Wendy Williams Seen Exiting Sober House After Opening Up About Addiction

Talk show host Wendy Williams is taking steps to treat her addiction, just as she told fans she'd be doing.

In the morning of Wednesday, March 20, 2019, Williams was spotted leaving a sober house in Queens, as reported by Page Six. Wearing a nearly $2,000 animal-print coat by Moncler Caille and carrying a "yellow crocodile Fendi Large by the Way bag," Williams was said to have walked from the facility to a Mercedes as she went on her way to work at The Wendy Williams Show.

The day before, Williams, 54, had opened up about battling an addiction on her popular daytime talk show, revealing that she'd been living in a sober home. "For some time now and even today and beyond, I have been living in a sober house," she shared with her audience and viewers at home. She continued, "You know I've had a struggle with cocaine in my past, and I never went to a place to get the treatment. I don't know how except God was sitting on my shoulder and I just stopped."

She went on to say that she wanted to share her truth in order to help others dealing with similar issues. Williams revealed that, after she does her show, she goes to pilates for two hours and then "goes to several meetings all around town in the tri-state area." There, she said, she "sees [her] brothers and sisters caught up in their addiction and looking for help."

Williams shared that, after her appointments, she returns to a sober home, where she lives with "a bunch of smelly boys who've become my family," via a ride from her 24-hour sober coach. She noted that she spends her nights reading and talking with the men before going to bed, following a doors-locked, lights-out policy that goes into effect at 10 p.m.

As noted by Page Six, Williams did not say that she relapsed. She's only stated that she's sought help for addiction.

After Williams spoke out about her struggle, many celebrities took to social media to praise her for her honesty and bravery. Late night host Carson Daly tweeted out, "Very brave. Very powerful & honest. Rooting for you."

Aerosmith's Steven Tyler posted, "You know what's brave..? Admitting your failure...admitting your triumphs without a care for judgement." He noted, "Strength takes time to build...better late than never...Congrats to @WendyWilliams for speaking your truth."

Reacting to Williams' message and Williams' organization that helps place those facing addiction in recovery centers around the globe, The Hunter Foundation, journalist Maria Shriver tweeted, "I don't know Wendy Williams personally but I applaud her for this brave message. She's going to save some lives. She is going to help people. Stay the course @WendyWilliams."

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Williams had previously discussed her past addiction issues with Tell Me More host Michel Martin (via NPR). "I was addicted to cocaine — crack cocaine," she said. "Cooking it ... getting it up in the Bronx. This was before cell phones, waiting, just like a real fiend — waiting on Jerome Avenue at three o'clock in the morning as a single woman with a thriving career here in New York."

She shared that she'd stopped using after her relationship with her now-husband got serious. "Thank God I never got stopped by the cops to shame my family, and myself, and lose my job," she said, adding, "Thank God my heart never palpitated to the point where I was dead in my apartment."

Prior to opening up about her addiction struggles on her March 20 show, Wendy Williams had taken two months off from The Wendy Williams Show due to her health. "What had happened was, we were only supposed to be off for two weeks for Christmas vacation," she began when she returned to her show in early March, "and towards the end of the two weeks, I started to feel thyroid-ish." Williams — who's been diagnosed with Grave's disease, an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroids — noted that her doctors were "adjusting" her medications, and they clearly helped get Williams feeling better.

"I'm happy to tell you that I am doing swell," she told her audience.

We're rooting for Williams as she continues dealing with her addiction, and we applaud her for coming forward to share her story.