After Bashing Kesha & Ronda Rousey, Wendy Williams Takes Aim At Rihanna — What’s With All The Shade?
Television personality Wendy Williams has probably never read anything by Wittgenstein. Armchair scholars might recall that the Austrian-born philosopher once famously remarked, “Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent,” effectively suggesting that folks should keep quiet if they don’t know any better. Indeed, many of Williams’ detractors seem to feel that the daytime talk show host fits easily into the aforementioned category given her mounting trend of incendiary verbal harangues against some of the most prominent female entertainers around. Most recently, Williams took some shots at singer Rihanna during a monologue on her daytime television show, suggesting that the award-winning singer doesn’t have what it takes to stand the test of time.
“Rihanna will not be a legend,” Williams said in a video clip circulated on Twitter. “Beyoncé will do her residency in Vegas at 55 years old and you will go see her. Rihanna will attempt to do it but as soon as she gets up there and says the ‘b’ word… ‘better have my money’? Rihanna is good for right now. But she is not a legend. Nor will she be. That’s all.”
Wendy Williams says Rihanna will not be a legend like Beyoncé. pic.twitter.com/7b211vX87x
— Shady Music Facts (@musicnews_shade) February 24, 2016
Although some fans cheered on the ever-irreverent Williams via social media, others expressed disdain at the tone and the content of her commentary.
@WendyWilliams Rihanna IS a legend, the facts show this. And her legacy will long outlive your hateful trash. https://t.co/S0rKy51evM
— Khalil (@KhalilW_) February 24, 2016
why wendy hated on Rihanna like that??????????? @WendyWilliams SHE IS A LEGEND! YOU NOT A WOMAN!
— ripSajaray (@vershanti__) February 24, 2016
Rihanna is a legend since she was born, and she’ll be a legend in 50 years and more Wendy Williams, don’t be silly. Bey is amazing as she.
— woo (@weirdonavy) February 24, 2016
It’s all good and well to suggest Williams’ mean-spirited jabs are part of a ratings ploy or just business as usual for someone who is paid to share her take on the biggest entertainment and fashion stories of the day. But Wendy’s most recent salvo is not the sole occasion that she has thrown some serious shade at Rihanna. Back in 2014, Williams took things all the way into the gutter when she described the singer as someone who would be good for a one-night stand, provided that suitors exercise certain precautions.
“Rihanna is not girlfriend material,” Wendy Williams said of the singer. “She’s hot, she’s sexy, you do her, then you take your penicillin.”
For her part, Rihanna replied to Williams via Twitter with a shockingly profane retort, as reported by the entertainment web site Singers’ Room.
Wendy Williams also got down and dirty with her remarks about singer Kesha on Monday, providing her take on the singer’s allegations that he was sexually harassed and assaulted by her producer, Dr. Luke. Williams said that a judge’s controversial decision that Kesha must continue to work with Dr. Luke is “fair” and – going a step further – took a pot shot at Kesha’s age and image.
“If everybody complained because somebody allegedly sexually abused them… contracts would be broken all the time,” Williams said of the embattled performer in comments transcribed by New York Daily News. “Kesha’s no spring chicken.”
Williams also suggested that had Kesha somehow recorded alleged incidents of abuse, her reports would have been more credible.
Last week, Wendy Williams also trashed former UFC champion Ronda Rousey’s appearance on one of the covers for this year’s Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, complaining that Rousey is not good-looking enough to be featured on the front of the iconic magazine. She said that Rousey looked “hot” enough to stand out at a public pool or barbecue but that her entire look was entirely wrong for Sports Illustrated.
Wendy Williams has not disclosed whether or not Sports Illustrated has ever asked her to do a photo shoot for their swimsuit edition but truth be told, the chances of that actually happening are probably just as likely as Wendy joining Rihanna and Kesha for brunch and a spirited discussion about the life and works of Wittgenstein.
[Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS]
