Answer Addiction

Tag: Wendy Williams

  • Wendy Williams Talks Cocaine Addiction, Sober Living On "The View"

    Wendy Williams Talks Cocaine Addiction, Sober Living On "The View"

    “It’s been a very, very difficult time,” she said.

    Talk show host and entrepreneur Wendy Williams opened up about her former addiction issues, sober living, and her recent divorce as a guest on The View last Thursday.

    The host of The Wendy Williams Show confirmed her divorce proceedings from her second husband, Kevin Hunter, after he had a baby with another woman. In the difficult period after Williams discovered the infidelity, she spent some time in a sober living house so that she could focus on her future in a supportive environment without certain distractions.

    “It’s been a very, very difficult time,” she said. “I couldn’t talk to my mom. Who wants to burden her? I couldn’t talk to my sister. And most of my girlfriends would have said, ‘You should have left him a longggg time ago.’”

    At the sober living house, she could “plot on” her next steps in a place she described as “rehab where they take your phone and lock it in a safe, so people can’t call me and inject their opinions on my life.”

    From Functioning Addict to Raising A Family

    Williams was addicted to cocaine for many years while she built her career as a radio DJ, partying all night after her shifts at the station.

    “I was a functioning addict. I’d work from 3 in the afternoon until 7 at night, get off and party until 7 in the morning — then sleep until 2, go to the radio station and do it all over again,” she said in an interview with In Touch Magazine.

    This continued until she met her future first husband. Her love for him inspired her to quit without her having to reach a breaking point. She hasn’t touched cocaine for 25 years.

    Williams remained with Hunter for a time while their son, Kevin Hunter, Jr., completed high school and went off to college. However, she had no doubts about divorcing her husband when she found out about the new baby.

    “I didn’t even go back and forth with oh do I stay, maybe there’s marriage counseling or something. Nooooo. You do this? Get out!” she said.

    Future Plans

    She also addressed the rumors that she would be joining The Real Housewives of New York City, saying that although the pay would be nice, “I’m not that girl.” She joked that ABC also asked her to be on The Bachelorette. 

    On the contrary, Williams is focused on getting ready for the 11th season of her long-running talk show, which premieres on September 16.

    “Look, I’ve got the purple chair, I worked all my life to have that,” she said.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Wendy Williams Dissolves Recovery Foundation

    Wendy Williams Dissolves Recovery Foundation

    Despite shuttering her foundation, Williams says she “remains committed” to helping others.

    Wendy Williams has dissolved the foundation she founded to support young people struggling to overcome substance use disorder, she said on her talk show.

    She had founded The Hunter Foundation—to support education, prevention and rehabilitation programs for substance use disorder—in 2014 with her now-estranged husband Kevin Hunter. But amid a dramatic split from Hunter, Williams says she will instead work with “other foundations” and “remains committed to helping others in the struggles of life.”

    Wendy filed for divorce in April and removed Hunter—who was not only her long-time husband but her business partner—as executive producer of her popular talk show, The Wendy Williams Show.

    Wendy had just revealed in March that she had been residing in a sober living home.

    “For some time now, and even today and beyond, I have been living in a sober house,” she said on her talk show. “And you know, I’ve had a struggle with cocaine in my past and I never went to a place to get treatment. I don’t know how, except God was sitting on my shoulder and I just stopped.” 

    She shared with her audience her day-to-day routine living at the sober house. “Doors locked by 10pm. Lights out by 10pm. So I go to my room and I stare at the ceiling and I fall asleep to wake up and come back here to see you,” she said. “So that is my truth. I know, either you are calling me crazy or the bravest woman you know. I don’t care.”

    Soon after filing for divorce, however, Williams made another big move. “I’m moving out of the sober house in just a few days,” she said on April 15. “It’ll be Wendy on her own.”

    She added, “Addressing my sobriety, my addiction, head-on has really helped me sort out every single compartment of my life. I have a commitment to me and my son to come out of here better, stronger and faster than ever.”

