Wendy Williams is apologizing after saying on her show Thursday that gay men should “stop wearing our skirts and heels.”
“I'll start by saying I apologize, I did not mean to offend my LGBTQ+ community on yesterday's show,” Williams said in a message posted to YouTube on Friday, adding that she didn't realize that her comments were offensive until she watched a broadcast of the show later.
“One thing I can tell you right now is that I never do the show [from] a place of malice,” she said. “I understand my platform with the community, from first grade to intermediate school to high school to college to radio and now to TV.
“I didn't mean to hurt anybody's feelings,” she added. “I'm just having a conversation. If you know me long enough, then you know … I live and let live every day. Life is too short. I'm 55 years old, and maybe I sounded like your auntie, your mother, your big sister, or somebody out of touch. I'm not out of touch, except for perhaps yesterday by saying what I said, so I deeply apologize, and I deeply appreciate the support that I get from the community. I will do better. I appreciate you supporting me. Thank you.”
Williams' anti-LGBT comments came during a “Hot Topics” segment of the show, when she asked who in the audience would be celebrating Galentine's Day, the Feb. 13 holiday of “ladies celebrating ladies” spawned by an episode of Parks and Recreation.
“Well, first of all, if you're a man and you're clapping, you're not even a part of this,” Williams said. “You don't even understand the rules of the day. It's women going out and getting saucy and then going back home. You're not a part.
“I don't care if you're gay,” Williams said, adding that gay men don't menstruate every 28 days. “You can do a lot that we do, but I get offended by the idea that we go through something you will never go through.
“And stop wearing our skirts and our heels. Just sayin' girls, what do we have for ourselves?”
Williams' comments drew heavy criticism from the online LGBT community, with Queer Eye star Tan France even launching a #GayHeelsForWendy hashtag.
