Wendy Williams will be back in her signature purple chair on Monday, March 19, after a three-week hiatus.
The Wendy Williams Show host tweeted about her return on Tuesday — and thanked Jerry O’Connell, who will be filling in as her first-ever guest host next week.
“Jerry has been such a good friend to me and to the show,” Williams said in a statement to Us Weekly.“We’re happy to welcome him as a guest host while I’m out getting much needed rest.”
The 44-year-old actor can’t wait to get to work. “I’m excited to help out and fill in,” he said via the statement. “We all know nobody can fill the purple chair like Wendy, but I am honored to sit with her co-hosts and to bring the many fans all the Hot Topics they love. Like Wendy tells us, ‘I am am going to Say It Like I Mean It.’”
Williams, 53, revealed on February 21 that she is taking time off to address issues with hyperthyroidism and Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder.
“My doctor has prescribed — are you ready? — three weeks of vacation,” she told her viewers after detailing her symptoms, which included difficulty sleeping and irritability.
Williams, who has been hosting the Fox program since 2008, had never missed a day of work until her physician gave her strict orders. “Her health and well-being must be put before all else,” a rep for the show told Us in February. “The show will be in repeats during this unplanned hiatus.”
