Wendy Williams' Ex-Husband Is 'Not Happy' About Her Absence In Final Episode: 'A Travesty'

After about 14 years of ruling the scene of daytime talk show, “The Wendy Williams Show” came to an end on Friday, June 17, and it was bittersweet for many.

As you might know, the syndicated talk show was projected to come to an end following its host, Wendy Williams’ health issues that caused her to take a prolonged hiatus from the show.

However, with the show airing its final episode on Friday, many, including Williams’ ex-husband Kevin Hunter, were displeased to see that Williams was nowhere to be found on the big day.

It was indeed the end of an era for the talk show that began in 2008. On Friday, the final episode aired with interim host Sherri Shepherd, who filled in for Williams while she was absent throughout the 2021-2022 season.

Shepherd kicked off the emotional episode, calling it “a bittersweet moment” while expressing gratitude to the fans and production team for carrying this show this far.

Although Shepherd’s new show is set to take over the slot for “The Wendy Williams Show,” she had nothing but respect for her predecessor.

Paying special tribute to Williams, the comedienne said, “Most of all, we have to thank you, Wendy Williams. There is nobody like Wendy Williams. From her days on the radio to ruling daytime talk for 13 seasons, Wendy earned her title as the queen of all media. If you think about it, Wendy Williams changed daytime talk.”

Offering her utmost respect to the OG talk show host, Shepherd said to roaring applause from the audience, “I want to say, Ms. Wendy, you are an icon and you are loved by so many.”

It was announced earlier this week that “The Wendy Williams Show” will be concluded on Friday without Williams. However, she will be celebrated with a video montage celebrating her successful television run.

Following the final episode, Williams’ ex-husband Kevin Hunter spoke up about her absence and slammed the production company behind the talk show.

During an interview with ET Online, Hunter expressed his displeasure, saying, “I feel like it is a travesty on the part of Debmar-Mercury to have such an unceremonious departure without Wendy being involved.”

He continued, “It is the first time in the history of talk shows for this to be done, especially for a show that has been on for more than 10 years. There is absolutely no reason why a bigger celebration that involved Wendy couldn't happen.”

Hunter, who got divorced from the show host extraordinaire in 2019, explained that so much “blood, sweat, and tears, went into making “The Wendy Williams Show” the staple that it is hence he was unhappy with how things went down in the final episode.

”I am truly sorry that the show’s fans have to see it go down the way that it is,” Hunter concluded.

Fans shared Hunter’s sentiment, bashing the production team for such “disrespect.”

One fan wrote, “Wendy Williams deserves so much better. She built this show and its audience— to not even pay her the bare minimum respect of letting her appear on its farewell episode is egregious. They handled her so poorly in the wake of her health issues.”

Another comment read, “I really wished Wendy Williams got to come back and do a farewell show. It's ain't right. But I hope she comes back with a podcast, and film it, and put it on YouTube too or on her own site. And then she can be as uncensored as she wants.”

This fan accused Debmar-Mercury of “ableism,” writing, “What’s happening with Wendy Williams is a perfect example of the weaponization of ableism and its systems. Anyone can do this to you, anyone. And y’all think disabled people are alarmist about ableism being engrained into EVERYTHING.”

Hunter’s comments come about three months after he filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Debmar-Mercury.

As The Blast reported, Hunter claimed in court documents that the production company fired him on the basis of his marital status to Williams, which is barred by the New York City Human Rights Law.

The television producer alleged that he was fired from his executive producer role in April 2019 after Williams filed for divorce.

Hunter claimed he suffered an economic loss of between $7-$10 million despite his immense backstage contribution to the show.