Wendy Williams Celebrates 1,000th Episode With Black Tie Extravaganza

How’s she doin’? Pretty damn well, actually! Wendy Williams will celebrate the 1,000th episode of her eponymous daytime talker on Friday, January 30. But leave your flashy, trashy getups at home. This is a classy affair!

Is it true you’re making the Wendy Watchers in the studio audience come in black tie?

Hell, yeah! Usually, our show is the height of tackiness, though I mean that in a good way. I’m from Jersey. We know how to do tacky! But for one day we’re bypassing the gaudy s–t and doing tuxes and evening gowns. We’ve got fantastic giveaways and surprise guests. This is our sixth season, and we’re renewed into 2017, so we’re celebrating, baby!

Group gab shows–The View, The Talk, The Real–are the big thing in daytime now. What’s it like being one of the few surviving solo hosts?

I love all those gals, and I can really see the advantage of being in a group. When one host is drowning in stupidity, another one will grab the ball and alley-oop it and save the whole team. Even Kelly has Strahan. I have no one to save me. On the upside, when you’re the only host, you get to keep all the free shoes.

Isn’t it getting tougher to score fresh gossip? Everybody’s in the game!

It’s the worst. I’ll tune in to the local Eyewitness News in New York and the top story is Justin Bieber. But most of these outlets are just parroting dish they’ve picked up elsewhere. The only way for me to stand out anymore is to have an opinion–unafraid and uncensored. [Laughs] But sometimes I can’t even deliver that. George Clooney is a gorgeous man, but I wasn’t into the wedding. I just didn’t care.

What’s been your most emotional moment in these thousand shows?

Probably my 50th birthday last July when Chaka Khan performed. Or when my dear parents were on the show–mom’s almost 80, dad’s 83. To see me doing well makes them feel young again, and that’s so moving to me. And I practically wet my pants when I met Judge Judy. But, really, every day is emotional. My Facebook haters say, “Wendy, learn how to walk!” because when the doors fling open and the announcer says, “Here’s Wendy!” I can barely move and do this weird little two-step shuffle. It’s not because I’m a klutz; it’s because I’m so euphoric. Every episode is a dream come true.

The Wendy Williams Show 1000th Episode, Friday, January 30, syndicated