Wendy Williams claims that a shopping trip she recently went on went awry due to department store Bergdorf Goodman racially profiling her and NeNe Leakes .
People reports that the daytime talk show host spoke about her recent shopping trip that involved Leakes and fellow Real Housewives of Atlanta star Marlo Hampton. Williams said that the trip, which took place on Sunday, went smoothly at first. The ladies appeared to have a great time and spent tons of cash on luxury clothing and food while at the department store. Williams even dished about how they each had an associate help them while shopping.
While they appeared to be having a good time, Williams shared with her fans on The Wendy Williams Show that things soon turned south. She shared that the security guards at the store treated them “like ‘the hood’” and claimed they were being watched the entire time.
“We not just shopped, we went upstairs and had lunch — the whole bit. The three of us take over. And can I tell you something about security? They treated us like ‘the hood’ that they treat us,” she shared.
Williams then rubbed the back of her hand to insinuate that the alleged disrespectful time was due the group’s race. She then used the story to explain to her audience that, despite the success the women have had throughout their careers, they allegedly couldn’t escape the racial bias they endured at the department store.
“You can earn what you want. You can do what you want, but when you are what you are, you better not be surprised about how people treat you,” Williams said to her audience. “We were followed like we were about to do something.”
Bergdorf Goodman recently apologized for any role its employees played in the incident. A rep for the department store emailed Essence and said it values its customers and takes any concerns from them “seriously.” The department store has yet to confirm Williams’ allegations.
Williams and Leakes reconnected in NYC after their friendship faced a crossroad earlier this year . Leakes texted Williams saying that she “quit,” and Williams shared the text on her show. She then said that Leakes meant she was leaving RHOA , which Leakes has since denied. The show’s self-proclaimed OG said she was simply venting to her friend and didn’t think she would discuss it on her show. Williams has since apologized to Leakes, and the two seem to be in a good place.
