Wendy Williams is among the list, including Anderson Cooper, Katie Couric, Bill O’Reilly, Kelly Ripa and Barbara Walters as 35 of media’s most powerful people according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Quite an accomplishment for the one time controversial radio personality turn talk show host.
But Williams, 47, down plays her achievements a bit saying, “I am a woman from New Jersey who happens to have a talk show,” during her interview with the online news source.
According to THR, however,
It’s a combination of relatability….and her signature phrase, “How you doin’?” that earns Williams cheers from her syndicated show’s devoted and diverse audience.
“A 72-year-old woman in my audience is still having sex, is still fashionable and wants to go see The Hunger Games with her granddaughter,” she adds.
The show started 2012 off with a bang, hitting record ratings for the week ending Jan. 15. In fact, its been doing so well, it was renewed on Fox-owned stations through 2014 after being the highest rated in its time slot among women 25 to 54 in New York and a handful of other large markets.
As for her impact on Hollywood she says, “We have something to do with selling people’s music. We have to do with the popularity of the Housewives and the new show GCB.”
And just what does the future holds?
“We just started a production company,” says Williams. “I have five books out. I would love to turn one or three into made-for-TV movies or even big-screen movies.” She also has a line of accessories on QVC.
But Williams notes her first priority is her family. Her son Kevin Jr., 11, comes and stocks the studio fridges on days off from school, and her husband of 14 years, Kevin, is an executive producer, like herself.
“We commute in together, but I leave separately,” she says. “Somebody has to go home and make sure the dishwasher is empty.”
Check out more of Wendy’s interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
Source: THR
