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Wendy's Got the Heat
She's the kind of media personality that artists love because she builds them up -- and fear because she can bring them down. She's interviewed many of the biggest names in entertainment -- Jennifer Lopez, Whitney Houston, and Queen Latifah among them -- and is known for her ability to disarm and get them to reveal their secrets. Known as both a "shock jock diva" and "the biggest mouth in New York," Wendy Williams is always at the top of her game, whether she's doing color commentary for the VH1 Fashion Awards or giving romantic advice on her daily drive-time show. But there's more to the Queen of Urban Radio than meets the mike. Wendy's Got the Heat is her story -- about growing up in a predominately white suburb, recovering from drug addiction, struggling to launch a successful career in one of the most male-dominated media industries -- and it's by turns painful, hilarious, triumphant, and totally true.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
16 people are currently reading
266 people want to read
About the author
Wendy Williams
8 books132 followersWendy Joan Williams is an American media personality and New York Times bestselling author. She hosts her own syndicated talk show, The Wendy Williams Show. Williams is known for being a former DJ in New York City, where she gossiped about entertainers and conducted celebrity interviews. Williams gained notoriety for her on-air spats with celebrities. Her books include the New York Times bestseller The Wendy Williams Experience, and she writes a weekly column for Life & Style magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
May 9, 2010
Ehhhhh! She annoyed me so much with her holier than thou approach to everything, even talking about how she was a coke head she made it seem like she was better than every coke head in the World! Girl, bye!
June 27, 2009
ok why do i have 2 copies?? because book lovers forget in their immense collections, that's why! first of all as ghettoized as Wendy of WBLS fame acts who would know this woman comes from a staid, professional middle class family--replete with debutante balls!! she also managed to keep the coke habit under wraps--she is intelligent and educated, I was pleasantly and happily surprised.
October 22, 2017
Nothing exciting and nothing I didn't already know about Wendy Williams. Basic read, solid 2.5 stars
March 1, 2017
I am a born and raised New Yorker and grew up listening to Wendy Williams. Her radio presence was an integral part of my H.S. and college careers as it provided my friends and I with "the scoop", which we loved to discuss between classes or while hanging out. Needless to say, I was a big fan of the "shock jock diva's" show The Wendy Williams Experience at the time. I love celebrity gossip, so I tried to tune in daily. When I heard that she was coming out with a tell-all autobiography, I was too excited.
I obtained my copy the week it came out, and when I finished it (in about 2 days) I was sort of a disappointed. It was a bit over-rated, and not as "juicy" as I was expecting it to be. A lot of the stories she told, I knew about already, and in a way I felt that she was holding back on a lot of information. She talked about her drug habit, her departure from Kiss FM, and her miscarriages, but I still didn't feel that she was being as candid with her own story the way she said she would.
I did however enjoy the last two chapters of the book, entitled "Advice Hour" and "Ten Simple Rules". In those chapters she provided useful information and wonderful words of wisdom.
Overall, the book was just OK. I hope her next book makes up for what I felt was missing.
I obtained my copy the week it came out, and when I finished it (in about 2 days) I was sort of a disappointed. It was a bit over-rated, and not as "juicy" as I was expecting it to be. A lot of the stories she told, I knew about already, and in a way I felt that she was holding back on a lot of information. She talked about her drug habit, her departure from Kiss FM, and her miscarriages, but I still didn't feel that she was being as candid with her own story the way she said she would.
I did however enjoy the last two chapters of the book, entitled "Advice Hour" and "Ten Simple Rules". In those chapters she provided useful information and wonderful words of wisdom.
Overall, the book was just OK. I hope her next book makes up for what I felt was missing.
January 24, 2024
Wendy come back home the kids miss you
September 20, 2024
Truly and forever THEE Moment! I had to skip the interview chapter with kev-🤢
Song on repeat while reading: Native New Yorker by The Lips from The Masked Singer
Song on repeat while reading: Native New Yorker by The Lips from The Masked Singer
January 7, 2015
Superficial, poorly conceived, and terribly written. Despite that, I somewhat enjoyed reading this book, mostly due to my affinity for Wendy Williams; however, my familiarity with her comes from her talk show and not her radio career, which is what this book is focused on. It's dated and over ten years old at this point, but I wanted to read it because I had heard that it included juicy celebrity gossip and also because I was interested in Wendy's back story, particularly her drug addiction.
One of my biggest complaints about the book is that the jacket is incredibly misleading. One statement in particular gave me the impression that the book would be centered around Wendy's breakthrough and subsequent success in a male-dominated industry. What I found was that there was basically no exploration of radio culture or the hardship Wendy might have faced as a woman and as a person of color. Her career in radio is presented as one-sided and quite frankly, Wendy comes off as extremely self-righteous yet simultaneously insecure. This is probably due to her cocaine addiction, which is another focus of the book, but again, very superficially. What kept standing out to me was that there was no self-analysis evident in this book. Wendy's story is flat and static. She doesn't delve into how her cocaine addiction, her miscarriages or the infidelity in her marriage truly affected her psyche. These events are simply presented matter of factly and then dismissed. And for the record, I think including an interview with her husband was in poor taste. He seems like an ignorant and insensitive douche.