    Despite her messy and public divorce, and transitioning out of sober living, Wendy seems to be taking it all in stride. She recently said that she is “working on my divorce pleasantly” and is apparently enjoying the single life.

    “I don’t have a boyfriend, but I must admit I am rediscovering my love of men,” she said. “I do date and I date pretty often.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Wendy Williams Set To Leave Sober Home, Files For Divorce

    Wendy Williams Set To Leave Sober Home, Files For Divorce

    Williams says her sober home stay was one of the best things that has ever happened to her.

    Talk show host Wendy Williams is moving on, in her personal life and in her recovery, announcing this week that she filed for divorce and is making plans to leave the sober home that she has been staying at. 

    “I’m moving out of the sober house in just a few days,” she said on her show on Monday (April 15), according to USA Today. “It’ll be Wendy on her own.

    She said that staying in the sober home gave her a chance to reflect on her life, without distraction. 

    “I have to tell you, I’ve been dealing with issues with addiction, alcoholism, and I have a whole new life that I planned for myself and my son. Believe me you, when you lay in a room with no TV and four gray walls all day and no telephone… and you lay there and you think about your life – this is my life in the sober house – it’s one of the best things, honestly, that could have ever happened to me.”

    Williams seemed hopeful for the future. 

    She said, “Addressing my sobriety, my addiction, head-on has really helped me sort out every single compartment of my life. I have a commitment to me and my son to come out of here better, stronger and faster than ever.”

    Last week, Williams filed for divorce from her husband of 22 years, Kevin Hunter. The couple has a 19-year-old son, Kevin Jr., and Hunter reportedly recently had a baby with his mistress. Despite initially insisting that they were staying together, it is clear that Williams and Hunter now intend to divorce. 

    On Tuesday (April 16), Hunter issued the following statement to PEOPLE. 

    “I am going through a time of self-reflection and am trying to right some wrongs. No matter what the outcome is or what the future holds, we are still The Hunter Family and I will continue to work with and fully support my wife in this business and through any and all obstacles she may face living her new life of sobriety, while I also work on mine.”

    A source told PEOPLE that Williams could not move past Hunter’s long-term infidelity. 

    The source said, “Wendy is telling people she had no idea he had been having an affair, but when she found out the details, it turned out he had been seeing the woman he had a baby with for 15-16 years. That made her realize it was time to move forward with her life. Seek treatment and move on. She’s not taking him back.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Wendy Williams: I'm "Living Proof" That There's Hope For Those With Addiction

    Wendy Williams: I'm "Living Proof" That There's Hope For Those With Addiction

    Williams touched on her own recovery while promoting her new addiction recovery helpline. 

    Talk show host Wendy Williams, whose journey through relapse and recovery made headlines this month, has put out a public service announcement urging those who are in need of addiction treatment services to reach out for help.

    Williams launched the announcement in conjunction with a new helpline through The Hunter Foundation, an organization that she and her husband, Kevin Hunter, began in 2014 to provide recovery resources. The foundation launched the helpline on March 11 to help people connect with treatment. 

    “Hi, I’m Wendy Williams Hunter. My organization, The Hunter Foundation, recently launched a nationwide hotline to offer treatment resources for you if you are a drug addict or substance abuser,” Williams said, according to People.

    When people call into the line, at 1-888-5HUNTER, they are connected with recovery coaches who can help them find treatment resources. 

    Williams explained, “The calls are being answered by specially-trained, certified recovery coaches. They’re very smart. They conduct screenings to determine your needs. The substance abuse will be taken care of. We will provide you with referrals for long- or short-term treatment at facilities all around the world: detox, rehab, sober living and outpatient centers everywhere, nationwide.”

    Williams struggled with cocaine use in the past and was recently hospitalized for drinking. However, she said that her story shows there is hope for everyone battling substance use disorder. 

