Wendy Williams (born July 18, 1964) rose to fame as a confrontational shock jock on New York City radio before hosting the hit nationally syndicated talk show The Wendy Williams Show from 2008 to 2021, earning a place in the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2009. Her path to stardom started at Northeastern University, where she switched from television to radio, graduating in 1986 and later becoming known for her daring celebrity interviews that even spawned a VH1 reality series in 2006. After retiring from her show in 2021 due to health complications, she was placed under a guardianship in 2022 and was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in 2023. A major legal twist came in December 2025, when her lawyers challenged the guardianship after a court-ordered evaluation found a neurologist diagnosing her with alcohol-related dementia instead, recommending the guardianship be terminated as she was not affected by the progressive conditions. Growing up as one of only four Black students in her suburban New Jersey high school, she has described herself as "a multicultural woman who happens to be Black," and her hometown of Asbury Park renamed a street Wendy Williams Way for her 50th birthday. Beyond broadcasting, she authored several books, toured a stand-up comedy show, and created fashion, wig, and jewelry lines, cementing her legacy as a multifaceted media personality.