Wendy Williams has issued an apology to the LGBTQ community after telling gay men to “stop wearing women’s skirts and heels”.
The US talk show host sparked a backlash when she made the disparaging comments during a segment celebrating the female Valentine’s Day alternative, Galentine’s Day.
“If you’re a man and you’re clapping, you’re not even a part of this,” she told the audience. “I don’t care if you’re gay. You don’t get a [menstrual period] every 28 days. You can do a lot that we do, but I get offended by the idea that we go through something you will never go through.
“Stop wearing our skirts and our heels,” she continued. “Girls, what do we have for ourselves? You’ll never be the woman that we are, no matter how gay!”
After she faced much criticism online – some accused her of homophobia while others argued her remarks could be interpreted as transphobic – Wendy has now posted a two-minute video apologising.
’I’ll start by saying I apologise, I did not mean to offend my LGBT+ community,” she said.
“One thing I can tell you now is that I never do the show in a place of malice. I understand my platform in the community.”
Becoming emotional, she continued: “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone’s feelings. I’m just having a conversation. If you know me long enough, then you know... bon vivant, I don’t even know what that means, but it sounds fabulous.
“In my mind, it means live and let live. Bon vivant. And I live and let live every day.”
She added: “I’m 55 years old and maybe I sounded like your auntie, your mother, your big sister or somebody out of touch.
“I’m not out of touch except for perhaps yesterday by saying what I said. I deeply apologise and I deeply appreciate the support that I get from the community. I will do better.”
Wendy is no stranger to controversy. Earlier this year, she apologised to the cleft community after appearing to mock actor Joaquin Phoenix’s lip scar.
In 2018, she proclaimed she was “sick” of the Me Too movement, telling her viewers: “I look at all men like, ‘You’re a ‘Me Too.’ All of them. All of them, which is not fair.”