DoctorOz: Wendy Williams Opens Up About Her Complicated Life

Oh my, from her notorious celebrity feuds to her very public divorce and shocking health emergencies, I've always known my friend Wendy Williams' journey would make a riveting must-watch movie. Well, today, Wendy Williams is ready to tell her story like never before, and only in the way that she could. She's opening up about healing from losing her mom in a challenging year that nearly broke her. Wendy joins us now via Zoom. Oh my goodness, Wendy. But first of all, how you doing? I mean, that is powerful stuff. It's good. Don't be so dramatic and sad. I'm laughing at that scene, because I knew all along that I was going to divorce him, and it was going to be epic. I knew that he would no longer be working at this show, allowed on this block, allowed at the building that I live in now, part of my life other than our son. I knew. It just took many, many years. Even when I said, if you ever cheat on me again, I swear, I had already had divorce lawyers in place. You have no idea. This divorce was over 10 years in the making. And when I say 10 years, I mean 10 years actually executing and hiring private eyes to follow him. So I had my information and I had my file on him. But really, 20 years in the making. Kevin cheated on me with another, Kevin was a serial cheater. He just would not understand where I was coming from. When I'm yours, I'm yours. And when I love you, I love you deep and I love you hard. But when I'm done with you, I'm done with you. And it will not be done in the way that you think. So I was a really good actress at home, crying, acknowledging him coming home late, knowing where he'd been. I knew the girl was pregnant. I knew a lot about her, him, and their relationship. And I kept it close to my vest because I wanted young Kevin to go away to college. So he didn't have to actually be in the eye of the storm. You know, I remember going to dinner with you and Kevin, Lisa was with me, in a restaurant, we were in a private little setting. And I didn't catch anything at all. But Lisa, as we were leaving, said, there's tension. She didn't know what it was either. I had no idea that you were keeping under wraps something for a decade. Before we get to the lessons that we can all draw from this, what is it like for you personally, opening up about all these very intimate elements? I mean, he's accusing you of drugs. You've got infidelity issues. All these things were in the tabloids. And without even mentioning the health issues you were facing. Yeah. Well, I mean, everything that was in the tabloids regarding me and drugs, that was true. You know, I am not a drug addict. I'm not an alcoholic. I was pegged to be a lot of things that I am not. And I'm so glad that this Lifetime Project afforded me the opportunity to tell my story the way it is. And, you know, to hear my ex tell it, he would say, oh, everything's a lie or everything's made up. No, it's not. You know exactly what you were doing. You know exactly who you are. You know exactly the woman I presented myself to be, which is, you know, the older I've gotten, the more I've realized I am truly my parents' daughter. I happen to be in a, I guess, entertainment rock and roll lifestyle, so to speak. But I have very, very old-fashioned values in my heart. You know, I do believe in marriage. I would like to get married again. If I don't, I don't have to. But I would like to fall in love again, and I know I will. And I'm gonna have fun dating and finding him. So I do want to tease out of you the lessons that you think people watching you right now can take away if they're struggling in a relationship. Well, if you're struggling in a relationship, you have to look at your particular situation, because my situation is not like yours or like your best friend's. How many children do you have? Can you afford to take care of you and your children and your rent or your mortgage? Can you afford to just walk away from your job and maybe move to another city? Oops, you can't do that, because you have to have shared custody, joint custody or something like that. It's a selfish woman who wants sole custody, unless there's a specific reason that the court orders it because of some sort of horribleness, which that particular part of horribleness Kevin and I didn't have. And our son is old enough now where there is no custody, but I am the one paying alimony, and I am the one supporting my child. I don't pay my ex-husband child support. But you know, Mehmet, when you and Lisa and I were out for dinner, I was playing the role. And sometimes only a woman knows, especially a smart woman like Lisa, only a woman knows what a woman sees. It was Kevin who insisted on being in a private room. Me and you like our people. You know, hey, I'll say, how you doing? And you might give medical advice. And then we go back to eating. But it was Kevin who insisted us being in a private room. He was kicking me under the table, like hurry up, or you're saying too much about something. I mean, he was a real jerk to me, you know, a real jerk to me. And I don't regret meeting him. I don't regret falling in love with him. I don't regret staying as long as I did because my afterlife is better than I could have ever imagined. I feel physically, outside and inside, and mentally stronger and better than I ever have. And a lot of it has to do with him and his treatment of me. The other part has to do with my mom passing away last year. And it wasn't sudden. My mom lived a beautiful 86 years, you know, and she and I were very close. And we talked right up until the end, regularly about all kinds of things. You know, she became, instead of being my mom, she was my girl. And I called her mommy, and she called me Wendy. And we would start our conversations on the phone, literally giggling, and then go into talking about life, real