‘Wendy Williams Show’ To Pay Tribute To Eponymous Host In Final Episode

“The Wendy Williams Show” will pay tribute to its eponymous host during its final episode this week.

The daytime talk show will conclude its 13-season run Friday, Variety first reported, noting that Wendy Williams won’t be showing up in the finale.

In the absence of the 57-year-old television personality, the show will pay tribute to her to wrap up the series.

“The final original episode of ‘The Wendy Williams Show’ will air on Friday, June 17th with a video tribute to the iconic host,” a spokesperson for the show told the outlet. “The series comes to an end after 13 successful years in syndication.”

The tribute will reportedly include a video montage celebrating the most unforgettable moments of Williams in her iconic purple chair through the years.

Williams had been absent from her show throughout the final season due to health issues and other personal reasons. Producers were forced to bring in a roster of rotating guest hosts to fill in for her.

As early as February, the producer and distributor of the talk show, Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury, revealed that a new show would be taking over Williams’ time slot come fall season.

Sherri Shepherd, who stepped in to be one of the guest hosts in Williams’ absence, was chosen to headline the new show, titled “Sherri,” which will debut on Fox television stations and broadcasters nationwide.

“The Wendy Williams Show” was one of Debmar-Mercury’s first original syndicated programs, and it’s also one of the biggest hits in talk show history with its large following across the country.

The talk show started as a test run in the summer of 2008. It launched into national syndication a year later, around the time when Williams was gaining attention for her unfiltered opinions on celebrity news and pop culture as a New York radio DJ.

The news of the special tribute for the talk show came a month after insiders revealed via Page Six that Williams’ staffers wanted her to be part of the finale because they found it “weird” to say goodbye to the show without her.

“People want her to come back… A lot of people — especially the mid and low-level producers — signed up for the job because of Wendy. It feels like it’s just going to end [without her]. It’s weird,” one source said.