The TV personality's 22-year-old son breaks his silence about his mom's alleged struggle with addiction.
Wendy Williams' son, Kevin Hunter Jr., is speaking out regarding his mother's health and well-being.
The 22-year-old college student gave an interview to The U.S. Sun, and shared how he believes Wendy's team is taking advantage of her wealth amid her alleged battle with alcoholism, which he says does not allow her to make sound decisions.
According to the article, Kevin was being financially supported by his mother, but lost that support in large part when her financial affairs were taken over by a guardian in May 2022.
"People have put other things in front of her actually healing and getting better, and unfortunately, unlike many other alcoholics, she is worth a lot more money," he says.
"I know there are all sorts of things happening that I know in her right mind she would never agree to. As hard as it is seeing her being taken advantage of, I know that if I'm making sure she, as a person, is OK, that is the important thing."
Her son adds, "Because eventually, she's going to realize the craziness that's been going on."
ET has reached out to Wendy's team for comment on her son's recent interview.
The Wendy Williams Show ended in June 2022 after 13 seasons following a lengthy hiatus from the show's host. Since then, there have been talks of the TV personality doing a podcast or even a reality series. She's also been in and out of health facilities over the past few years.
Her son's main concern seems to be those around her whom he believes continue to profit off his mother while she faces some health issues.
"What's been made more important by the people around her is that while her health may not be great, she needs to keep on earning income, and in my opinion that should not be a priority at all. And whoever has been hired, they are taking advantage of someone who needs to get better," he tells The U.S. Sun.
Kevin also claims Wendy's health has declined since she was living with him in Florida from late 2021 to around the spring of 2022, and alleges that she struggles with alcohol abuse.
"I know the rate that she uses alcohol isn't like a normal person -- and we've spoken about it. I've said 'This is one thing where you don't know how to approach it normally, and that's fine,'" he says. "And it's gotten to a point where yes, it could have that effect that it might be fatal because it affects her way worse than a normal person since it stays in her system."
Kevin claims that due to his mother's other health ailments, her body doesn't process alcohol like the average person.
"There are a lot of people who are very aware that there is an issue with her drinking, and how that issue may be helped, but I think these people are taking advantage of it while allowing it to play out to make it look like they aren't causing the issue," he says.
In October 2022, Wendy's publicist, Shawn Zanotti, told ET that she had left a wellness facility after being there since August. Kevin says her mom told him that around that time, her manager asked her to sign some contracts.
"They had her in a position where she was agreeing to a lot that she shouldn't have. When I heard that, that turned me off," Kevin alleges. "In trying to attempt to know what everyone's intention is around her, at first, I was like, 'OK, this is the team she wants to have around.' But once I heard that she was agreeing to stuff around her rehab, I thought, 'Well, OK, they are taking advantage.'"
Kevin believes his mom isn't getting the help she needs, even when she asks for it. "I feel that when it comes to people wanting to 'help' her, a lot of it is coming from a stance of, 'OK, she's alone now,'" he explains. "Let's try to see how we can make her act the way we want her to act, or if we can kind of control the rate at which she's handling herself."
Wendy's son also thinks her team might be encouraging her drinking. "If they aren't providing it, they are definitely enabling a type of personality and giving her the green light to drink," he says.
In April, Wendy was seen out and about at bars in New York City, and her publicist, Shawn, called it a night of "celebration" at the time.
"They're just putting their hands up. When someone's hired help, it's very easy to just allow certain things to play out," Kevin says in response to Shawn's "celebration" comment. "As much as someone may try to say that they're there for somebody if you're being hired to be there, there is only so much you could say (to that person). I never want to shame anybody, but in terms of asking if that person is there so that my mom can be the healthiest person and have a long career, stuff like that, they aren't in it for that. They are just there for the here and now."
He adds, "I don't want any of this to come across that I am mad at anyone. They don't know the situation fully and there are times when she does talk that she may sound coherent enough, and they may think, 'OK, she just wants to have fun.' And for that reason I will never have hate, even with the hired help, everyone is just trying to take care of themselves. It is what it is."
It's Kevin's hope that Wendy gets completely better before trying to work again.
"I think that it's best for her to have to prioritize her health first. Nobody around her will tell her this, but she doesn't have to be working," he says. "She needs to take a break from trying to progress her career and just be proud of what she's accomplished."
Wendy is now back residing in New York, and Kevin is "hoping and praying that the people who are up there with her right now don't lead her down the path to where something can't happen to help her."
He adds, "In terms of what is and what isn't; when she was with me, none of these articles of her not looking well ever came out. When she got dragged back up there [to New York City] after the court hearings, that started happening, and from that perspective, something has gone wrong."
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