REVEALED: Staffers on the Wendy Williams show often found hidden bottles of liquor around set and bosses questioned the host's sobriety 'at least 25' times - before star was BLINDSIDED by cancellation

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Staff members working on The Wendy Williams Show have revealed they often found hidden bottles of liquor around the set as the top executives questioned the host's sobriety 'at least 25' times before the star was blindsided by the show's abrupt cancelation.

Daytime TV host Wendy Williams, 58, made a career out of deep dives into celebrity gossip and drama - but it's been a tumultuous few years for the host herself, who has dealt with addiction, a cheating husband, divorce and the loss of her show.

Now been revealed that workers on the show were often forced to make snap decision right before going live on air because of Wendy's health - to which she would say that she was 'fine.'

Bottles of alcohol were also found in obscure places in the studio amid her alleged breakdown, sources said.  

Wendy's troubles began in 2017, when DailyMail.com revealed in a blockbuster expose that her husband Kevin Hunter had been having a 10-year affair with masseuse Sharina Hudson.

In December 2018 the star claimed she hired a private investigator to spy on her husband who she suspected was still carrying on with his Hudson.

Staffers reveal what went on behind the scenes of The Wendy Williams Show, as the host, 58, was blindsided by the cancelation earlier this year

Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show Wendy Williams in September 2021 stepping out of a black SUV wearing a gold and cream robe and what looks to be blue hospital socks

Then, in 2019, DailyMail.com revealed that Wendy was staying overnight at a private facility run by the Pure Recovery Network in Long Island City, New York.

She had plunged into an alcohol- and pill-fueled depression when she fractured her shoulder during a confrontation with her cheating husband Hunter.

And in 2020, Wendy finalized her divorce from Hunter and he was seen moving out of their New Jersey home.

In September 2021, Williams took a leave of absence from her daytime talk show due to various medical issues. 

In January, it was announced that The Wendy Williams Show and frequent guest host Sherri Shepherd would take over the time slot to host a new talk show.

As the June 2022 date approached for the final show, Williams reportedly saw a promo and was shocked to hear about the cancelation of her own show.

Williams last taped her show in July 2021, when season 12 wrapped. Production on the current season was delayed last September because she had a 'breakthrough' case of COVID-19, the show said at the time. 

Her health didn't intrude on her TV work until 2017, when she fainted during the show and took a three-week leave. Williams said in 2018 that she had been diagnosed years before with Graves' disease, an autoimmune condition that affects the thyroid.

She has been blunt about her life, saying her longtime cocaine use that began in college made her a 'functioning addict' before kicking the drug. However, on a March 2019 episode of her show, a tearful Williams said that she was living 'in a sober house' and had a round-the-clock sobriety coach. She didn't specify why.

Behind the scenes, insiders told The Hollywood Reporter that Williams was unraveling. 

'Everybody on that staff and crew witnessed all kinds of things,' one show source said. 

The insiders said producers sent preshow text messages to higher-ups at the company questioning Williams' sobriety on 'at least 25' separate occasions. 

They would then have to make ultra-quick judgment call on whether to go live at 10 a.m., which, those sources say, was typically complicated by the fact that Williams would insist she was 'fine.' 

Another source said staffers would 'find bottles [of alcohol] up in the ceiling tiles and other weird places in the office.' 

In January, it was announced that The Wendy Williams Show. The show ended in June

It's been a tumultuous few years for Wendy, who has dealt with addiction, a cheating husband and divorce. In 2019, DailyMailTV revealed the host had been secretly treated at a sober living residential facility for addiction to alcohol and prescription drugs  

Wendy was staying overnight at a private facility run by the Pure Recovery Network in Long Island City, New York after she plunged into an alcohol- and pill-fueled depression when she fractured her shoulder during a confrontation with her cheating husband Kevin Hunter. She's seen on a walk with Hunter before their divorce  

In February 2022, Debmar-Mercury decided The Wendy Williams Show would end with its 13th season that spring, and a new show from Shepherd would launch in its time slot in the fall. 

The announcement called Williams a 'true icon,' and praised her successor Shepherd as 'a natural.'

A statement on Williams' behalf was released later that day suggesting that the outgoing host 'understands,' and is 'incredibly grateful to Debmar-Mercury.'

However, a few hours later, Williams responded: 'Mr. Bragman: Although I appreciate your concerns and respect you immensely, I have not authorized you to make any statements on my behalf regarding my status with Debmar-Mercury.'

The top bosses didn't hear from Williams until late February or March when she called to inquire about rumors about her show being canceled. 

Co-president Bernstein recalled: 'I said, 'We haven't heard from you, and we had to make a decision.' We should have made one in November, but we pushed it to January or February, and by then, it was like, 'Make a decision or lose the time period,'' Bernstein recalled.

