Just like fans expressed their outrage over how producers handled the final season of her show, and how they threatened to throw out her purple chair, wigs and removed her poster off the marquee days after the final curtain call, fans are once again showing their outrage over Wendy Williams' social media platforms being scrubbed from the internet.
Via Revolt:
Fans are outraged after Wendy Williams’ legacy has seemingly been erased online. For decades, Williams has reigned supreme as one of the top radio and television personalities and although she’s undoubtedly ruffled some feathers along the way, she has solidified herself as an industry heavy-hitter. But shortly after her show’s cancellation, the memories and achievements vanished from her brand’s online platforms.
Over the weekend, fans began to notice that her Instagram handle, @WendyShow, now says, “User not found.” If you happened to be looking up one of your favorite interviews from the host on YouTube, good luck finding it. That account is gone as well. The same can be said for the show’s official website, which now displays an “Error” message. The production company’s page is also up for grabs under a Go Daddy auction. After a successful 13-season run, a series of health issues (including Graves disease, COVID and lymphedema) caused Williams to take a step back. While executives dabbled with guest hosts for a while, fans hoped for a safe and speedy return from Williams. Now, fans can’t even relive their favorite moments.
“They are trying to erase Wendy Williams’ legacy right in front of our eyes. They know her YouTube channel is our last memory of her iconic talk show. There is no good reason for her to delete her channel,” one person tweeted. Another fan mentioned how college students should be able to study Williams’ interviews from past shows. “Media and communications students should be able to watch Wendy Williams’ show from as [far] back as her [first] week in 2008. It’s not making sense why the YouTube channel had to be taken down,” they said. One user suggested where the footage should have been stored: “Sorry, but the entire Wendy Williams YouTube channel should have been archived in the Library of Congress.”
The final episode of “The Wendy Williams Show” aired on June 17. As we wait for Williams’ next move, it’s clear that her show will be missed. “I can’t believe they deleted the Wendy Williams show profile on YouTube. They just removed historic archive footage of a show that ran in [three] decades. Late 2000s, 2010s, and early 2020s. I can’t believe it. However you feel about Wendy, this is awful,” a fan said.
Here are a few of the social media reactions.
As much as I love what Wendy has brought to daytime TV (she will always be the auntie in my head and one of the people who has inspired me to do what I do in media), unfortunately, this is what happens when you don't own your name or your show.
Producers are pissed that Wendy's ex husband Kevin Hunter is suing them for wrongful termination, and are upset with Wendy for not fulfilling her contractual obligation.
I'm ure they're also upset that she's been giving exclusive yet embarrassing interviews to Fat Joe and TMZ instead of exclusively to the people who help put Wendy's show together.
Also Debmar-Mercury own the YouTube and IG channels, so once they're done with you, they're going to scrub everything clean and start over. That's how ruthless people are in this industry.
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