    “If you’re an addict or a substance abuser, don’t be ashamed—help is here for you or a family member or a loved one. Call. Don’t be ashamed, there is hope. I’m living proof.”

    Since the hotline launched, it has received more than 10,000 calls and connected more than 400 people with treatment services, according to Today. 

    “10,000 calls in three weeks is remarkable! We’re doing our part by getting the word out,” Williams said. “All it takes is one call to get on the right path. We’re here to help.”

    Williams announced in March that she was living in a sober house and working with a sobriety coach. Her relapse reportedly had to do with her husband’s extramarital affair, although neither Williams nor Hunter has publicly commented on the matter. Hunter said last week that the couple is focusing on their relationship and Williams’ recovery, while also continuing to help others through their foundation. 

    “Wendy and the family are doing fine. We are focused on her health and sobriety, and that is it,” he said. “We are turning the tables on this thing called addiction and turning Wendy’s bout into a positive.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Wendy Williams Reportedly Relapses After Sober Home Announcement

    Wendy Williams Reportedly Relapses After Sober Home Announcement

    Last week, Williams announced on-air that she was in living in a sober home. 

    Less than a week after revealing on-air that she was living in a sober home, talk show host Wendy Williams apparently relapsed and was reportedly hospitalized because of alcohol intake. 

    According to The Daily Mail, Williams, 54, checked herself out of her sober living facility on Monday after finding out that her husband’s mistress had a baby. 

    “She was in a bad way and disappeared from the studio after her show Monday. She went back to the sober house only to check herself out and decided to start drinking,” a source told The Daily Mail. 

    The source continued, “It’s not clear where she went but she headed in the direction of her home in Jersey and managed to find alcohol along the way. Word got back to the studio and there was panic and concern, everyone was looking for her, no one knew whether there would be a show [Tuesday]. She was eventually found and was drunk, she was immediately taken to the hospital.”

    After getting a bag of IV fluids, Williams was apparently released from the hospital. She did make it to record her show on Tuesday. 

    “Everyone was amazed that she made it in to the studio this morning to do the show,” the source said. 

    William’s husband, Kevin Hunter, reportedly had an affair with Sharina Hudson, 33. Hudson delivered a baby last week, which may have prompted Williams’ relapse. 

    “Wendy is considering divorcing Kevin. She’s really distraught over the situation, she knew about Sharina but didn’t think a baby would arrive, she didn’t think Kevin would go this far, she’s lost and everyone is worried for her,” the source said. 

    Williams was spotted without her wedding ring on Monday, although she had it on during the taping of her show on Tuesday. By Wednesday, however, TMZ reported that Williams said she was “doing wonderful” and was spotted wearing her wedding ring.

    Last week when Williams announced that she had been living in a sober home, she said that her husband was the only person who she had confided in about her treatment. 

    “Only Kevin knows about this. Not my parents, nobody. Nobody knew because I look so glamorous out here,” she said, according to PEOPLE. “I am driven by my 24-hour sober coach back to a home that I live in the tri-state with a bunch of smelly boys who have become my family.”

    Last week, Hunter said that he and his wife were working together to strengthen their family. 

    “We’re doing well as a family,” he said. “We are moving forward with working on her sobriety and doing the work to help others, not just ourselves.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Wendy Williams’ Husband: She’s Doing Well in Sober House

    Wendy Williams’ Husband: She’s Doing Well in Sober House

    Television personality Wendy Williams has been living in a sober home, previously having struggled with cocaine.

    Wendy Williams, host of The Wendy Williams Show, is doing well in the sober home where she’s currently staying, according to her husband, Kevin Hunter.

    Williams recently revealed that she has been residing in a sober house on her show.

    “For some time now, and even today and beyond, I have been living in a sober house,” she said. “You know I’ve had a struggle with cocaine in my past. I never went to a place to get the treatment. I don’t know how except God was sitting on my shoulder and I just stopped.”