life. You know, I remember you came over to our house once, we were sitting on the balcony, and you mentioned your mom, Shirley. And then you said something like, you know, she was the best mother a girl could ever ask for. Yeah. And when you lose, I don't know if you feel, I lost my dad last year, it still seems like he's around. Does it seem like your mom, Shirley, is still around? Absolutely. And you know, I love it. And I allow her in. She's in my apartment, she's in my office, she's on the set with me sometimes. I hear her whispering in my ear as I hold the menu to decide what to eat. You know, she'll make suggestions and things like that. She'll tell me I look really beautiful, or, you know, she'll tell me, Wendy, that's not the color for you, things like that. But you know what, Oz? I never saw my mother suffer. So because I never saw her suffer, she will always be my beautiful mother. All right, we have to take a break, but up next, Wendy Williams opens up about her health scare that happened on air. And she sounds off about one of the hottest topics around dating during the pandemic. I'm back with my friend, Wendy Williams, who's opening up about her health in a new biopic. So a few years ago, you collapsed very publicly on air. Take me back to those terrifying moments. And if you don't mind, if you're willing to, please share what doctors thought happened to you. Well, the paramedics that showed up immediately after I woke up, they told me I was severely dehydrated. They told me that I was severely lacking vitamin D. And they said my Graves' disease was acting up. And they thought my thyroid was acting up, but it wasn't my thyroid. Turns out, you know, I got very dizzy out on the set in my Halloween costume. We went into a break and I was being briefed by my producers as to what was going to happen for the next segment. And I knew that I didn't feel well. And I asked for something to hold onto. And they asked me if I wanted some water and I said, no. But nobody knew anything was wrong with me because I didn't say anything was wrong with me. And I knew that I should not have come back from that break and finished doing the show. And I was shocked I didn't pass out earlier, but I managed to hold myself together. And then I just started talking. And I know people said they thought I was having a stroke. I didn't think I was having a stroke because nothing was numb. Nothing was, you know, I read, you know, I listen to Dr. Oz, you're supposed to get numb. You're supposed to feel a little Bell's palsy or something. And boom, I collapsed. Thank God I didn't knock anything loose in my head. They checked that immediately, right away, you know, to see whether I, you know, busted a vessel or, but I felt, I didn't feel embarrassed because my costume was nice and long, so nothing fell out. And I must tell you, Dr. Oz, I felt like it was good for the ratings. It was good for the popularity of the show. Even if you didn't know me, it's like, oh my gosh, there's some woman who is dressed as Statue of Liberty passed out on her show. And when they look at that YouTube clip, then maybe they'll want to watch the show. You know, they'll search me up on their local listings. Well, you always have a different perspective than most. I was scared for you. And I remember talking to you and your docs about it. And you know, whenever someone passes out, it's dangerous because it can also happen when you're driving or in an environment where you bang your head as you point out you were lucky. But I gotta say, the pandemic has taken us all where you were then. It's teach, it teaches us many lessons, but one of the ones that's most important to me is the importance of health and rest. You and I have been texting obviously a lot about health during COVID. And I know that you have concerns. That's one of the reasons you're not sitting next to me right here on the set. Yeah, by the way, you were my last guest before we went on, you know, we shut the studio down when COVID was first starting back here in March. And so I'm curious to know what your thoughts are right now, your biggest COVID worries, because you speak for a lot of America. I wanna get back to dating Oz, honestly. I had a date that night. I did your show and then he was supposed to be coming over and we're laying in the bed watching TV and saying, oh my gosh, we're about to be on quarantine. And we liked each other enough. And then he became, well, his true self, which, you know, this COVID has shown a lot of people's true selves. He weakened under the pressure of, you know, how am I gonna pay my bills? You know, my job is not working right now. Wendy, shut up. You know, you go to your show and you go, shut up. Oh, those days are over, get out. You know, I wanna get back to dating. I wanna get back to romancing Oz. And I'm fortunate, I've got great insurance. I'm fortunate that I've got great doctors that I will stick with for the rest of my life. They all take very good care of themselves as well. So I will stick with them. My son, he's smart. He's a business major. And I'm thankful that I'm able to support he and I emotionally as well as financially, because that's a big part of it. You know, I'm paying alimony and his father is his father, you know, and they can make their relationship what it is. But for me, as his mom, begging for children for so long with the miscarriages behind me and everything, I wanted to be sure that for the rest of my life, that my son would not have to rely on his father for the answer to a question, whatever that question is, or a nickel or a dime. Good for you, Wendy. Up next, another hot topic, Wendy's burning COVID questions. I'm back with my friend and fellow daytime host, Wendy Williams. So let me push you on this hot topic. In fact, it's the hottest topic in medicine right now, the COVID vaccine. I just got vaccinated. I did