Wendy Williams is one of the most outspoken talk show hosts working today, and faith is one of many topics she tackled on her show, but does that necessarily make her a religious person?
Wendy Williams is a Christian, but it’s unclear which denomination she belongs to. The famous talks show host went to the Second Baptist Church in her youth but admitted she no longer attends church and prefers praying at home.
Stick around to learn more about Wendy Williams’s faith and how it shaped who she is today.
Wendy Williams’s Faith
Wendy Williams briefly discussed her faith in her 2003 memoir Wendy’s Got the Heat, and revealed she attended the Second Baptist Church in Asbury Park, New Jersey growing up. She also listed “discovering the power of prayer” as one of ten rules she lives by.
This was the first time that Williams publicly expressed her opinion that you don’t have to go to church to be a devoted Christian, because “God is everywhere”. The Emmy-nominated host revealed she prays “every day, several times a day” and only asks God for important things.
Williams echoed this statement during an appearance on Lift Every Voice saying, “I don’t go to church now with my own family but I worked that out with the Lord. He understands that I don’t have to appear in church to be close to him, we have our own relationship.”
The talk show host also discussed her miscarriages in her book and admitted this experience tested her relationship with God. Williams wrote that she felt like “God didn’t want [her] to have a baby” but managed to overcome her hardships and gave birth to her son Kevin in 2000.
She was spotted at a church in Manhattan shortly after filing for divorce from husband Kevin Hunter in 2019 but wasn’t a member of this congregation. Williams even confessed she was kicked out of the church at one point, after spotting two members of the congregation make out in the parking lot and raising the issue with the church leader.
Calling Out Kanye West
Wendy Williams may not be an avid churchgoer, but that didn’t stop her from criticizing the way other people approach their faith. She slammed Kanye West after the famous rapper decided to become devoted to a Christian path.
Back in 2019, West started performing with the Sunday Service Choir every week and even held a public performance at the Coachella. He also released a gospel-inspired album Jesus Is King, and worked on two operas titled Nebuchadnezzar and Mary.
Williams discussed his newfound spirituality on her hit segment Hot Topic and felt there’s something fishy about it, especially after West said he’s the greatest artist God ever created.
“I appreciate Kanye’s effort to change or grow or what he’s doing… Playing with the Lord is not a phase. He can’t rap and sing about hoes anymore. You gotta commit to this for the rest of your life,” said the talk show host.
Williams even tried to bring this topic up with Kristin Chenoweth, who has no connection to West apart from being passionate about gospel and opera music. She supported the rapper’s aspirations to write an opera, and added that he’s “operatic in his statements.”
Getting Ordained
Wendy Williams doesn’t go to church on a regular basis, but she could unite two people in marriage if she wanted to. She’s an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church, but we’re yet to see her perform a wedding ceremony. Williams was planning to use her ordained license to serve as minister at her fans’ weddings, but never put this plan into action.
Several other celebrities got ordained through the Universal Life Church, including Conan O’Brien and Kathy Griffin. O’Brien even officiated his first same-sex marriage live on air, and we’re still waiting for Williams to follow in his footsteps.