Net Worth Ranker
What Is Wendy Williams’ Net Worth?
Wendy Williams, an American television personality, businesswoman, media figure, and author, has an estimated net worth of $5 million. However, a 2024 Lifetime documentary featured Williams claiming she had “no money.” This statement, if accurate, is particularly surprising given that she was earning millions of dollars per year at the height of her career. Around the time of the documentary’s release, it was revealed that Williams had been diagnosed with dementia and aphasia and had been under a financial guardianship since 2022. It is possible she possesses assets, but does not currently control them.
Wendy Williams’ Career and Financial Background
Williams is widely recognized for hosting the nationally syndicated television talk show “The Wendy Williams Show” from 2008 to 2022. Her career began in radio, where her controversial and candid style helped her gain prominence in urban markets, particularly in New York City. She transitioned to television in 2008 with “The Wendy Williams Show.” The show gained popularity due to its unique blend of celebrity gossip, interviews, and Williams’ outspoken personality, making it a staple in daytime television. Beyond television, Williams has authored several books, both fiction and non-fiction, further solidifying her presence in the entertainment industry. Her style, characterized by her direct approach and the famous “How you doin’?” catchphrase, resonated with a broad audience, solidifying her status as a cultural icon.
During her time hosting “The Wendy Williams Show,” Williams earned an annual salary of $10 million. Considering that in some years she filmed 180 episodes, her per-episode salary amounted to approximately $55,000.
In February 2022, Williams’ financial situation took a turn when Wells Fargo Advisors froze her access to her bank accounts. This action cut her off from millions of dollars and threatened her ability to pay her employees and her mortgage. Wells Fargo stated that Williams was being “financially exploited” by individuals in her inner circle. Williams filed an injunction to regain access to her funds, stating that her family and she were at risk of “irreparable financial harm” until Wells Fargo unfroze her accounts. This dispute stemmed from a conflict between Williams and her former financial advisor, Lori Schiller, who deemed Williams unable to manage her finances competently. Despite Williams firing Schiller shortly after, Wells Fargo continued to follow her directives.
Wells Fargo defended its decision, citing Schiller’s 23-year career track record and expressing its priority for Williams’ financial well-being and privacy. The bank stated its willingness to work with Williams’ counsel to release funds directly to her creditors for bills historically and regularly paid from her accounts.
Williams’ financial challenges extend beyond the account freeze. In January 2024, the IRS reportedly filed a $568,451 lien against her New York City condo. Williams had purchased the condo in 2021 for $4.5 million. The lien is apparently connected to unpaid federal taxes for the years 2019 and 2021.
Real Estate Holdings and Personal Life
Wendy and her ex-husband, Kevin Hunter, previously owned a 6,000-square-foot home in Livingston, New Jersey. She purchased the home for $2.1 million in 2009 and sold it in August 2020 for $1.475 million. In July 2021, Williams acquired a 2,400-square-foot condo at 50 West Street in New York City for $4,546,687. The multi-level condo features a double-height living/dining room with 20-foot ceilings, custom cabinetry, and high-end appliances. The building offers amenities such as a 60-foot lap pool, sauna, steam room, Jacuzzi, and an Observatory on the 64th floor.
Born on July 18, 1964, in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Wendy Williams began her career in radio and transitioned to television with “The Wendy Williams Show” in 2008. As of 2025, Williams’ personal life has faced challenges. In April 2019, Wendy filed for divorce from Kevin Hunter after 22 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. Her health struggles, including hyperthyroidism, Graves’ disease, and lymphedema, have also been publicly documented. In early 2022, Wells Fargo froze her accounts and requested a court hearing to determine whether or not her health conditions rendered her incapacitated and in need of guardianship.
Williams has been open about her health struggles with hyperthyroidism and Graves’ disease. Due to her thyroid condition thinning her hair, she wears wigs in public. Wendy revealed she was diagnosed with lymphedema in 2019, which causes swelling in her ankles. In early 2022, her bank, Wells Fargo, froze her accounts and requested a court hearing to determine whether or not her health conditions rendered her incapacitated and in need of guardianship.
Williams has been married twice, with her first marriage ending in a separation after five months and a year and a half of divorce proceedings. She married Kevin Hunter on November 30, 1997. They welcomed a son, Kevin Jr., in 2000. Kevin ultimately became Wendy’s manager.