okay. I didn't have any issues. There I am. Notice the huge biceps muscles, the pectoralis, by the way. Mehmet, you know you're a very sexy man. So are you planning on getting your vaccine? No. No? No. I don't trust it. I've never gotten the flu shot either though. And you and I have talked about that. And several of the doctors on my team talked to me about, Wendy, we'll get the flu shot. I've never had the flu. I'm not getting a flu shot. I very rarely get a cold. I never have headaches. I don't take an aspirin because I feel my heart murmur or something like that. I'm not getting, no, I don't trust it. There, I said it. I don't trust it. Wendy, I gotta say, I disagree. I think the vaccine is safe. It was studied carefully and 75,000 people didn't have any major issues. Tens of millions of people are getting it now, not seeing big problems. And I gotta say, it's worked so well. I think it was a very wise move, which is why I really think you should get the vaccine. I think you'll feel safer if you do as well. So are there questions that I can answer for you about the vaccine that might make you more comfortable? I'm just- No. No, because I watch you talk about it. I've seen you talk about it a lot. I've read your site. I see you talk about it. I've seen you talk about it with Rosanna and Lori and everybody. And you know what? And I'm not saying I get it for this reason, but if there was a woman who was black like me, who worked in a stressful job, but also did not wear that stress at home. You know, this is a stressful job, but I know how to go home and just let the stress go. She would have to be like me. She would have to be like me and my age, because that vaccine affects different people, depending on your background and your diet. So if someone like you, similar age, similar types of tension in their life, got the vaccine and did well, would you get the vaccine? No. Well, you just said that's what it would take for you to get past your fears. Doesn't mean I'd get it. Listen, I'm still wearing masks. I was a germaphobe a bit, even before all this happened. So I will not move past wearing masks. I will be wearing masks probably for the rest of my life. I now live in New York, which I know the trashmen do the best that they can, but there's a lot of pollution. I'm not eating on the sidewalk. I don't like sidewalk cafes. I don't want the car exhaust in my food, nor do I want somebody having a heart attack at the wheel, jumping the curb and killing me while I'm enjoying a crepe. I'm not. I can't. You doctors, you talk a lot of hocus pocus to me, and I go home and I think about it, and then I come up with my own decision, because only I know ultimately what's best for me, unless you can show me the proof. You know what I mean? You get a good old colonoscopy, and then they tell you exactly what's up there in your booty and stuff, that you don't have colon cancer and you need more roughage, or you need less of this or less of that. I don't have irritable bowel syndrome, which is what a lot of doctors told me when I was going through my situation with not being able to make a number two. And finally, I was diagnosed with, Wendy, you just don't make regular number twos. I was like, I eat all the right food. I've stopped eating cheese. So I take a Linzess today, the best pill invented, and I go regularly, and I swear by it. And lymphedema, do you know how many doctors I went to who thought that I was swelling on my feet and ankles because of a poor diet? Swelling on my feet and ankles because I stand on my feet too long? Swelling on my feet and ankles for various reasons, to which, only to find out that I have lymphedema. Yep. Yeah. So let me go back to vaccines for a second, because what you say and believe is so important to a lot of people. I mean, millions and millions of Americans are gonna say, Wendy Williams didn't get a vaccine, so I don't wanna get a vaccine. So let me just ask you, if there's anything that could happen that would make you feel comfortable, 10 million people get vaccinated without a problem, your neighbor gets vaccinated, a sibling, your son gets vaccinated, someone that's dear to you gets vaccinated and does well, that might make you think, you know, just to get past the hassle of having to lie on my back, recovering from COVID-19, or maybe not recovering, is not worth the risk, that I might actually consider this vaccine? I'm not getting the vaccine. Listen, 10 million people and more have the flu vaccine, and how many people per year catch the flu? You know, I, no, I'm not getting the vaccine, Dr. Oz, I'm not, I don't trust it. And is there something in particular you don't trust about it, the fact that it was made quickly, the fact that we don't have enough follow-up, what specifically is bothering you about it? Doctors are really smart people, but doctors don't know everything, and that's been proven as well, I'm not getting the vaccine. And I'm not saying that you shouldn't get the vaccine, everybody watching, I'm just saying, I'm not getting the vaccine. I think maybe you should come over for dinner, and we should talk a little bit, what do you think? Nope. Not about the vaccine? No, because you're gonna put the vaccine, I'm gonna come back from the bathroom and feel something stick me in the booty, and that would have been you with the needle. She, she knows me. All right, Wendy, God bless you, thank you. Thank you. This is both the movie, Wendy Williams, the Hot Topic, and the documentary, The Wendy Williams Story, What a Mess, are premiering January the 30th on Lifetime. They are riveting, you saw little clips today, you had the real thing with Wendy in front of you, pay attention to what she's saying, except the vaccine part. That part, you're coming over, Wendy, we're talking about it. One day, good or bad, you're gonna figure this out, I think you'll agree. God bless you.