Here's What Wendy Williams Looks Like Without Makeup

Wendy Williams is someone who has always tried to stay authentic and honest with her fans, while also staying true to herself. In fact, The New Yorker reports that Williams — the often controversial talk show host — doesn't like to use an ear piece or a teleprompter when she's talking to her audience during her show. It's almost as if Williams treats the set of her show like her living room, while having an intimate conversation with her fans, who just happen to be the millions who tune in each day. 

Williams has also gone viral in more ways than anyone can count, with a kind of candor that has given her the reputation of a straight-shooter who tells it like it is — or at least her version of what it is. It might also be the reason why she's had no hesitation showing her fans every side of her, including the good, the bad, and sometimes the side with absolutely no makeup on. In fact, Williams has left fans quite surprised by her most bare-faced look to date. 

Unlike many other television personalities in her league, Wendy Williams is not afraid to sit in front of a camera with no makeup on. Back in 2012, Williams participated in xoJane's makeunder, opting to ditch her signature smokey-eyed look. She told the site at the time (via Us Weekly), "My idea of made under is different than yours," adding that "[I feel most beautiful] when I get out of the shower — I like what I see." She also went makeup-free in a 2019 Instagram photo with former Vogue editor-at-large André Leon Talley, even though some of her fans weren't buying the bare-faced look, per Atlanta Black Star. 

But Williams did manage to wipe off every inch of her makeup during an after show segment for "The Wendy Williams Show" in 2012. As the host explained on-camera, "I started using anti-aging cream on and off for a few years, but I am a 48-year-old woman and I do have relatively nice skin," she noted.

And most recently — prior to her hiatus from "The Wendy Williams Show" to deal with health issues — the TV personality showed off a relatively fresh face in an Instagram promo video in May 2020. While it looks like Williams has some dark eye makeup on, her skin is bright and clear, and the overall look is clearly toned down from her typical, heavily-made-up beat.

Still, Williams does admit that she wasn't always this confident about her looks, her body, and who she is. 

In an interview with Dujour back in 2014, Wendy Williams admitted that she faced a lot of challenges while growing up, explaining that it took a long time for her to learn the importance of self-acceptance and self-love. 

Williams said that she carried on her personal struggles from her childhood to her early years of her career. Being on television was hard for her because "I grew up a fat girl in Jersey with low self-esteem," she said. "I'm a showgirl, but I wasn't comfortable with being stared at." But as she matured and grew more comfortable with herself, she's been able to be as real as possible with her fans — which they love her for. 

In fact, Williams has never been one to shy away from talking about her personal life — and that includes admitting her insecurities and revealing the plastic surgery she's had to make herself feel good. As The Sun reports, Williams has explained on her talk show that she's undergone a breast enhancement, liposuction, jaw "chiseling," Botox, and more. There's really no doubt about it: Whenever Williams asks, "How you doin?" she'll tell you just how she's doing, too.