Wendy Williams Was a Girl Scout & Played Clarinet in School - Look inside Her Unique Life Story

Way before her successful foray into the entertainment world, TV icon Wendy Williams grew up as an active sports child and even had a stint as a Girl Scout. Here is a look at how far she has come along.

Wendy Williams is one of the most seasoned TV show personalities, and she is well in her rights to embody that title with the right amount of class and wit.

Being outspoken and mostly undaunted has been a huge part of Wendy’s life since childhood, and it is safe to say that although she did not come from a showbiz family, the star already showed entertainment streaks as a little child.

EARLY LIFE AND CHILDHOOD

Wendy, who was born in 1964, is one of three children that New Jersey natives Thomas and Shirley Williams gave birth to. When Wendy was five years old, her family moved from Asbury Park in New Jersey to Ocean Township.

Growing up, she was quite different from her siblings. While her older sister, Wanda, was quiet and bookish, Wendy was more on the boisterous side, quite outspoken and active in many extracurricular activities.

Wendy’s physique was also exceptional, and by sixth grade, she already stood 5’7”. Her height and lovely nature gave her an edge in sports, and the “Wendy Williams Show” icon joined the Girl Scout division in her school, played clarinet in the marching band, and contested in swimming competitions.

Once speaking about what it was like growing up, the National Radio Hall of Famer shared that she experienced a tortured childhood filled with fat shaming. Wendy noted that she never attended prom and did not dabble much in teenage romance.

WENDY’S CAREER

In 1986, the 56-year-old showbiz star graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in communications and Journalism. As a college student, Wendy got interested in radio and hosted her show on the school’s radio station.

The radio work partly defined her career, and she moved from different cities working in radio stations and building her showbiz portfolio. However, the star was not satisfied with some of her stints where she had no real freedom to express her thoughts.

Moving on, the award-winning host finally got a chance to show her untethered radio talent with her show, “The Wendy Williams Experience,” where she talked about sensitive topics about her life and gave tough-love advice to fans who called in.

Even celebrities were not left out of her brash style of hosting, and her 2003 interview with the late Whitney Houston will be a thing to remember for a long time. Wendy did not cut Houston any slacks at the time, as she dug into the singer’s history with drug use.

After the interview, she became famous, and five years later, she forayed into TV hosting with her self-named show that keeps thriving. In 2017, Wendy fainted on TV while she was in the “Statue of Liberty” Halloween costume and was said to have been diagnosed with Graves’ disease.

DIVORCE FROM EX-HUSBAND

As of last year, more of her personal life became rocky after she and her longtime spouse, Kevin Hunter, got entangled in divorce drama. This happened after news got out that Hunter fathered a child outside their marriage.

The pair, who have a grown son together, worked as business partners since they got married in 1997. Hunter was Wendy’s manager up until the time of separation.

Although Wendy denied accusations against her spouse for a long time, she admitted on her show that they called off their marriage because he fathered a child out of wedlock.

Their divorce proceedings saw Hunter ending his stint as the Daytime Emmy winner’s manager. He also stopped being an executive producer on her show. Alimony was ruled out of their separation while they split the profit from the sale of their New Jersey mansion.