The 53-year-old talk show host explains she overheated and needed water and electrolytes.
Wendy Williams is opening up about her "scary" moment on live TV.
During Tuesday's episode of The Wendy Williams Show, the 53-year-old talk show host fainted in her Statue of Liberty costume, later coming back and telling the audience she "overheated." She took some time out of Wednesday's episode to further address what happened.
"A lot of people thought that was a joke, me fainting on my set. No, that was not a joke," Williams explained. "No, I don’t want to fall. I’m a tall woman, and it’s a long way down. I’m also a woman of a particular age and not trying to break anything, and also I don’t do jokes and stunts with you like that. I don’t need that."
Williams says about 48 minutes into the show, she was being briefed by a producer on what to do next following a commercial break when all of a sudden she started to feel "weird."
"All I’m thinking is, 'Wendy, oh my gosh,'" she recalled. "The stage, the crew, brought out the clear Plexiglas podium as you saw. We were about to do our Halloween costume contest. I’m on this [podium] and meanwhile [the producer's] talking and I’m like, 'Alright, Wendy. At least you are wearing flats and you’re holding onto this and there are only 12 minutes left of this show, you can do it girl.' I’m feeling a wave, how hot. Something is about to happen. Hot and a little dizzy."
"So, we come back from the break, I heard nothing that she said," Williams added as she began to tear up talking to her audience. "I immediately go to the teleprompter about to do the game. That’s when you saw me with the eyes. Because it was scary. It was really scary ... all I could think about during the scare was, 'Don’t pull the podium over on to you 'cause that will make it worse."
"It is chaos behind the scenes," she added. "The co-hosts are like, 'Ahh!' There is pandemonium on the floor. I’m on the floor, I am told I was only down for three seconds. I’m told, 'Wendy, don’t move.' Next thing I know, my husband comes out and collects me and brings me backstage. He knows what I want to do. Hurry up and giddy up and come back out here and close out the show like the champ that I am. I do!"
Williams continues her story, alluding to the fact that she's going through menopause.
"After the show goes off, the paramedics are here," she said. "The paramedics are in my office and hook me up to every EKG situation. A real situation going on back there. I was low on hydrogen. The water. Not just any water. Electrolytes. So they filled me with electrolytes mixed with regular water. A lot of talk about health."
"My blood pressure and heart rate was fine. Everything was fine," she added. "I’m a 53 year old middle aged women, going through what middle aged women go through, if you know what I mean! The costume is hot. Right before passing out, I felt like I was in the middle of a camp fire ... even sweat on top of my lip, and I never sweat there."
Williams concluded by thanking her fans and loved ones for their support -- even giving a shoutout to her haters!
"I want to thank you all for your tweets and flowers and my colleagues in this game on TV," she exclaimed. "I got all of your well wishes and the people that covered it. You on social media who commented. Even the haters 'cause you motivate me. No, I wasn’t stroking out, and people who thought that I was trying to get this purple chair next? Nope. I’m here for a long time!"
