Wendy Williams has always been a pretty controversial talk show host. She tends to just say whatever she wants, and it often gets her into trouble. But Wendy might have let something else slip recently, and that something was a fart.
We all know farts happen. Sometimes, they might even happen on live TV. At least, that's what everyone was saying happened to Wendy last week. A clip from an episode of her show went viral on Friday. During her "Hot Topics" segment, Wendy was discussing Odell Beckham Jr., the Browns receiver, smacking a security guard on the butt when, oh boy, what definitely sounds like a fart noise graced all of our ears.
The clip got so much attention due to the awkwardness of the alleged incident that Wendy definitely had to address it on her show and clear the air (pun intended). So she did that on her show yesterday, addressing what has been called "Fartgate."
It's not unlikely that Wendy would've probably been happy to discuss just about anything else. But when you're a talk show host and you're famous because of that fact, sometimes you find yourself talking about yourself instead of other celebrities. Embarrassing moments do happen no matter who you are. So that's just what Wendy did on Thursday's show — she talked about the alleged fart.
Surely, everyone who had seen the video was wondering what Wendy was going to say. Would she deny it, or admit, "Yes, I farted"? Like Wendy often does, the talk show host came out playing major defense. She had a whole list of reasons why that sound we all heard couldn't have been a fart.
"Let me tell you something right now, OK?" she said. As she spoke, the word "Fartgate" showed up behind her on screen. "I don't lean over like this to release a fart, I lean over like this because it's comfortable." Yeah … OK. I mean, we totally hear you, Wendy, but sometimes overexplaining things can make a person seem like they're trying to cover something up, no?
She continued her explanation anyway. "If I sit [straight up] all the time, it's heavy on my spine," she said. "I like to release my hips and lean. I've been doing this for 11 years on this show." Wendy also said she does so many things on the show and is such a force in entertainment that other shows often try to imitate her. But farting on the show is simply not one of the things she does or will ever do.
"I have never farted once on this show," she continued. "As a matter of fact, I barely fart, you know why? Gas gets released several different ways, and mine is belching because all I do is talk." Oh boy. So not only did Wendy say she never farts on the show, she also said that she doesn't really fart at all. Interesting.
She also went on to say that if she had farted, she would've stopped talking and addressed it. "Farts are always funny." Well, that much is true.
"By the sound of that fart, I would have had to go change my costume, I would have left a mark in the seat," she continued. "I wouldn't even save the costume; I'd throw it away. It'd be soiled beyond soiled-tivity."
Wendy was laughing a bit as she addressed Fartgate. She was in good spirits and trying to keep things light. But she definitely was adamant that she did not fart. She also had some evidence piled up to support her defense, too.
Norman, who works on the show, said that the audio was not superimposed by anyone online, which is what a lot of people thought might've happened. People alter videos all the time, but that wasn't the case. He said that they could hear it when they looked back at the raw footage, as well.
Then, gaffer John Anderson came out to do some more explaining. He said that the noise came from something backstage as they were setting up. Well, that does make a bit of sense. It totally could've been audio from somewhere else on the set and not just from Wendy's seat.
"We were filling up a fish tank backstage and we didn't have the proper hose," he claimed. "It was sputtering like someone was farting. It wasn't Wendy!"
Regardless of whether she did or she didn't, that "fart" sure got some air time.