    She didn’t specify exactly what made her seek treatment at this time. But for those worried for her health—especially after she fainted on live TV during a Halloween episode—her husband had reassuring news.

    “Wendy is doing well,” he said to Entertainment Tonight. “We’re doing well as a family. We are moving forward with working on her sobriety and doing the work to help others, not just ourselves. It is a family process. Anybody that has to deal with this knows this a family process… and we are dealing with it and moving forward.”

    Williams described her daily routine to her audience.

    “After I go to Pilates, I go to several meetings all around town… and I see my brothers and sisters caught up in their addiction and looking for help,” she said. “They don’t know I’m Wendy, they don’t care I’m Wendy.”

    Her days also end the same.

    “I am driven by my 24-hour sober coach back to the home that I live in, here in the tri-state with a bunch of smelly boys who have become my family,” she revealed. “We talk and read and talk and read and then I get bored with them. Doors locked by 10 p.m., lights out by 10 p.m., so I go to my room and stare at the ceiling and fall asleep.”

    Williams recently took a two-month break from appearing on television to deal with thyroid complications that arose from her Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder.

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Wendy Williams Reveals She's Been Living In a Sober Home

    Wendy Williams Reveals She's Been Living In a Sober Home

    Williams detailed her sober living situation during a recent episode of her talk show.

    Wendy Williams took two months off from her show before returning to reveal that she has been living in a sober home.

    “For some time now, and even today and beyond, I have been living in a sober house,” Williams said on Tuesday’s episode of The Wendy Williams Show. “And you know, I’ve had a struggle with cocaine in my past and I never went to a place to get the treatment. I don’t know how, except God was sitting on my shoulder and I just stopped.”

    Williams’ revelation came after a two-month hiatus from taping her show. She explained she had been dealing with Graves’ disease during her time off.

    In 2017, Williams fainted during a taping of her show. She later explained that she had a heat stroke—and was going through “what middle-aged women go through.”

    The TV personality wanted to be transparent with her fans, who know her to be a “very truthful and open person.” She stated that the only other person who knew what was happening was her husband, Kevin Hunter, according to BuzzFeed News.

    “There are people in your family, it might be you, who have been struggling, and I want you to know more of the story,” she said. “So, this is my autobiographical story, and I’m living it. I’m telling you this.”

    Williams shared her routine with viewers: daily pilates and sober “meetings around town in the tristate area,” then her 24-hour sober coach brings her home, “with a bunch of smelly boys who have become my family.”

    “They hog the TV and watch soccer, we talk and read and talk and read, and then I get bored with them. Doors locked by 10 p.m. Lights out by 10 p.m.,” Williams said.

    “So I go to my room, and I stare at the ceiling and I fall asleep to wake up and come back here to see you. So that is my truth. I know, either you are calling me crazy or the bravest woman you know,” she said. “I don’t care.”

    Williams also promoted her family’s foundation, the Hunter Foundation, which offers a 24-hour hotline service that Williams said, “already successfully placed 56 people in recovery centers around the world.”

    CNN anchor Don Lemon tweeted his support of Williams, writing, “I say bravest woman I know. @WendyWilliams finally speaks her truth about recovery.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Wendy Williams Promotes Addiction Treatment With New Billboard

    Wendy Williams Promotes Addiction Treatment With New Billboard

    Williams, who has battled cocaine addiction in the past, recently launched a campaign geared toward addiction-recovery through her nonprofit.

    Talk show host and actress Wendy Williams has launched a Times Square billboard promoting her talk show and her non-profit organization that provides grants for drug education, prevention and rehabilitation programs. 

    Williams has previously talked openly about her substance use disorder, and aims to “bring light” to the fact that addiction “doesn’t have to be your demise,” she told Page Six. 

    Williams has a history of cocaine addiction. She says that her substance abuse affected her life, even while she was successful. 

