After years ofdenying marital trouble, on Thursday, the daytime talk show hostfiled for divorce, a source tells PEOPLE.
Williams, 54, and Hunter, 46, wed on Nov. 30, 1997, and share son Kevin Jr., 19.
She also took anextended hiatusfromTheWendy WilliamsShowfrom January until March, saying she needed torecover from a fractured shoulderas well as take care of herself due to her battle withGrave’s disease, an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid.
Here are all the highs and lows the couple have faced together.
Kevin Hunter and Wendy Williams.John Lamparski/WireImage
LaunchingTheWendy Williams Show
Williams and Hunter (who was reportedly born in Ontario, Canada) met at a skating rink in 1994 and married three years later.
Despite having no previous television experience, Hunter, who owned a beauty parlor before meeting Williams, became her manager and production partner, helping her launchTheWendy WilliamsShowin 2008.
Ever since, Hunter worked as Williams’ manager. Additionally, both Williams and Hunter are executive producers of the program and also share aproduction company, Wendy Williams Productions.
Wendy Williams, Kevin Hunter and Kevin Jr. in 2017.Bruce Glikas/Bruce Glikas/Getty Images
Cheating Scandals
Hunter has long been accused of being unfaithful to Williams. Shortly after she gave birth to their son, Kevin Jr., in 2000, Williams caught Hunter cheating when she overheard a late night phone call with his mistress.
She continued: “I overheard some greasy talk from the next room. Well who is he talking to? I tipped and I crept and I heard what I heard. I was like ‘Wow okay, so this is how it’s going down.’ “
Williams said she eventually decided to forgive Hunter and that the experience made their relationship “stronger.”
“I love him and he loves me and we decided to address this head on,” she said. “I don’t regret [deciding to stay with him.]”
Jennifer Graylock/WireImage
And while it has long been rumored that Hunter has had a decade-long affair with a massage therapist, Williamsbrushed off rumorsin September 2017.
Kevin Hunter and Wendy Williams.Johnny Nunez/WireImage
Through Sickness, and in Health
In 2017, Williams told PEOPLE that Hunter had been apillar of strengthas she grappled with her Graves disease diagnosis.
“My husband was extremely concerned,” she said. “He’s not just my husband, he’s my business partner, one of the executive producers on the show and he’s also my manager. He and I are glued at the hip.”
“He was with me every step,” she added. “For him, seeing me go through all of this, it’s really been trying on him. I’ve been concerned about him. I’m like, ‘Don’t worry about me!’”
Wendy Williams and Kevin Hunter.Johnny Nunez/WireImage
Best Friends and Lovers
Williams once againdefended her marriagelast month, as she addressed her extended break from her talk show and revealed she’d beenliving in a sober house.
“I want to shout-out to my husband.I’m still wearing my ring,” she said during a March 4 episode of her show.“Believe me you, when you’ve been with somebody for 28 years, married for 25 years … we know each other. He’s my best friend, he’s my lover. … I know what you’ve been seeing … but honey, let me show you who I fell in love with and who he fell in love with.”
A decades-old photo of the couple popped onto the screen, and the crowd went wild.
Wendy Williams Show
“I’m still very much in love with my husband and anyone who’s been married … you know.”
“Marriages have ebbs and flows, marriage isn’t easy. And don’t ask me about mine until you see this gone,” she added, gesturing to her wedding ring. “And it ain’t going anywhere, not in this lifetime.”
Less than one month later, Williams would host her show without wearing her wedding ring — and file for divorce.
source: people.com