'She said, 'Well, what's going to air at 10 o'clock?' I told her, 'Sherri's going to air at 10 o'clock.' 'So, can I go on at 11?' I said, 'We'd love to work with you, and there are lots of ways and lots of buyers, but you need to come back, and we need to know that you're OK. You can't just call after nine months and say, 'I'm ready.''

The day before the final show, Williams saw a promo on Fox about her show being canceled. 

Co-president Mort Marcus revealed: 'She called me, like, 'Wait a minute, what do you mean it's canceled? What are you talking about?'' 

'No matter how many people could have told her — you could have told her, I could have told her — she's thinking, 'I'll be ready in a week and I'm coming to shoot,'' he says. 'So, it kind of happened all of a sudden for her, even though it was unraveling before her eyes.'

Wendy first gave the public cause for concern in October 2017 when she collapsed on camera during a taping of her talk show.

Wendy first gave the public cause for concern in October 2017 when she collapsed on camera during a taping of her talk show

Wendy Williams was spotted by DailyMail.com in September 2021 leaving her Manhattan apartment while being pushed in a wheelchair

She told her audience of her Graves' disease diagnosis in early 2018.

'My thyroid has been totally cattywampus. I feel like there are birds swimming around my head … Constantly high. But not high,' she said. 'My doctor has prescribed - are you ready? Three weeks of vacation. I was pissed. Encore performances, really?'

Wendy also revealed she was diagnosed with lymphedema in 2019.

'It's not going to kill me, but I do have a machine -and how dare you talk about the swelling of it all,' she said on her show. 'I've got it under control, and if [the swelling in] my feet and lower things never go all the way down, at least I have this machine.'

In 2018 Wendy spoke to PEOPLE about the immune system disorder.

'I feel a hundred percent better than I was a few months ago. I had a storm going in my body is the best way I can explain it,' she said at the time.

'It came from me neglecting my six-month endocrinology appointment. I have Graves' disease and hyperthyroid. If you have one you don't necessarily have to have the other, but I have both, and I was diagnosed with both 19 years ago,' Wendy said.

Wendy was staying overnight at a private facility run by the Pure Recovery Network in Long Island City, New York after she plunged into an alcohol- and pill-fueled depression when she fractured her shoulder during a confrontation with her cheating husband Kevin Hunter.

She broke down in tears on her show, admitting she had been living at the sober home and was attending meetings around New York City.

Wendy's troubles began in December 2018 when the star hired a private investigator to spy on her husband who she suspected was still carrying on with his mistress Sharina Hudson.

In 2017, Hudson had been at the center of a DailyMail.com expose revealing her ten-year affair with Wendy's husband.

After being told the secret affair was still very much alive, the TV host confronted Hunter demanding to know why he was still seeing the massage therapist. It was then that she injured her shoulder.

Wendy Williams and former husband Kevin Hunter pictured in 2018

Wendy filed for divorce from her husband Kevin Hunter after reports his mistress Sharina gave birth to a baby girl. 'For you lonely girls who can't keep your hands off other people's men, there is a hot place in hell for you!' the TV host said on her show

And finally in 2020, Wendy finalized her divorce from Hunter and he was seen moving out of their New Jersey home. 

Earlier this year, Hunter filed a lawsuit for $7million against the TV company producing The Wendy Williams Show for alleged wrongful termination.

The civil lawsuit filed in a federal court in New York City Tuesday claimed that Hunter, 49, was wrongly fired by Debmar-Mercury as an executive producer due to his marital status with the show's host.

Williams filed for divorce from Hunter in April 2019 citing irreconcilable differences after his mistress Sharina Hudson gave birth to his child in March 2019.

'Hunter was one of the reasons behind the Wendy William Show's tremendous success and everything seemed to go south after he left. Mr. Hunter was unlawfully terminated solely due to his marital status to Wendy, which is contrary to human rights laws in NYC,' his attorney Abe George told DailyMail.com.

'This lawsuit seeks to compensate Mr. Hunter for the sweat equity that he put into the show and that Debmar-Mercury will continue to profit on even in their new reincarnation of the Wendy Williams Show,' Hunter's lawyer added.

The lawsuit listed Debmar-Mercury founders Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus as defendants and demanded a jury trial.

Hunter was seeking a monetary award of at least $7 million, as well as punitive damages, lost wages and legal fees, according to court documents.

He was an executive producer of The Wendy Williams Show since 2007 and the lawsuit stated that he was involved in the show's branding and helped conceptualize 'the wildly popular segments ''Hot Topics,'' ''Shoe Came,'' and 'Hot Seat'' segments of the show'.

The lawsuit stated that Hunter was served with notice that Williams was filing for divorce on April 11, 2019, and a week later he received a written notice of his termination from Bernstein.

'The termination of Plaintiff was based strictly upon Plaintiff's marital status and his impending divorce to the Show's host, ignoring all of the contributions that Plaintiff made to make the Show a success,' the lawsuit stated.