Daytime talk show host Wendy Williams says she is waiting for governmental approval to return to her regular studio after taking a health-related hiatus last month while filming at-home episodes, which a show rep confirmed are still on pause.
“I’m waiting for the State of New York to say that we as a show can go back,” Williams said. “Now, we have 200 people in our audience — we will never have that again. But I want to go back to do our show. Nothing makes me happier than being Wendy on the ‘Wendy’ show.”
Williams announced she was taking an indefinite hiatus from the program on May 18, with a spokesperson attributing the decision to fatigue related to her Graves’ disease diagnosis. “We look forward to welcoming Wendy back soon and continuing the Wendy@Home shows,” the spokesperson said at the time.
On Wednesday, a rep for the show confirmed that there are no current plans for a remotely produced version of the show to return. “The goal is to be back in studio as soon as we are allowed,” the rep said. “If that is delayed until later in the year, we may revisit the @ Home shows.”
Prior to her hiatus, Williams, like many other hosts, had been doing an at-home version of her show since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S. earlier this year.
Local and state governments across the country have begun to relax stay-at-home orders in recent weeks, but the state of New York has not yet allowed production to resume. “Arts/Entertainment/Recreation” is currently listed under Phase 4 of the state’s reopening plan.
A coalition of entertainment industry unions and studios submitted a “white paper” to both Cuomo and California Governor Gavin Newsom last week outlining safety protocols for getting back to work amid a pandemic, and last week Newsom gave film and TV productions the go-ahead to resume filming as early as Friday, June 12.
https://twitter.com/WendyWilliams/status/1270839091433811978