Lauren LaRosa Says Wendy Williams Didn’t Okay Peacock’s Doc — and May Not Get Paid

Lauren LaRosa of The Breakfast Club reported on X on August 25 that a source close to Wendy Williams says she was blindsided by Peacock’s three-part documentary Clap If You Care: The Wendy Williams Show. Variety already had the greenlight: 2027, Wendy not involved, former executive producer Suzanne Bass spearheading. The source says Wendy did not okay the project, does not talk to Suzanne at all, and when asked if Wendy would be paid, could not give a clear yes and called the documentary disgusting. Unconfirmed as to what happened after those lunches. The press release is still the talk show. This report is the friendship.

The Press Release Is the Talk Show

Look, Variety already said Peacock is digging into the whirlwind world of the former radio host and daytime star. Clap if you care is a Wendy line, so the working title still slaps. Bass ran the syndicated strip for 13 seasons. I reported on a Tuesday takeover that a Netflix doc may be coming too. Unconfirmed. Variety is the one with the press release. The first read after that announcement was that Wendy might have known, because Suzanne and Wendy had reconnected over the last year — lunches, phone calls, and public Free Wendy energy. Paparazzi still have her on one sentence: I want out. The guardian side has claimed aphasia and frontotemporal dementia. Those diagnoses are usually progressive. What the public has seen of Wendy out and about is not that closed book. Just saying: that was the grace I gave Suzanne when the announcement dropped. Lauren’s source is now saying the grace was premature.

We Can Still Hear I Want Out

Here’s the thing. Lauren posted that a source close to Wendy told her exclusively Wendy was blindsided. She described Suzanne as a former friend and former executive producer. The 2027 doc had been announced the day before. Then the clarification: Wendy Williams did not okay this documentary, and Wendy does not talk to Suzanne at all. That last line does not sit next to the lunch photos. They did speak. They did go out. So what happened in between then and now? Who knows. Lauren also said she was told Wendy was never involved, which tracks with a guardianship, and that her source alleges Suzanne moved very sketchy. When asked if Wendy would financially benefit, the source could not provide a clear yes and called the documentary disgusting. That’s the receipt. Not a press release. I’m keeping an open mind, because I didn’t sit in those lunches. We can still hear I want out.

A Work Relationship Is Still a Relationship

Suzanne has a right to talk about the years she spent on that show. Plenty of people who worked for Wendy and Kevin Hunter probably have a version they want on camera. In all fairness, a work relationship is a relationship, and she can tell her side. The fishy part is the recent personal proximity. If she hadn’t shown up for Free Wendy, hadn’t gone to lunch, hadn’t had the number, this would be a different conversation. She did. She could have reached Wendy, or at least the niece. Something is very fishy if that conversation never happened. Did the reconnection happen so this documentary would have more information? Only time will tell once the episodes air. Two things can be true: Bass can have a legal right to a staffer doc, and the timing of those lunches can still smell like a research trip. Play devil’s advocate on the work product. Don’t play it on the courtesy.

That’s a Sad Way to Lose the Last Word

It was also reported that A&E and Wendy’s guardian recently settled the lawsuit over Where Is Wendy Williams. Nobody outside that paper will know the terms. Settlements come with NDAs. There are rumors Wendy’s fortune has been depleted under the guardianship. Unconfirmed. The guardian sued over compensation once. We shall see whether they take a look at Peacock. Doesn’t mean the documentary won’t happen. Doesn’t mean audiences won’t watch it. Documentaries like this don’t have to pay the subject. That’s the sad part of the math. This all began because Wendy was ill and stopped showing up for daytime. Then the show ended without her, which for her is a very sad way to lose the last word. How do you guys feel about that — is Suzanne moving sketchy, or is this just how staffer docs get made when the star is still in a guardianship? Keep talking. Empire After Dark hits The Green Room 42 on September 25. Here we go.

Disclaimer: This post is based on publicly available information and credited sources. All allegations are unproven