Wendy Williams opens up about sobriety battle
A tearful Wendy Williams revealed on her talk show Tuesday that she is currently living in a sober house to help deal with an addiction problem.
“For some time now, and even today and beyond, I have been living in a sober house,” she said to her “Wendy Williams Show” audience. “And you know, I’ve had a struggle with cocaine in my past and I never went to a place to get the treatment. I don’t know how, except God was sitting on my shoulder and I just stopped.”
The 54-year-old Williams did not reveal what substance she is currently struggling with. But she said she wanted to be honest with her fans, according to BuzzFeed.
“There are people in your family, it might be you, you have been struggling, and I want you to know more of the story,” she said.
“So, this is my autobiographical story, and I’m living it. I’m telling you this.”
Williams said her husband, Kevin Hunter, was the only person who knew about her stay at the sober house. She also spoke about the launch of her Hunter Foundation, a nonprofit that provides a 24-hour hotline service that Williams said has already placed more than 50 people in “recovery centers around the world.”
“I know, either you are calling me crazy or the bravest woman you know,” she said. “I don’t care.”
A number of celebrities showed their support, as reported by Page Six.
“Proud of @Wendy Williams for taking this major step! Her journey will inspire so many people in the same situation … using her voice for good,” journalist Tamron Hall tweeted.
Williams provided some details about her life in the sober house. She said she attends Pilates classes daily, followed by sober meetings.
Her 24-hour sober coach then brings her back to the sober house, which Williams says she shares “with a bunch of smelly boys who have become my family.”
“They hog the TV and watch soccer, we talk and read and talk and read and then I get bored with them. Doors locked by 10 p.m. Lights out by 10 p.m.,” she said. “So I go to my room, and I stare at the ceiling and I fall asleep to wake up and come back here to see you. So that is my truth.”