Wendy Williams was reportedly caught off-guard by Peacock's plans for a new documentary about her long-running daytime talk show.
On Monday (Aug. 24), Peacock announced Clap If You Care: The Wendy Williams Show, a three-part documentary series expected to premiere in 2027. However, according to Loren Lorosa, a source close to Williams told her exclusively that the former daytime host had no involvement in approving the project and was blindsided by its announcement.
Lorosa added Williams is not currently in communication with Suzanne Bass, a longtime executive producer of The Wendy Williams Show who is serving as an executive producer on the upcoming documentary.
Bass worked on all 13 seasons of Williams' syndicated talk show. Peacock said her "experience" will provide "invaluable insight and a firsthand account of the show's unique place in pop culture."
Sources previously offered conflicting accounts about whether Williams could potentially participate. One insider alleged that Bass initially suggested Williams might become involved before communication between the two stopped. Another source maintained that Peacock "was never promised Wendy" for the documentary.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, more than 20 former staffers are expected to appear in the series. Peacock says the documentary will look back at the show's success while also shedding "light on the complicated truths about the cost of fame and answers long-lingering questions surrounding [Williams'] infamous exit from her own show."
The project's title remains subject to change.
The Wendy Williams Show debuted in 2008 and ran for 13 seasons before ending in 2022. The program received 11 Daytime Emmy nominations and won a Creative Arts Emmy during its run.
Williams did not return for the show's final season after contracting COVID-19 and experiencing additional health complications connected to Graves' disease and a thyroid condition. Several guest hosts eventually stepped behind the purple chair, including Sherri Shepherd, whose own daytime series Sherri replaced Williams' show.
News of the Peacock documentary comes as Williams continues seeking an end to the court-ordered guardianship she's been under since 2022.
"I want out of guardianship," Williams reportedly said last week.
Her ex-husband Kevin Hunter has also filed a federal lawsuit challenging the arrangement and claims Williams passed a competency evaluation in 2025. A neurological evaluation from November 2025 reportedly concluded that Williams does not have frontotemporal dementia.
The Peacock series follows Lifetime's controversial 2024 docuseries Where Is Wendy Williams? Questions were raised following that project's release about whether Williams was medically capable of consenting to participate.
Her court-appointed guardian subsequently sued A&E and other parties connected to the production before the dispute was eventually settled.
