda
Marital statusDivorced
Ex-husbandsBert Girigorie ​(1994-1995)​; Kevin Hunter (1999-2020)
ChildrenOne (Kevin Hunter Jr.)
SchoolOcean Township High School
College/UniversityNortheastern University
ProfessionActor, author, film producer, journalist, presenter, radio personality, TV personality
Net worth$5 million

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What is Wendy Williams' net worth?

According to Celebrity Net Worth and Nicki Swift, Wendy Williams' net worth in 2024 is around $5 million compared to the $20 million she had some years ago. Below are details of her endeavours, earnings and financial portfolio.

Wendy Williams' facts
Fast facts on Wendy Williams. Photo: Ilya S. Savenok on Getty Images (modified by author)
Source: Original

Career as a journalist and presenter

After graduating from Northeastern University, the actress became a journalist, presenter, and radio personality. She started as a disc jockey at WVIS in the US Virgin Islands and WOL in Washington, DC. By 1987, she had been working with New York City's WQHT.

The actress became popular at WRKS and carved a niche in celebrity gossip. She joined WQHT, where she continued honing her skills in providing gossip about society's affluent.

Television show host and actor

Debmar-Mercury offered the actress a six-week trial to debut The Wendy Williams Show beginning on 14 July 2008. The show started airing in four cities and later nationally in 2009. BET eventually obtained the right to air the program every night.

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Allegedly, Wendy Williams' salary per episode was around $55,000, and she made $10 million annually from about 180 episodes. She hosted game shows like Love Triangle on GSN in 2011 and participated in season 12 of Dancing with the Stars. She also got movie features in the 2012 and 2014 Think Like a Man franchise.

Williams delved into production, establishing Wendy Williams Productions, which focused on creating content. She executively produced projects like Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B and Death By Gossip with Wendy Williams docu-series.

Does Wendy Williams still get paid for her show?

According to her attorney via the Daily Mail, the actress stopped receiving any income in 2021. This was due to her disability. Wendy's guardian said in the legal complaint:

Williams was 'incapable of managing her own business and personal affairs, and was placed into a guardianship and under the supervision of this court.

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Wendy's books

Wendy is a published author. In 2003, she co-wrote an autobiography, Wendy's Got the Heat, with Karen Hunter, and a second book, The Wendy Williams Experience, in 2005.

Wendy Williams at the Apple TV+'s The Morning Show
Wendy Williams at the Apple TV+'s The Morning Show world premiere at David Geffen Hall in New York City. Photo: Theo Wargo
Source: Getty Images

She published an advice book, Ask Wendy, in 2013 and wrote columns for such magazines as Honey and Life & Style. She also co-authored a romance novel, Hold Me in Contempt, with an English professor, Ghostwriter, in 2014.

Some of her works in fiction are a trilogy about Ritz Harper, a radio shock jock, co-authored with Hunter and Zondra Hughes.

Musician and comedian

The actress was also involved in music as her interview with Blu Cantrell in 2003 was released on a DVD in the singer's Bittersweet album. She had a rap album featuring various artists in 2005 titled Wendy Williams Brings the Heat: Volume 1.

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In 2014, she had her comedy with the all-female Lipstick Series in Las Vegas. She went on personal comedy tours, including The Sit-down Comedy Tour and The Wendy Williams Sit Down Tour: Too Real For Stand-Up.

Wendy Williams' house

The actress has lived in several mansions throughout her career. How much is Wendy Williams' condo worth? In 2021, she reportedly bought a condominium in New York City for around $4.5 million.

Why is Wendy cut off from her fortune?

Because of her dementia, her financial advisor(s) claimed that some people around her were taking advantage of her financially. According to Wells Fargo, Wendy Williams' net worth needs financial protection. The bank has put her on guardianship on the advice of her now-fired financial advisor, Lori Schiller.

Her sister has described the system as broken following Wells Fargo's decision to put her in financial guardianship. In an interview, she had this to say:

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We are her family, and you tell me that I'm not capable of taking care of my sister. What would you do? What should I do?
Wendy Williams at an NYWIFT Muse Awards
Wendy Williams at an NYWIFT Muse Awards at the New York Hilton Midtown. Photo: Lars Niki
Source: Getty Images

Frequently asked questions

Many fans have inquired about Wendy's private life. Below are some of the questions and available answers:

  • What is Wendy Williams doing now? She is reportedly battling her health challenges. She has primary progressive aphasia and dementia, leading to a financial crisis. 
  • How much did Wendy get paid for her documentary? She was reportedly paid $400,000 to participate in the Where is Wendy Williams? documentary.
  • Did Wendy Williams' son take her money? Her son reportedly spent over $100,000 of her money on food from Uber Eats.
  • Does Wendy still have money? She still does, although not as much as she used to.
  • How much money was Wendy Williams making? She made about $10 million yearly at some point.

Wendy Williams' net worth has been estimated between $500,000 and $5 million in recent years. This is in stark comparison to what she used to earn. After serious health struggles, the popular talk show host has taken a huge knock financially.

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Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Favour Adeaga avatar

Favour Adeaga (Lifestyle writer) Dr. Favour Adeaga is an author, speaker, and coach. He graduated with a degree in Mass Communication from The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Nigeria. He did his internship at The Nation Newspaper and taught diploma students in Newspaper and Magazine courses at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi. He has curated the facts and life hacks category since 2018. Dr Favour is the author of several books available on Amazon. He currently lives in Nigeria. Email: favouradeaga@gmail.com