    “I lost a little over 10 years of my life regarding substance abuse, but I’m now going into Season 10 [of The Wendy Williams Show],” she said. “I’m married, I have a great career and a flourishing business … it’s not that you fall down, it’s how you rise. And if you rise, then you reach back. This is a reach back.”

    Williams has said in the past that she was able to abuse drugs while in the spotlight because she was so good at her job. 

    “I was a functioning addict though,” she said. “I would report to work on time and I walked in and all of my coworkers, and including my bosses, would know but instead of firing me, you see, I would grab my headphones and arrogantly walk into the studio and dare them to fire me because I was making ratings.”

    After her own experience with addiction and seeing her son take K2, or synthetic marijuana, Williams launched The Hunter Foundation to provide education and prevention programs. Earlier this year the foundation launched the Be Here campaign, which is focused on increasing access to treatment. 

    “We want to be here for the people who need us, and we want them to be here for the graduations, the first steps, the recitals, the laughs, the journeys and more,” the campaign’s website says. “Our goal is to support the treatment and recovery of those facing drug addiction, work towards creating lasting solutions through legislation and support innovative treatment.”

    Using statistics about the prevalence of addiction and overdose death rates, Williams’ organization insists “This is everyone’s problem.” 

    Williams hopes that by sharing her family’s experiences she can help others. 

    “I have seen addiction up-close,” she said. “As a mother, wife, daughter, and friend, I cannot stand by and do nothing while there are people struggling to overcome substance abuse. Life is too short and we need to come together to help others.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Wendy Williams On Past Cocaine Addiction: I Was A Functioning Addict

    Wendy Williams On Past Cocaine Addiction: I Was A Functioning Addict

    “A functioning addict has several alarm clocks, you’re organized. It’s a miracle I was able to stop.”

    After hosting a star-studded gala on Wednesday to benefit youth in recovery, TV personality and host Wendy Williams discussed her own experience with cocaine abuse, which began during her days on the radio.

    “I was a functioning addict though. I would report to work on time and I walked in and all of my coworkers, and including my bosses, would know but instead of firing me, you see, I would grab my headphones and arrogantly walk into the studio and dare them to fire me because I was making ratings,” said the host of The Wendy Williams Show.

    “[A] functioning addict has several alarm clocks, you’re organized,” she continued. “It’s a miracle I was able to stop.”

    On Wednesday, Williams hosted a fundraising gala in New York City to unveil the “Be Here” campaign, to benefit Facing Addiction with NCADD—which advocates for people who struggle with drug abuse as well as their families—and her own family’s organization, The Hunter Foundation, which supports young people in recovery.

    The gala landed on Williams’ birthday, July 18, and was attended by singer-songwriter Johnny Gill, singer Keri Hilson, rapper Remy Ma, actress Selenis Levya, singer Mario, and CNN host Don Lemon, among others.

    “I wanted to use the biggest day of the year (my birthday) to encourage family and friends to give to this cause which will, in turn, help those in need,” said Williams in a statement. “Instead of giving me gifts, I am encouraging everyone to donate.”

    The goal of the “Be Here” campaign is to raise $10 million. The event honored Chaka Khan with “The Survivor Award” to recognize the funk queen for her resilience in her own battles with substance abuse.

    “I have seen addiction up-close,” said Williams. “As a mother, wife, daughter, and friend, I cannot stand by and do nothing while there are people struggling to overcome substance abuse. Life is too short and we need to come together to help others.”

    The funds raised will specifically go to mentorship and counseling through the Youth Leader Program, and to fund clinical research on the effects of K2, also known as “synthetic marijuana.”

    According to the Hunter Foundation’s website, the family’s dedication to the cause of supporting recovery was deepened by their son, who was “given K2,” triggering the family to take action. “This personal experience deepened the Hunters’ life mission to fortify organizations that increase public awareness about addiction and abuse and help youths live healthy, drug-free lives,” the website reads.

    View the original article at thefix.com