Kevin Hunter was allegedly unfaithful to Wendy on a number of occasions. He was also reported to be very controlling and physically abusive at times. In 2019 rumors swirled that Kevin welcomed a baby born of a mistress. Around this time, Wendy revealed on her show that she was living out of a sober house due to a past cocaine addiction. In April 2019, Wendy filed for divorce from Kevin after 22 years of marriage. The court filing cited irreconcilable differences and sought to establish an appropriate level of child support and split of assets.
On April 24, 2019, it was reported that Wendy had moved to excise Kevin from her life both personally and professionally. She reportedly fired him from the show and hired a team of financial advisors to protect her assets. She has cut all ties and has hired a new manager.
It was reported in March 2023 that Williams was selling off her belongings in advance of a cross-country move to Los Angeles.
Early Career and Rise to Fame
Wendy Williams graduated from Ocean Township High School and attended Northeastern University from 1982 to 1986, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in communications and working as a DJ for the college radio station WRBB. Her first professional radio job was at WVIS in the Virgin Islands. From there, she landed a job as a substitute DJ at WRKS in New York City. A year later, Williams got a gig hosting in the afternoons at the Washington, DC-based station WOL.
She was fired in 1998 and then hired by a station in Philadelphia, WUSL. Her frank and honest discussions about her personal struggles with miscarriages, former drug addiction, and her breast enhancement surgery helped grow her popularity, and she helped the station move from 14th place to 2nd place in ratings. In 2001, she returned to NYC for a full-time syndicated 4-hour time slot on WBLS. Williams most notably had a wild interview with Whitney Houston that catapulted Wendy to fame in her radio career. Wendy left the radio show in 2009 to focus on a career in television. By then, she had been inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame.
Williams was offered a six-week trial of her own television talk show in 2008 by Debmar-Mercury. “The Wendy Williams Show” debuted in July 2008, and following its positive feedback, Fox signed a deal with Debmar-Mercury to broadcast the show nationally. BET also picked up cable rights to broadcast the show at night and began airing the show internationally to 54 countries through BET International in 2010. Her show has been very successful, attracting 2.4 million daily viewers on average. As of this writing, it has since aired more than 1,500 episodes through 13 seasons. During the November 2015 sweeps, the talk show was ranked No. 1 in the demographic of women 25-54 in the U.S.
In February 2019, Williams was forced to take some unprecedented time off for complications due to Graves’ disease. Guest hosts, including Nick Cannon, filled in for Wendy until she returned on March 4, 2019. In 2021, Williams took an indefinite leave of absence from the show due to various medical issues and illnesses, and she was replaced by a variety of guest hosts for the season. In February 2023, Debmar-Mercury announced the successor to “The Wendy Williams Show,” “Sherri,” would begin filming with host Sherri Shepherd.
Williams has made appearances in TV, films, and theater and has even dabbled in stand-up comedy. She’s made appearances in the television shows “Martin,” “One Life to Live,” and “Dancing with the Stars.” Wendy also acted in the films “Act Like a Lady,” “Think Like a Man,” and that film’s two sequels, “World War Z,” and “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates.” In 2014, Williams went on a comedy tour performing standup around the country. In 2015, she launched the 12-city comedy tour The Wendy Williams Sit Down Tour: Too Real for Standup.
Williams and her husband, Kevin, launched a reality TV production company, Wendy Williams Productions, in 2013. Williams has produced numerous other television shows such as “Drop Dead Diva” (2011), where she played a judge, as well as season 12 of “Dancing with the Stars” as a contestant. She also was cast in the Broadway musical “Chicago,” completing a seven-week run of the show in 2013. Williams has also produced several shows, including the 2015 Discovery channel documentary series “Death by Gossip with Wendy Williams” (which she also hosted), the Lifetime biopic “Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B” (2014), and the GSN game show “Love Triangle” (2011).
Wendy has authored the books “Wendy’s Got the Heat,” “The Wendy Williams Experience,” “Ask Wendy: Straight-Up Advice for All the Drama in Your Life,” “Drama Is Her Middle Name,” “Is the Bitch Dead, Or What?,” “Ritz Harper Goes to Hollywood,” and “Hold Me in Contempt: A Romance.” Wendy is especially known for her famous catchphrase, “How you doin’?”. Williams partnered with the Home Shopping Network (HSN) and debuted a line of dresses, pants, sweaters, and skirts on March 28, 2015. The Wendy Williams line is sold exclusively at HSN, and Williams told viewers on her talk show that according to HSN, the debut of her line was the network’s most-watched premiere ever. Williams also has a line of jewelry that is sold on the home shopping network QVC called “Adorn by Wendy Williams.”
