Joe Tabacca for the New York Daily NewsWilliams, who once dubbed herself 'Queen of All Media,' has a new book coming out and a show that's televised three times a day.
Like a modern-day Samson, Wendy Williams believes much of her power flows from long hair. Specifically, her wigs. 'Long hair on a woman is power,' grins the talk show host, whose eponymous daily syndicated gabfest is in its fifth season. Williams has power, all right. Her high-rated, raucous talk show - a no-nonsense blend of gossip, celebrity interviews and advice - airs here no fewer than three times a day: live at 10 a.m. on WNYW Fox 5, at 4 p.m. on sister station WWOR MY 9, and at midnight on BET. The 49-year-old, who once dubbed herself the 'Queen of All Media' in a nod to role model Howard Stern, is also the author of six books. Her seventh, which she describes as a 'lovely, juicy romance novel,' is due out early next year. 'It's gritty,' she says. 'Kim Kind is my heroine, and she falls for a guy named King. He's white and he's bad to the bone, and she's black and she's an assistant D.A. here in Manhattan, and she's got quite a few problems.'
Joe Tabacca for the New York Daily NewsWilliams had problems of her own on a recent morning, tinkering with the book's cover, which she felt didn't do justice to her main character. 'This woman's hands are too large,' Williams complains. 'She's got man hands - remember that episode of 'Seinfeld'?' Worse, the model has short hair. 'It's not that short hair is bad hair,' says Williams. 'It's just that I need a little hair sweeping her shoulders.' And that brings up her burgeoning wig business. Williams has worn fake hair for 12 years since the onset of thyroid disease. 'I don't have bald patches or anything like that. It's just each hair is very fine and will snap off and break,' she says, stroking an expensive-looking chestnut-colored wig that until moments ago was resting on a slew of papers scattered across a glass table Williams calls her 'desk.' Thanks to her media empire, she's worth around $7.5 million, according to Forbes. But Williams is most excited about her line of wigs, which she sells for $50 to $1,000 under the brand Wendy Williams Hair World. 'Wigs are my passion,' says Williams. 'I get VERY excited about wig talk. There's something for everyone.' It wasn't always that way for the flamboyant star.
Joe Tabacca for The New York Daily NewsThe hair is apparent at Wendy Williams' office; her wig business is now a burgeoning sideline.
Williams made a name for herself on the radio in the 1990s at Hot 97, and later on WBLS, as a take-no-prisoners deejay. Her show, an up-front mixture of her personal life, gossip and opinions, generated a huge following, much of it due to a snarky honesty that holds guests to that same standard. That approach got her into trouble sometimes - especially in a 2003 interview with Whitney Houston in which she asked the troubled singer about her drug and spending habits. The pair tangled on the air in a deliciously juicy broadcast that, as Williams once said, 'went haywire' and featured, 'lots of bleeped language.' Success on television, she says, changed her perspective. 'I'm not gonna fight with you now,' she says. 'I'm not gonna curse you out and I'm not going to make you feel uncomfortable on my couch. 'I adore doing television. A-dore,' she notes. 'I don't think I could get any more comfortable in front of a camera than I am now.' The enthusiasm is contagious. The show has never been hotter, with an audience that has risen 25% since fall 2012. 'It's changed subtly,' she says of the daily program. 'I remember when we first started I would show up on TV in full-blown spaghetti straps and a plunging neckline - too much for daytime TV!'
Joe Tabacca for The New York Daily NewsExcerpt from Wendy Williams new 'Hold Me in Contempt':
My brother Kent wasn't listening to anything I was saying. His eyes were ogling something behind me that I knew from experience likely had a big behind and huge breasts. I turned to see what he was eyeing so I could blast him for mentally groping a woman after he'd solemnly sworn his love and devotion to Latin Lydia. But when I twisted my neck I wished I'd stayed set on Kent. Hipster Holly the waitress was seating two people I never wanted to see again in life. Two people I'd wished dead on more than one occasion: My ex-fiancé and my former roommate/best friend. 'S-.' Suddenly, I was overly aware of how my black linen slacks weren't ironed, my Hebru Brantley T-shirt looked dingy and I was in worn-down flip-flops - not the chic stilettos I'd purchased for the sole purpose of running into them at some point in the city.Excerpt from Wendy Williams' 'Hold Me in Contempt' (HarperCollins, April 2014)
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