A source tells ET that Williams is hopeful that her financial struggles will be resolved 'really soon' so she can return to work.
Wendy Williams is looking forward to making her TV return.
The longtime host had dinner with friends at Fresco by Scotto in New York City on Wednesday night, and an eyewitness told ET that the conversation included Williams talking about making a comeback on TV, getting back to work and her ongoing financial battle with Wells Fargo.
"The restaurant's co-owner, Rosanna Scotto, greeted Wendy warmly and people there were excited to see Wendy out," the eyewitness also told ET. "She seemed to be in great spirits and looked great. Outside the restaurant, fans were yelling, 'We love you, Wendy!'"
Williams stepped away from her eponymous talk show last fall, just before production began on its 13th season. The show announced on Sept. 9 that Williams would be temporarily absent while she dealt with some "ongoing health issues."
Williams then shared a health update on Nov. 10, saying, "I’m making progress but it’s just one of those things that’s taking longer than we 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."
The string of postponements led to a slew of guest hosts for The Wendy Williams Show, from Fat Joe and Remy Ma to Michael Rapaport and Kym Whitley, among others. Sherri Shepherd, who was also part of the rotating list of guest hosts, would eventually take over as the permanent guest host.
Earlier this year, headlines about Williams' health were eclipsed, however, by her financial battle with Wells Fargo. Williams filed for a temporary restraining order against the bank in February, claiming that they had frozen her accounts and assets. This came after the financial establishment filed a letter in court claiming it "has strong reason to believe that [Williams] is the victim of undue influence and financial exploitation."
"Well, you know, when people want control of their accounts, they say anything, including something crazy like that about me," Williams told Good Morning America in an interview last month. "They say that I need somebody to handle my account, and I don't want that. I want all my money. I want to see all my money that I've worked hard for my entire life. My entire life. I don't lie, I don't cheat and I don't steal. I am an honest, hard-working person."
A source tells ET, "Wendy's focus has always been regaining access to her funds. She wants to return back to television and she is healthy and out and about. Her focus at this time is regaining access to her finances, which she believes will happen really soon, so she can then be able to get back to doing what she loves, on TV."
It was announced last month that The Wendy Williams Show would be coming to an end, as Shepherd will be getting her own talk show, Sherri. The Wendy Williams Show will continue through the end of its season with rotating guest hosts, including Shepherd, who will helm the series once a month.
However, Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein, co-presidents of The Wendy Williams Show's producer-distributor Debmar-Mercury, noted that their production/distribution company is open to reviving Williams' show if she's interested.
"This is also a bittersweet moment for us and our partners at Fox. We all have a great love and affinity for Wendy, who grew into a true icon during her 12 incredible seasons as the solo host of a live, daily talk show dishing on 'Hot Topics' and interviewing celebrities," Marcus and Bernstein told Deadline at the time. "Since Wendy is still not available to host the show as she continues on her road to recovery, we believe it is best for our fans, stations and advertising partners to start making this transition now."
The statement concluded, "We hope to be able to work with Wendy again in the future, and continue to wish her a speedy and full recovery."
See more on Williams' financial battle in the video below.
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