Another complaint I have about this book is the writing style. It's super colloquial and conversational, probably in an attempt to be familiar with readers, but I think it backfired. Wendy came off as condescending and egotistical. Perhaps this is true to her character, but I also know that she is an intelligent and sophisticated woman with a keen sense of self-awareness. The latter are not portrayed through the tone or writing style of this book. Better writing on her and/or her ghost writer and editor's behalf would have really elevated this book. I found numerous grammatical errors in the book as well, one as simple as your vs. you're (on page 250-something if you're looking for it). WTF?
This book is a horrible example of a biography. It merely scratches the surface of what could have otherwise been a very interesting and thought-provoking exploration of Wendy's life experiences. But again, in some weird way I still liked reading it, which is the reason behind the 3 star rating. For the record, there was little to no celebrity gossip in this book, but a lot of "I won't say their real name" type statements and allusions to people based on professional or physical characteristics. If she came out with an updated biography, I'd still read it.
One of my biggest complaints about the book is that the jacket is incredibly misleading. One statement in particular gave me the impression that the book would be centered around Wendy's breakthrough and subsequent success in a male-dominated industry. What I found was that there was basically no exploration of radio culture or the hardship Wendy might have faced as a woman and as a person of color. Her career in radio is presented as one-sided and quite frankly, Wendy comes off as extremely self-righteous yet simultaneously insecure. This is probably due to her cocaine addiction, which is another focus of the book, but again, very superficially. What kept standing out to me was that there was no self-analysis evident in this book. Wendy's story is flat and static. She doesn't delve into how her cocaine addiction, her miscarriages or the infidelity in her marriage truly affected her psyche. These events are simply presented matter of factly and then dismissed. And for the record, I think including an interview with her husband was in poor taste. He seems like an ignorant and insensitive douche.
Another complaint I have about this book is the writing style. It's super colloquial and conversational, probably in an attempt to be familiar with readers, but I think it backfired. Wendy came off as condescending and egotistical. Perhaps this is true to her character, but I also know that she is an intelligent and sophisticated woman with a keen sense of self-awareness. The latter are not portrayed through the tone or writing style of this book. Better writing on her and/or her ghost writer and editor's behalf would have really elevated this book. I found numerous grammatical errors in the book as well, one as simple as your vs. you're (on page 250-something if you're looking for it). WTF?
This book is a horrible example of a biography. It merely scratches the surface of what could have otherwise been a very interesting and thought-provoking exploration of Wendy's life experiences. But again, in some weird way I still liked reading it, which is the reason behind the 3 star rating. For the record, there was little to no celebrity gossip in this book, but a lot of "I won't say their real name" type statements and allusions to people based on professional or physical characteristics. If she came out with an updated biography, I'd still read it.
February 1, 2021
3 stars. My mother and I really enjoyed the Lifetime biopic about Wendy Williams. So much so that I was curious about all of the things that was left out of the film and immediately knew that I had to read this book.
Radio Wendy was ruthless and reckless. Absolutely scandalous. There are so many legendary stories attached to her time on the radio. Seriously, television Wendy is very, very tamed and water downed compared to her radio days. I’m upset though that she didn’t mention Diddy (then known as Puff Daddy) getting her fired and I’m like 99% sure she lied about her issues with Angie Martinez and saying that there was no fight between them when word on the curb has always been that Angie put hands on Wendy. But the other stories were very entertaining. She spoke about the infamous interviews with her and Judge Mathis and her and the late great Whitney Houston. Both are very entertaining and hilarious listens.
My only gripes with this book was all of the homophobia towards lesbians. It was grating. Also, I like Wendy but I’d have to be a damn dummy to ever take relationship advice from her. No ma’am. I’d rather be a spinster for the rest of my life.
This was a very quick and engaging read and it was good getting some more details that were missing from the film. She has absolutely no problem spilling her own tea and I’m always here for that. Plus, she’s freakin’ funny. I laughed quite a bit while reading this.
Radio Wendy was ruthless and reckless. Absolutely scandalous. There are so many legendary stories attached to her time on the radio. Seriously, television Wendy is very, very tamed and water downed compared to her radio days. I’m upset though that she didn’t mention Diddy (then known as Puff Daddy) getting her fired and I’m like 99% sure she lied about her issues with Angie Martinez and saying that there was no fight between them when word on the curb has always been that Angie put hands on Wendy. But the other stories were very entertaining. She spoke about the infamous interviews with her and Judge Mathis and her and the late great Whitney Houston. Both are very entertaining and hilarious listens.
My only gripes with this book was all of the homophobia towards lesbians. It was grating. Also, I like Wendy but I’d have to be a damn dummy to ever take relationship advice from her. No ma’am. I’d rather be a spinster for the rest of my life.
This was a very quick and engaging read and it was good getting some more details that were missing from the film. She has absolutely no problem spilling her own tea and I’m always here for that. Plus, she’s freakin’ funny. I laughed quite a bit while reading this.
