Sporting a Lady Liberty getup for Halloween, Williams was seconds away from revealing the finalists of a Halloween costume contest when she began to stumble backwards.
— Z.E.A.L MEDIA (@zeal_afrique) October 31, 2017
"We do it every year, it's always a lot of fun," Williams told viewers about the costume contest before collapsing. "Let's get started. Our first… "
With her speech trailing off and having already begun to stumble backwards, Williams' face was plastered with a look of shock as she motioned toward her head before falling.
And yet, incredibly enough, Williams appeared back to normal as if nothing had ever happened after the commercial break was over.
"That was not a stunt," the host first told viewers before offering an explanation. "[I] overheated in my costume and I did pass out. But you know what? I'm a champ and I'm back."
— Wendy Williams (@WendyWilliams) October 31, 2017
In the end, the fall was written off as being "overheated," a state brought on by a combination of "heavy costume, makeup, and lights."
And as netizens typically do, they took to Twitter to offer their own medical opinion on the matter.
— ✨Angel Nicole✨ (@ang_nic_) October 31, 2017
— Michelle Carroll (@Nurse_X) October 31, 2017
— Noizey (@noizey) October 31, 2017
Others just made a comparison to how the Statue of Liberty probably felt when US President Donald Trump moved into the oval office.
— Quinn Sutherland (@ReelQuinn) October 31, 2017
Responding to the outpouring from fans, Williams released a second statement on Twitter laughing off the mishap and doubling down on the claim that she simply needed "some water and electrolytes."
— Wendy Williams (@WendyWilliams) October 31, 2017
A separate statement from Williams' spokesperson Ronn Torossian confirmed that the "How You Doin'" host was dehydrated and that she would address the incident in full during Wednesday's show.
"Wendy fainted on-air this morning. She is dehydrated and is on her way home to rest and sleep," Torossian confirmed to USA TODAY. "She has been examined by medical professionals and finished the show in true Wendy spirit. She has never missed a day of work, and will continue all shows as planned. She will address this on-air tomorrow."
