Wendy Williams 'Loved' Doing Her Eponymous Talk Show, But 'Losing It Just Broke Her'

Wendy Williams was at the peak of her career before she suddenly departed her beloved talk show in 2021.

According to insiders close to the former daytime diva, 59, leaving behind her iconic purple chair at The Wendy Williams Show due to her personal struggles was never how she saw her future playing out.

"Wendy loved doing the show,” a production source said of the series, which was canceled in June 2022 after 13 years. "Losing it just broke her."

"We were the little engine that could," an insider close to the show said. "When we got renewed each season, we were shocked. They say fish stinks from the head, but if it’s great, fish glows from the head. In this case, we all basked in Wendy’s glow."

Things began to take a turn in 2017 after Williams collapsed live on-air during a Halloween special. "That was the first sign something was really wrong," the former radio DJ's niece Alex Finnie explained.

In the years following, Williams dealt with leaving her former husband, Kevin Hunter Sr., after it was revealed he was having a baby with another woman, in addition to struggles with Graves disease, the passing of her mom and living in a sober home to combat her struggle with cocaine and alcohol.

"She would be drunk on-air," a source claimed of the media mogul's strange behavior. "Slowly, we started being like, 'What's going on with her?'"

The show's co-executive producer, Suzanne Bass, saw the signs while working alongside Williams every day. "I knew she was struggling. How could I not?" revealed the staffer, who was often seen bantering with the funny lady during the Hot Topics segments. "As her situation grew worse, she pushed us away."

"[Wendy's mom] Shirley, may she rest in peace, would always remind me that your aunt would trade everything that she has — every dime, every car, every wig — to be able to have a strong loving household and a loving husband," Finne explained. "That was ripped from her right after her son had to go off to college [in 2018]. Emotionally, it was just a lot. It was too much for her world."

Williams' brother, Tommy Williams, added of the personal turmoil, "It put her back into that dark space."

"When our mother passed, who was her greatest advocate and strongest support system out of anybody in this family, she never grieved," her sister, Wanda Williams, chimed in.

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"There is not a person in this family who doesn’t want the same thing for Wendy, and that is her health," her elder sister added of the star's recovery.

"She can’t wait to start the next chapter of her life," Finne noted.

People conducted the interview with show sources and Williams' loved ones.