The Wendy Williams Show will leave the air for good this week.
Months after it was announced that Williams would not be returning to the purple seat, we have a series finale date.
Deadline is reporting that Friday, June 17, will mark the conclusion of the popular daytime talk show.
Unfortunately, Williams is not expected to be present for the finale, but there is a silver lining.
The episode will feature a video montage to commemorate Williams and her impressive run on daytime TV.
“The final original episode of The Wendy Williams Show will air on Friday, June 17th, with a video tribute to the iconic host,” a show spokesperson told the outlet.
“The series comes to an end after 13 successful years in syndication.”
Williams stepped away from her hosting duties back in October 2021 amid an ongoing health crisis.
The star had “serious complications” from Graves Disease and an aggravated thyroid condition.
The series proceeded with a rotating hosting line-up in the months that followed.
Michael Rapaport, Leah Remini, Michelle Visage, Sherri Shepherd, and Whitney Cummings are just some of the names to continue on the show.
However, it was recently confirmed that Shepherd had snagged a full-time hosting position on a new show set to premiere in the fall.
“Sherri is a natural who proved her hosting skills for many years as a panelist on The View, on Fox’s Dish Nation and again this season as a popular guest host of Wendy,” said Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein in a statement when Shepherd’s show was announced.
“Like our viewers, we have been impressed by the unique comedic twist Sherri puts on our daily live ‘Hot Topics’ segment, her creativity and interactions with our guests.”
“Her love for the content and daytime fans is obvious, and we are excited to partner with her to create another long-term talk franchise.”
Marcus and Bernstein added, “This is also a bitter-sweet 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.”
“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.”
“We hope to be able to work with Wendy again in the future, and continue to wish her a speedy and full recovery.”
“OMG! I am so excited to have my dream come true and debut my very own talk show Sherri in the fall,” said Shepherd.
“I can’t wait until I return to NY to host the show and merge everything I love — pop culture, talk, entertainment and comedy.”
“I am thankful to Debmar-Mercury and Fox for partnering with me on this show and look forward to this new journey.”
What are your thoughts on the series finale announcement?
Hit the comments below.
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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
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