KEY POINTS

  • Wendy Williams is getting better amid her extended hiatus, according to a source
  • The Hollywood star plans to return to her talk show on her own terms
  • It’s still not clear if Williams is coming back to her purple chair before the year ends 

Wendy Williams is returning to her eponymous daytime talk show on her own terms.

The 57-year-old broadcaster has not been able to sit on her signature purple chair for “The Wendy Williams Show” ever since Season 13 premiered on Oct. 18. Her absence pushed producers to bring in several personalities to guest host the show.

The latest update from Williams herself implied that she is likely to be out for the rest of the year. Reports also claimed that producers are busy preparing a new lineup of special guest hosts to fill in for her up to next month.

However, it seems there’s hope for Williams to show up on her show before the year ends. A source exclusively told Us Weekly Tuesday that her condition is getting better, and that’s a good sign for her return.

“She’s getting better. She’s not getting worse. That’s encouraging,” the source said.

Although Williams is notably recovering from her recent health struggles, the source said that the media personality will only return when she feels like she’s totally ready to face her audience.

“Wendy is making her own decisions as she sees fits,” the insider added.

Williams actually echoed the same sentiments in the personal statement she released on Instagram Monday. In her post, she stressed that she’s making progress, but her recovery is just “taking longer” than expected.

“I’m a woman of a certain age, and I know enough to listen to my doctors and will return to my purple chair as soon as we all agree I’m ready,” she continued.

Amid Williams’ absence from her own talk show, ratings reportedly jumped a shocking 33% for the second week of Season 13. The viewership figures also enabled the show to move from eighth place to fifth among the daytime talk show rankings, according to The Wrap.

The spike in ratings was reported in the wake of the producers’ move to bring in a number of guest hosts, including Devyn Simone, Bevy Smith, Elizabeth Wagmeister, Michael Yo, Whitney Cummings, Sherri Shepherd, Michael Rapaport, Jerry Springer and many more.

Wendy Williams
Wendy Williams attends The Match on Sept. 29, 2014 in New York City. Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Match