Wendy Williams has tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19 and as a result, the Season 13 premiere of "The Wendy Williams Show" has been delayed.
The talk show was scheduled to air on Sept. 20 but the date has now been pushed back to October, "The Wendy Williams Show" announced in an Instagram post that confirmed its host's diagnosis.
"While continuing her health evaluations, Wendy has tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19," the post read. "To allow Wendy time to quarantine and fully recover and to ensure that our production fully abides by SAG/AFTRA and DGA [COVID] protocols, we expect to begin the 13th season of The Wendy Williams Show on Monday, October 4th. In the meantime, repeats will be scheduled."
The news comes shortly after the show announced that Williams would be cancelling all public appearances for the next several days due to health problems.
"Wendy is dealing with some ongoing health issues and is undergoing further evaluations," a statement on Instagram read. "She will not be able to complete her promotional activities next week, but can't wait to be back in her purple chair Monday, September 20th for the 13th season premiere."
Williams has dealt with a series of maladies over the last few years. In 2017, she fainted on stage during her show. Williams later claimed that she had overheated while wearing a Halloween costume. A year later Williams revealed that she had been diagnosed with Graves' disease and hyperthyroidism and would be taking a hiatus from work.
"The Wendy Williams Show" was paused in 2020 due to the pandemic, Deadline reported. Williams briefly hosted it remotely but she halted broadcasting for several weeks in December so that she could be with her family in wake of her mother's death— news that she announced weeks later on her show.
"My mom passed away many, many, many, many weeks ago," the star said. "You know how you lose track of the day and time? All I know was it was a long time ago. The five of us, my mom, dad, my siblings, the five of us — she will always be here."
Williams added that her mother died "beautifully and peacefully and surrounded by love."
"She didn’t suffer, not one bit, thank goodness," she added.
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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