Wendy Williams wanted a divorce 2 years into 21-year marriage - Insider - INSIDER

  • Wendy Williams spoke to Insider ahead of her new biopic, "Wendy Williams: The Movie," premiering Saturday. 
  • The mogul revealed she knew she wanted a divorce from ex-husband Kevin Hunter after her second year of marriage.
  • "Kevin was a serial cheat. He cheated when I dated him. He cheated when I married him," she said. 
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

For the past 35 years, Wendy Williams has taken the media world by storm, dominating the radio industry for nearly three decades and later winning over the hearts of millions on her daytime talk show, "The Wendy Williams Show."

Now Williams is letting fans into her hot topic-filled life in her new biopic, "Wendy Williams: The Movie," premiering Saturday night, followed by her eponymous documentary, "What A Mess!" 

In both projects, the 56-year-old media mogul bares it all, sharing personal struggles that she's faced throughout her life, including weight challenges that started as a child, cocaine addiction, alleged rape, several miscarriages, and her tumultuous relationship with her now ex-husband and former manager Kevin Hunter.

While her marriage began to publicly unravel several years ago due to alleged infidelity and abuse, Williams told Insider that privately she had been executing her divorce plans for nearly two decades. The two wed in 1997.

When asked at what point in her 21-year marriage she felt like her happiness had become compromised, Williams emphatically said, "the second year because that's when I finally got successfully pregnant with [my son] young Kevin and gave birth to him."

Wendy Williams: The Movie
(L to R) Ciera Payton as Wendy Williams and Morocco Omari stars as Kevin in Wendy Williams: The Movie
Photo by Ryan Plummer and Brendan George Ko / Courtesy of Lifetime Copyright 2021
"I went into the delivery room knowing in my mind, 'I'm planning my divorce,'" she continued. "Kevin was a serial cheat. He cheated when I dated him. He cheated when I married him. He cheated while I was on bed rest during the entire nine months of me being pregnant."

Insider reached out to Hunter, but didn't immediately hear back.

Williams, who finalized her divorce from Hunter in 2019, claimed her ex cheated because he "got too comfortable." But despite problems at home, Williams said she made a conscious decision to stay because of her now 20-year-old son, Kevin Hunter Jr.

Read more: Wendy Williams botched the pronunciation of coronavirus twice on her talk show, and fans are beyond confused

"I couldn't [leave] because the bigger the talk show got, and the more I would look into my son's eyes ... the more I decided to give of myself and I figured I'd get it on the back end, so to speak," the daytime talk show host, who's set to remain on air until 2022, told Insider.

But after the two became estranged, Williams said she hoped to set a good example for her son.

Wendy Williams Movie
Morocco Omari stars as Kevin and Ciera Payton as Wendy Williams in Wendy Williams: The Movie
Photo by Ryan Plummer and Brendan George Ko / Courtesy of Lifetime Copyright 2021
"I prayed young Kevin would be smarter than his parents and that I would be able to execute the proper divorce and be the proper single mother," she said.

Still, the talk show host said Hunter "will always be my friend because we must be civil to each other because we are Kevin's parents." 

"I don't regret meeting Kevin. I don't regret falling in love. I don't regret staying with him for all 25 years — 21 of them married," Williams added.

Read more: Talk show host Wendy Williams announces she's been diagnosed with Graves' disease

Despite going through a very public divorce while filming, Williams was so committed to the authenticity of her biopic that she invited Hunter to travel to Vancouver where they were filming.

"He was definitely invited by me as well as Lifetime, with a promissory note from me that he would not be talked about in any other way, but my truth in the documentary and depicted in any other way but my truth in the movie," she added.

Wendy Williams: The Movie
Ciera Payton as Wendy Williams in Wendy Williams: The Movie
Photo by Ryan Plummer and Brendan George Ko / Courtesy of Lifetime Copyright 2021
Still, Lifetime confirmed to Insider that Hunter declined to participate. 

As for moving on to her next phase of life now that her son is out of the home and away at college, Williams is wasting no time on getting exactly what she wants.

"At 56 years old, you don't have too many more chances to get your life together. So, I will continue to be my own best friend until the day I die because only I know what's best for me," she said. "My [late] mother didn't know what was best for me. My sister doesn't know what's best. You don't know what's best. My bosses never knew what's best for me. Only I know what's best for me."

"I'm extremely happy that I'm still relevant enough that I'm able to come through some pretty ... double doors and say, 'How you doing?' and still be young, fun, and pop culture relevant," she added.

"Wendy Williams: The Movie," premieres Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT, followed by her eponymous documentary, "What A Mess!" 

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