Top 10 Awkward Wendy Williams Moments
AWWWWKKWARRRD. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 awkward Wendy Williams moments.
For this list, we’ll be looking at the most unsettlingly cringey specific and recurring moments from “The Wendy Williams Show” and ranking them based on how hard they are to watch.
#10: Don’t Touch the Mic!
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If there’s one rule on “The Wendy Williams Show,” it’s that you absolutely do not touch the microphone. The case of Wendy’s microphone has become a bit of a running joke throughout the years, as Wendy often scolds anyone who tries to touch it during an interview. She’ll typically draw it away from anyone else’s grasp, give them a disappointed look, and verbally berate them in front of the audience. She’ll also accuse mic-grabbers of not being true fans of the show, because if they were, they would know not to touch the mic. It’s all done in good fun of course, but it’s also a little cringey seeing it be done time and time again.
#9: Ms. Melodie Passed Away
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Back in October 2018, Williams discussed a then-new feud between Cardi B and Nicki Minaj on her show. During the monologue, she proclaims that they should go on tour with the likes of Remy Ma and Ms. Melodie, an emcee who was associated with the ‘80s hip hop group Boogie Down Productions. Unfortunately, Ms. Melodie passed away in 2012 at the age of 43. Wendy Williams clearly did not know this. She is subsequently told by a producer and responds with a simple “aww” before moving on with her hypothetical tour lineup.
#8: Family Dynamics
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Wendy Williams loves talking about the Kardashian family. It also seems like she can’t keep up with the complicated family tree. In order to explain the family relations, Wendy brings out the Kardashian Breakdown board. She explains that if Rob and Blac Chyna got married, and if Kylie and Tyga got married, then that would make Rob and Tyga in-laws. Not only that, but Kylie Jenner would be both an aunt and a stepmother to King Cairo, who is Blac Chyna and Tyga’s child. It’s enough to cause Wendy to stumble over her words and throw her pointer down in frustration!
#7: The Draya Michele Interview
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When it comes to awkward celebrity interviews, nothing beats the once-concerning Draya Michele. Michele came to prominence in the early 2010s by starring in the VH1 reality series “Basketball Wives LA.” It’s made abundantly clear that Williams doesn’t much care for Michele or her accomplishments, because she is horribly disrespectful throughout the entire interview. She brings up some awkward and personal questions, says really inappropriate things to the audience like “This girl has gotten around!” and brings up wild rumors that Michele has to awkwardly shut down. We expect our talk shows to be a little more professional than this...
#6: An Older Spirit
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Here’s a tip - if someone tells you their age, never say that they look older. During a question-and-answer segment, a woman named Jasmine approaches Wendy and tells her that she is 31 years old. Her problem is that she is constantly approached by older men. This doesn’t seem to surprise Wendy, who tells Jasmine that she has “an older spirit” and that she “would not have guessed 31.” In other words, Jasmine looks waaay older than 31. That’s not something you tell people, even if they’re lying about their age! All Jasmine can do is laugh in embarrassment and claim that yes, she is in fact 31. Yeesh.
#5: Mispronouncing Dua Lipa
While talking about the 2018 Billboard Music Awards, Williams hilariously mispronounces Dua Lipa’s name as “Dula Peep.” If you run a syndicated talk show, you should probably know how to pronounce the names of celebrities. Especially celebrities as big as Dua Lipa. Yes, the mispronunciation was pretty funny, but it’s also more than a little unprofessional. We’d understand if Dua Lipa is some up-and-coming Soundcloud artist that only the kids were talking about. But come on, this is Dua Lipa! She’s had huge songs like “New Rules” and “One Kiss!” Surely Williams, a woman who often covers pop culture, has heard her name in passing.
#4: Singing Along With Fergie
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In October 2017, Wendy had Fergie on the show to talk about things like motherhood, her upcoming album, and her time with the iconic Black Eyed Peas. And during one commercial break, Fergie gets together with Williams for a little singalong. Well, we use that term very loosely. While Fergie is lip-synching the lyrics to her hit song “Glamorous,” Williams sort of moves around looking confused and maybe a little panicked. She clearly doesn't know the words, and despite her best efforts, simply mouthing “glamorous” a bunch of times is not enough to convince us.
#3: Dancing With Keke Palmer
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While visiting “The Wendy Williams Show” to talk and also promote her album, R&B artist Keke Palmer decided to teach Williams some dance moves. They proceed through a rather awkward dance tutorial, and following that, they dance to Palmer’s song “Dance Alone.” Or, rather, they attempt to dance. Williams just can’t not get the hang of the moves, or the pacing, so they have to awkwardly stop the music and start again. We don’t expect Williams to be an amazing hoofer or anything, but this is one instance where the guest really should have . . . “danced alone”.
#2: Awkward (and Super-Personal) Audience Question
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As we’ve already seen from this list, Wendy Williams isn’t exactly the greatest when it comes to audience interaction. In the middle of a monologue, Williams randomly asks the women in the audience to clap if they’ve ever been pregnant without knowing the baby’s father. Unsurprisingly, no one claps. Also unsurprisingly, the question is met with audible groans from the audience, and you can even spot some people awkwardly looking around, laughing in embarrassment, and even rolling their eyes. This isn’t really the type of question you ask an audience, and the audience rightfully isn't having it.
#1: Turn Your Phone Off Now!
A cell phone interruption is an issue that all hosts, performers and public speakers commonly deal with, and these professionals deal with the problem in different ways. Wendy Williams went with a bizarre mixture of rudeness and politeness that had her audience confused. She initially yells at the person to “get out!”, and while the audience laughs at first, they soon grow incredibly silent when they realize that Williams is serious. After further contemplation and some disapproving “ooos” from the audience, Williams changes tactics and goes the polite route. It’s a confounding roller coaster of emotions, and it all goes down in thirty wacky and incredibly awkward seconds.
