A former producer of The Wendy Williams Show doubts that the titular host will ever make a television comeback.
The talk show’s former co-executive producer, Suzanne Bass, spoke to People about the unlikelihood of Williams' return to the small screen. Earlier this week, Williams revealed that she has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia. Williams left the Fox show in 2021 because of her health issues.
"Since Wendy's been off the air, there's been a huge void in both daytime TV and pop culture,” Bass told People. “I think there's always been a glimmer of hope for a comeback for her, but since this diagnosis, that seems impossible. It makes me very sad."
Beginning on Feb. 24, Williams will be the focus of the four-part docuseries Where Is Wendy Williams, which follows the 59-year-old in the aftermath of leaving her former show and her ailing health.
"I do know it takes time to diagnose conditions like this,” Bass continued. “I'm saddened by it all. Because people are constantly saying, ‘Wouldn't it be great if Wendy makes a comeback?’"
For Bass, any window for a comeback now seems closed for good.
"Most of all, I'm more sad about her health, not that she can't make a comeback,” she added. “To have this sort of diagnosis, there's some finality to it."
Bass pinpointed instances of "really long periods of quietness where she's not speaking" towards the end of Williams' time on the show, which she hosted for 13 seasons from 2008 to 2021. Until 2022, the show had guest hosts, mainly Sherri Shepherd.
"There were early signs [of something wrong] where you're grasping for words, having a hard time collecting your thoughts and remembering things. Maybe that's what was happening back then," Bass said.
While Williams' family members are advocating for her upcoming docuseries, which some of them appear in, Williams' temporary guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, reportedly filed a lawsuit against A&E, the parent company of Lifetime. It's assumed that Morrissey doesn't want the docuseries to move forward, as she additionally requested a temporary restraining order.
Williams, who also suffers from Graves’ Disease and lymphedema, is currently staying in a health facility, and Morrissey is reportedly the only person to have direct access to her.
