Twenty-eight years ago when Wendy Williams started at WRKS radio station in New York City, she had no idea her career would allot for television, fashion and technology endeavors.
“My career was starting up, I was a hip-shaking mama,” Williams told ESSENCE. “I didn’t picture any of this at all. I am very, very grateful. You know what? I’m even more grateful that that came along later in life when I could really appreciate it and not be an asshole about it. You know what I mean?”
The 52-year-old is candid. She’s got a husband, a teenage son, a large dog named Shaq and quiet life in New Jersey— not far from where she grew up. But she also knows how to turn it on. And that it-factor is what’s been her most intriguing an inviting characteristic, keeping her in business all these years.
As she grocery shopped, we talked to The Wendy Williams Show host and entrepreneur about her new endeavors, the Wendy Digital App and WenMoji.
For super fans or just people who need a juicy round-up of hot celebrity news, Wendy Digital App is a fabulous tool. Users can read the latest headlines discussed on the morning talk show, enjoy trivia, shop her HSN line, see exclusive celeb interviews, go behind-the scenes, and get prizes. Williams is essentially giving you the talk show, in its most intimate form, at the click of your phone.
“Wendy Digital is my way of connecting, in a more one on one way,” she said. “I’ve shared so much of myself. But even after you go home, there’s always more. For instance, I’m in the car right now. I’m on my way to the grocery store. I just have to get three things but they’re ingredients that I need for dinner tonight. So you know what? I’ll take you along. How about I show you how I make dinner?”
WenMojis is for those who love to use a classic Wendy Williams expression on social media or texting. Williams is fully aware that she can cry at the drop of a hat or give a serious side-eye, so the emojis were a natural fit for her brand.
“I had no idea people were looking that hard,” she said about the many memes created from the talk show. “My thing with the memes is that, make sure you get my hair color correct.”
By the time our phone conversation came to a close, she was in the checkout line. Not only had she given us details about her new apps, she had bought an onion, celery and fruit for the meal she was about to prepare.
“It never stops,” she confessed. “I’m telling you if this had come along at a different stage of my life I would definitely be treating it in a whole different way because so much is thrown before you. And you have to know when to pull back and take stock of the real life.”
Adding, “For me, it’s here in the produce aisle.”