Wendy Williams‘ fans are flooding her with support after she revealed she’sliving in a sober house.
Williams, who has struggled with a cocaine addiction in the past, made the announcement Tuesday onTheWendy Williamsshow. Both fans and her peers in the industry praised the host on Twitter after she spoke out, admitting, “Either you’re calling me crazy or the bravest woman you know, I don’t care.”
“I say bravest woman I know,” CNN anchorDon Lemontweeted. “@WendyWilliams finally speaks her truth about recovery. #WendyWilliams #TheHunterFoundation.”
“Proud of @WendyWilliams for taking this major step!”Tamron Hallwrote in reply to Lemon’s tweet. “Her journey will inspire so many people in the same situation… using her voice for good.”
Tamron Hall (left) and Wendy Williams.Mike Coppola/Getty; Santiago Felipe/Getty
Andy Lassner, executive producer ofThe Ellen DeGeneres Show, also commended Williams for speaking out.
“I love @WendyWilliams for sharing her truth because it will help others,” he tweeted.
Viewers at home are also speaking out in support of Williams.
“This is amazing! Coming from a family that has struggled with addiction (I lost both my parents to it)… transparency is much appreciated,” tweeted one fan. “I’m so glad @WendyWilliams is doing something to help others that are going through the struggle. Hats off! Bravo!”
“There’s something powerful about not only standing in and speaking your truth but also not being ASHAMED of the truth you share. #WendyWilliams,” tweeted another.
Williams, 54, had been absent from her eponymous daytime talk program from January until March 4, attributing the hiatus toa fractured shoulder and her battle with aGrave’s disease, anautoimmune disease that affects the thyroid.
Her and her family’sHunter Foundationrecently partnered withT.R.U.S.T., an organization dedicated to building a bridge from treatment to long-term recovery, tolaunch a national resource hotline.
On Tuesday, Williams admitted that her husband Kevin Hunter was the only person who knew she was seeking treatment.
“I have been living in a sober house. … You know, I’ve had a struggle with cocaine in the past,” she said. “I never went to a place to get treatment … there are people in your family, it might be you, who have been struggling … I want you to know more of the story.”
Williams has open about her drug use in the past, previously telling PEOPLE that she wasaddicted to cocaine for about a decadeearly on in her career.
“I was afunctioning addict,” she toldEntertainment Tonightin July 2018. “I report to work on time, and I’d walk in and all my co-workers, including my bosses, would know but since I would have my headphones on and walk in the studio and [they] wouldn’t fire me because I was making ratings.”
“A functioning addict has several alarm clocks, you’re organized,” she continued. “It’s a miracle I was able to stop.”
TheWendy WilliamsShowairs weekdays (check local listings).
If you or someone you know is in need of help, please contact the SAMHSA substance abuse helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
source: people.com
