Wendy Williams is at it again.
The talk show host is under fire on Friday for comments she made about TikTok star Matima “Swavy” Miller, who tragically passed away Monday after a fatal gunshot wound. He was just 19.
Rather than use the screen time on her daytime series to mourn the young influencer — whose untimely death rattled the internet this week — the 56-year-old proceeded to complain about her lack of social media followers on TikTok and “coaxed laughter” from her audience before announcing his passing! So uncalled for.
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In a truly cringe-worthy “Hot Topics” segment, which originally aired on Wednesday, the TV personality asked her viewers if anyone recognized the teenager — who boasts 3 million followers (with 100 million likes on the same platform) and nearly 500K followers on Instagram for sharing comedy, dance, and paintball game videos. When very few said they knew who the Delaware native was, Williams groaned:
“I have no idea who this person is […] neither does one person in this building.”
That’s when she complained that “he’s got more followers than me.” When a producer tried to boost her spirits by pointing out Wendy still reigns on IG, she dissed the app and seemingly all of social media, saying:
“Well, as my son Kevin would say, no one uses Instagram anymore. And, as far as TikTok, I don’t use that at all. I don’t know what that is. I don’t want to be involved.”
Um… Kinda sounds like a bitter lady unable to move forward with the times, if you ask us. Just saying!!
But that’s when the segment got worse. After ranting about social media, Williams turned to stare at the dancer’s photo in an overdramatic fashion, likely done to receive a laugh from her audience. At that point, they were unaware of the true (and dark) reason why this young man was on the screen in the first place. When the Hold Me in Contempt author finally admitted Swavy was murdered, viewers let out an audible gasp while the former radio DJ continued to lack compassion.
See the shocking moment (below), beginning at 12:55.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvXNwMYQgHY&t=922s
Yeah… Not the appropriate way to handle that topic. Not only did she seem to make a mockery out of the whole thing, she clearly didn’t know the facts of the tragic death, but still found it okay to make casual comments like, “somebody’s dead.” You know, as if she wasn’t talking about someone’s child, friend, or loved one!!
Rightly so, the internet was pissed off!! Taking to Twitter, Swavy fans responded:
“She is so hateful. Like, she basically treated the announcement of his death like it was funny gossip”
“Why disparage him? Why even talk about him at all if you and your audience are that removed from even knowing who he is?”
“She really coaxed laughter from the audience before announcing this young man’s murder.”
“Wendy Williams will have a lot to answer for one day. And it’s always made me uncomfortable that a lot of the people she targets for nastiness are Black and so much of her audience is white.”
“The way Wendy Williams introduced that story about that TikTok star’s passing was offensive. I swear she still thinks she is on the radio with the way she discusses the news. She has always had a very dark spirit.”
“Wendy Williams show needs to be canceled fr”
“Anyone laughing at that Wendy Williams video needs their ass beat right along with her.”
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wendy williams still the undisputed queen of the type of television they use in a horror/sci-fi movie to communicate that the world is a dystopian nightmare https://t.co/WEqDlMIFZF
— Ryan (@rysimmons) July 8, 2021
Black Twitter agreeing to cancel Wendy Williams around the table after watching that video… pic.twitter.com/CAnHKoqO5j
— Jermaine Watkins (@JermaineWatkins) July 9, 2021
Seriously, just so hateful, especially considering Swavy’s fans, friends, and family are still in deep mourning. ICYMI, the social media star’s death was confirmed by the Wilmington Police Department earlier this week. While details are still unclear and no one has been arrested for the crime, we do know the teen was shot at 10:45 a.m. and passed away in a nearby hospital.
Miller was remembered as “so innocent” by YouTube star Damaury “Kid Mauri” Mikula. His death was counted as the 16th fatal gunshot wound in the area out of 82 shootings so far this year — an uptick from last year, which saw 11 deaths total. Whoa…
It’s clear Swavy’s unexpected death left many incredibly emotional, giving all the more reason for Wendy’s comments to not have aired!! Reactions, Perezcious readers? Think she was out of line for the way she handled that story? Let us know in the comments (below)!
[Image via The Wendy Williams Show/YouTube & Swavy/Instagram]