Wendy Williams wouldn't be celebrating her 10th season of her morning talk show without Dallas.
"Well, first of all, the reason why we have a season 10 is because of Dallas," Williams tells us over the phone Thursday. "We were just a small water drop in 2007, which was our six-week sneak peek, a trial test. We were tested during summertime, when TV viewing is down and people have open time to test new things. And we were on in New York, L.A., Detroit and Dallas. And if any one of the four markets said no, then we wouldn't be here. Dallas has my heart."
Williams was in town Thursday night as part of her 10-city tour to celebrate her 10th season of The Wendy Show. On Thursday night, Williams entertained hundreds of fans at the House of Blues, by chatting with the audience — whom she calls her co-hosts — and doing her famous segment Ask Wendy.
It was clear Thursday night that hundreds of people spent their evening to see the 5-foot-11 woman in flesh. As she made her way on to the stage, fans covering gender, age and race, held up their cellphones to record any movement they could get out of their favorite TV host.
Williams told the Dallas crowd that she loves the city because when she flies into Dallas, all she can smell is money.
"Everything is bigger in Texas, so I fit right in," she says, laughing.
"Everything is bigger in Texas, so I fit right in." – Wendy Williams
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Williams knows she's the reason behind her show's success.
"As far as celebrities, they can come and they can go," Williams says. "Our show is not based on celebrities. Either you want to show up or hang out with us or don't. Our show is based on me, my co-hosts, Hot Topics, Ask Wendy and a gift of a blow dryer or a moisturizer during Trendy at Wendy. Our show is so ridiculously ridiculous. Our show is exactly the kind of show that me — I'm 54, but I'm a mom, I'm married, I have a stressful life in the tri-state New York area — but if I wasn't doing our show, our show is the kind of show I would want to watch. Just to laugh along and say, What the eff."
Each morning on The Wendy Show, Williams speaks for 20 to 23 minutes without commercial break during her Hot Topics segment, a breakdown of celebrity gossip. She says she never hears from the celebrities she speaks about because they've either blocked her on social media, or by the time her manager — who is also her husband — receives negative feedback, he doesn't tell Williams.
At the House of Blues, about 10 audience members participated in Ask Wendy, where they offer up their troubles in life, and Williams tries to help.
One woman told Williams and the crowd that she and her husband, who have been married for 10 years, haven't had sex in a year. The crowd gasped as Williams took an extended sip of her tea from her mug. The woman wondered if he was cheating, but Williams advised her not to look through her husband's phone but to get out of the marriage. The entire crowd cheered as Williams thanked her for her time.
Williams says the Ask Wendy segment has changed since season one.
"It's like, 'Wendy, I'm wearing gray contacts. My boyfriend doesn't like them. I'm breaking up with him anyway. Do you think I need to remove my contacts to be my normal self in the dating world?' That's a season one Ask Wendy. And my answer would be like, 'You know, girl, your eyes looks hella cute in those contacts, but eventually, you have to show everything and so I'm going to leave that up to you.'
"And now Ask Wendy is something totally different. 'Wendy, I'm having a relationship with my 28-year-old son's 28-year-old best friend and I'm 43. How do I tell my son?' I'm like, 'You don't.' That's a real question. The more comfortable people get with me being in their home every day, the more they get comfortable with asking me stuff and the more I get comfortable with pushing my shoulders back and not wearing a cardigan because I have flabby upper arms. I'm comfortable too. I will no longer wear cardigans to hide my flabby upper arms."
The Wendy Show returns for its 10th season at its new time at 11 a.m. Sept. 10 on FOX 4.
