"She was one of the first to put it out there" - Fans rue Wendy Williams’ absence in reporting on Diddy's recent arrest, wish for her return 

The news of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ arrest has caused quite a stir online. Several people are now ruing Wendy Williams’ absence, who they believe would have had much to say about the rapper’s current legal troubles.

The former View host has been out of the public eye since being diagnosed with several medical conditions, including aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, in 2023.

As per ABC News, Diddy was taken into federal custody on September 16, 2024, from Manhattan’s Park Hyatt Hotel.

In the wake of Combs’ arrest and Williams being missing in action, the internet is hoping for the latter to return. For instance, Instagram user @yunginmiagi commented on The Shade Room’s post on the same by writing:

“She was one of the first to put it out there that he might be [rainbow emoji].”

A netizen lauds Wendy Williams for her role in exposing Diddy. (Image via Instagram)

Many others joined the conversation and shared similar reactions on the social media platform X.

“Wendy Williams would’ve dedicated her entire hour to talk about Diddy and his mess. God, I miss her. I hope she’s doing well,” a fan wrote.

“Same. I need her to just get on a live, real quick. Like a 5 min hot topics session (Diddy edition),” another agreed.

“Yup, I’ll never forget he got her fired in the 90’s so this is her retribution!!! She definitely left a void!” a user wrote.

Others suggested that if Williams were still an active talk show or radio host, she would have spilled more “tea” on the ongoing Combs case.

“AND she would’ve dropped some ‘I told you so’ TEA,” a person wrote.

“It would have been a long week of tea being spilled #DiddyArrested,” one person wrote.

“She'd been trying to tell us about him (and a few others...) for YEARS,” wrote another.

Meanwhile, some wished her a speedy recovery and hoped for her quick comeback.

“She was such an integral part of celebrity gossip, no talk show host is as bold and ruthless as she was. we need her back!” a netizen wrote.

“Wendy’s unique take always kept us entertained. Here’s hoping she’s finding peace and strength!” one netizen wrote.

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Exploring Wendy Williams' reporting on Diddy over the years

During the 1990s, Wendy Willams hosted the TV channel WQHT, where she leaked an allegedly fake NSFW photo of Sean Combs being romantic with another man. Us Weekly reported that she got fired from the show.

Later, she made similar claims about the hip-hop mogul’s sexuality and even called him “gay” on the Hot 97 radio channel.

In her 2004 memoir The Wendy Williams Experience, the media personality professed “contempt for Puff,” alleging that he “single-handedly tried to ruin me.” However, she clarified that she didn’t “hate him” despite the “hell he put me through.”

During a 2009 episode of The Wendy Williams Experience, she also claimed that members of the R&B girl group Total, which was signed to Diddy’s Bad Boy Records label, “jumped” her. Ten years later, she doubled down on her allegations on the same show and accused the rapper of masterminding the attack.

“Once upon a time, there was a music mogul who sent his all-girl group to beat my a*s in front of the radio station. Fact! I finished my shift, round up my headphones, put my bag [on] my arm and I see everybody lined up at the window looking down on the sidewalk,” Wendy alleged.

Williams even said her ex-husband, Kevin Hunter, could vouch for the alleged incident.

“I find this girl group, jump out of a gypsy cab, to come after me. To beat my a*s! For what? You know what I said was true. You all were broke and you were living in the projects, and that was that,” Williams added.

Subsequently, in 2013, when Diddy was having legal troubles, Wendy Willaims told Vlad TV that her life was coming “full circle.” Two years later, she criticized Combs on her eponymous show for his frequent name changes from “Puffy” to “Diddy.”

In 2018, when Sean Combs and his then-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura parted ways, Wendy Williams went on record to claim that the No Way Out rapper was trying to “manipulate” Cassie into patching up their relationship. In 2015, during a brief breakup, the World War Z actress described the relationship as "unbalanced" and Ventura as "paranoid" for reportedly staying with him, labeling Sean a "playboy."

In 2017, Puffy appeared on The Wendy Williams Show, where the duo temporarily mended their differences. While he called Wendy one of the first successful female hip-hop journalists, she called the moment a “full circle.”

Later, during her interview with Sway’s Universe radio show, Williams labeled Diddy a “Bad Boy for life.”

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Wendy Willaims was publicly seen last month for the first time in over a year when she visited Bolingo Balance, a holistic wellness store in Newark, New Jersey. She was accompanied by her son, Kevin Hunter Jr.