May 11, 2013
Wendy Williams doesn't help her image by co-writing this book that makes her look like a complete idiot and drug-addicted loser. She makes many bad decisions in life (men, sex, abortion, cocaine, partying, weight, jobs) without ever really learning from them. The book skips entire years of her life, gives few stories about her radio career and instead spends many chapters focusing on her long love of illegal drugs. She also mentions too often that she is a college graduate, although she barely passed, and she comes across as racist in her constant segregating (along with liberal use of the N word and profanities). She brags about lying, cheating, misrepresenting herself at work, etc. There's almost nothing redeeming about this book. Only near the end does she give some quick relationship advice to woman (nothing out of the ordinary and some of which she doesn't follow herself!). If you read this thinking you'll get insight into the happy gossip you see on TV, think again--you'll be disappointed that the child of two educators isn't very smart.
November 23, 2018
it was interesting reading about Wendy. She always plugged this book like it was the next big thing. It was funny how she was Eric B trick / side chick she was bold to admit they didn’t use condoms but why wouldn’t she mention her controlling first husband girl let that cat out that big ass bag. Wedy was a insecure 😟, tall, doormat for men. She also made it seem like her problems where not as big as they really were and ARE... She really wasn’t being honest with herself or the readers it drove me crazy how she tried to JUSTIFY HER HUSBAND ACTIONS omg now that Was a bunch of BullSHIT AFTER READING THIS BOOK I REALIZE SHE REALLY IS A B*tch living in a glass 🥃 house. Her doing drugs in between radio gigs was shocking and from the looks of it she seems to do it on hot topics confused 🤷♀️.
August 3, 2014
It was a good read, however for her to be outspoken as she is on TV and radio, she lived a very quiet, isolated life as a functioning drug addict. I didn't feel any emotional connections to her struggles, but it kept me interested in reading. What I do like was that she kept with her theme of a "futuristic vision" throughout the autobiography. She was never down for too long and she always knew how to connect and get what she wanted be it for her career or the drugs or to keep her husband. It gives a great message to always keep going because you'll make it through your storms.
July 20, 2008
I liked this but I'm biased towards wendy Williams because I've listened to her on the radio for years and years. I love her, I love her mouth, I love her attitude, her personality, everything about her. I couldn't wait to get my hands on a book that told me more about her and this is what did that.
May 14, 2015
I don't know how she got on the New York Times best seller list because this book was crap. It is mostly about how she maintained a coke habit unbeknownst to those around her while becoming a well know DJ. She does give a vivid glimpse of the radio business to the reader. This book was a quick read, a reality show of words.
April 16, 2007
I love to read about the lives of those that bring me the best entertainment. Reading this book really made me look at Wendy in a totally different way. I love how she just let us know about the highs and lows of her life thus far.
October 11, 2007
This was about her life. I didnt get a sense of who she was and how she was. It was not as detailed as I would have liked, as I remembered it. She went through more than the energy of this book portrayed. A little disappointed. Hope the movie will be better.
June 4, 2009
It was really interesting to read about someone from Ocean Township with a life philosophy so radically different from my own. She was determined to make it in radio and I only just thought it was a cool job if I could play music I like, that was the draw for me not talking on the radio.
December 6, 2010
Definitely a guilty pleasure, this book was so much fun to read! She couldn't name names because of legal reasons, you'll find yourself spectulating who she's talking about. This is an autobiography that reveals not only the radio world but the hip hop world as well.
August 15, 2017
I found out alot about Wendy Williams which is the reason I picked up this book. In some of the chapters she repeated herself too much as if she was running out of things to say and needed to fill up the pages. Overall I got what I wanted out of the book which was to know more about her.
February 21, 2013
Easy read. Some typos. A mix between high and mighty and overly confident, however isn't that what you expected? I didn't realize this was about her radio career and not her TV one, so I picked it up for the wrong reasons
February 21, 2013
I get my daily gossip fix with Wendy Williams so I wanted to know a little bit more about her life. She holds nothing back, the bad first marriage, the drug use, plastic surgery. What I like about Wendy is that she is independent, confidant and makes no apologies.
January 18, 2015
It was interesting reading a book from Wendy Williams from her radio days. Her language was more raw and she came off as a bit ghetto. She does have an interesting perspective on life and has gone through several trials and tribulations. 2003 Wendy seems much different than 2015 Wendy.
January 28, 2008
Wendy is hilarious. If you love the radio show, you will love this.
September 8, 2008
As a Wendy fan, I enjoyed this "give-it-to-you-straight-no-chaser" account of her struggle to overcome and be the Queen of Radio...
July 30, 2009
This is the story of her life. How Wendy made it to become radio personality that people have grown to love or grown to hate. It is what is its.
October 15, 2009
this was decent. why'd i read it? why'd i HAVE it?
January 11, 2010
Plenty of gossip and learned a lot about Wendy.
September 26, 2014
Well that was a bit disappointing.
August 22, 2015
I enjoyed this one very much. it made me respect her a lot more. she is more talented than people think. she is highly slept on and I want to meet her one day.
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June 4, 2015Wendy s got the heat
It was informative about her life, but somewhat redundant.
Happy her marriage worked and she was able to have a child
It was informative about her life, but somewhat redundant.
Happy her marriage worked and she was able to have a child
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews