Wendy Williams collapses on live TV after 'overheating' in Statue of Liberty Halloween costume
Williams returned to the programme and told the audience: "That was not a stunt."
Talkshow host Wendy Williams gave viewers an unexpected fright by passing out towards the end of her Halloween special today (31 October).
The popular television host was dressed up as the Statue of Liberty and was speaking on stage before she began to wobble and stagger backwards before collapsing.
A person from the camera crew on her Wendy talkshow was seen rushing over to help before the programme cut to dead air.
Following a lengthy commercial break, the episode returned to the audience who were clapping fervently, but there was no sign of Williams or even the stage. It then went to a commercial break again as the show ran into disaster.
When the programme finally returned, Williams said to the camera: "That was not a stunt. I overheated in my costume and I passed out. I am a champ, and I am back."
The 53-year-old host from New Jersey then propped herself on a clear podium but still appeared to be light-headed and struggling to speak before announcing the winners of the costume contest.
Twitter exploded with memes following the scary incident, with worried viewers wondering about Williams' well-being.
One person wrote: "Yo wtf just happened to Wendy Williams hope she's alright". Another said: "Jesus Christ! Wendy Williams fainted on TV. This is one of the scariest things I've ever seen."
A third said: "Is Wendy Williams okay!? She just passed out in the middle of her show! She looked so scared!! #WendyWilliams".
Williams visibly struggled to read the cue cards seconds into the show and said "carest" instead of "contestant" before she looked extremely startled and lost her balance.
New York Daily news reports that the FDNY responded to a call for a medical episode at approximately 10.30am at 221 W 26<sup>th Street – which is the same address as the Wendy studio.