Wendy Williams is a daytime television veteran. She has hosted her own show, The Wendy Williams Show, since 2008, and before that she was a radio host for many years. She won "Best On-Air Personality" in 1993.
Williams's show is always known for its high-energy and pointed questions to guests, always trying to stir the pot. But during her Halloween episode, Williams passed out on live television.
She began to stumble on her words, and her feet. Within seconds she had hit the ground, completely passed out. The show immediately cut to black, but not before viewers could see the producers and crew rush to help the host.
"That was not a stunt. I overheated in my costume and I did pass out," Williams later said.
But it turns out that her collapse was a signal of something more serious.
Last week, Williams missed three days of filming after suffering from "flu-like symptoms." But it's now been revealed that she is suffering from Grave's disease.
Williams discussed what this means on the most recent episode of her show.
"Graves' disease squeezes the muscles behind the eyeballs," she explained, adding that it has made her eyeballs twitch. "I often feel like birds are swimming around my head. Like constantly high, but not high."
"My doctor has prescribed ... are you ready? As of today, three weeks of vacation," she told the audience. "What? Who are you? I was pissed. I'll be back in two. I'm not an heiress "” who is going to pay my bills? Are you serious? I'm just saying, I come from working class."
Williams's team said she will not have a fill-in host during her absence. Older episodes will be run in place of new ones. The show was supportive of the host's need for time off.
"Wendy is a true champion and has never missed a day of work. But her health and well-being must be put before all else," a show rep told PEOPLE. "Wendy has been openly dealing with her Graves' Disease for many years in addition to hyperthyroidism. Yesterday, Wendy's doctor prescribed a necessary three weeks of rest to get her levels and medication in sync. The show will be in repeats during this unplanned hiatus. A live show was produced today so that Wendy could speak directly to her fans and explain her condition."
Chronic conditions are never easy to deal with. Hopefully the rest helps build her strength up to continue working!