All About Wendy Williams' Son Kevin Hunter Jr.

Wendy Williams is a mother to one child, Kevin, whom she welcomed in 2000

Wendy Williams and son Kevin Hunter Jr. attend her being honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 17, 2019.
Wendy Williams and son Kevin Hunter Jr. attend her being honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 17, 2019. Photo:

David Livingston/Getty

Wendy Williams has had a wild journey of a career, but the accomplishment she remains most proud of is her son, Kevin Hunter Jr.

The former Wendy Williams Show host welcomed her first and only child, Kevin, 24, with her ex-husband Kevin Hunter in August 2000. She split with Hunter in 2019 after she claimed he fathered a child with another woman and, in 2020, their divorce was finalized. While Hunter apologized to Williams in a statement and acknowledged "some wrongs," he never confirmed this allegation.

“He’s doing very well,” Wendy shared on The View in September 2019 of how her son was coping with his parents’ split. “We talk every day. Sometimes a couple times a day … he’s in a good space, he only wants to see me and his dad happy.”

She added that he was back in school in Miami and was surrounded by family, including “two great cousins.”

Wendy's eponymous show, The Wendy Williams Show, was canceled in June 2022 as the host dealt with health issues, including Grave's disease. In 2019, she took a break from the show to focus on healing her fractured shoulder and her autoimmune disease. When she returned, she revealed she was also focusing on her sobriety after a years-long cocaine addiction.

In February 2024, Kevin, who is mainly private, reentered the public eye when he appeared in the trailer for Where is Wendy Williams?, a Lifetime documentary on Wendy's life and health after the cancellation of her talk show. He expressed concern for his mom's well-being and her ability to return to TV.

"My mom has done a great job making it seem like everything is OK always, but in reality, there's something wrong going on," Kevin said in the trailer.

In the week before the documentary aired, her medical care team announced that Wendy was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Her family, including her son who was previously told she had "alcohol-related dementia," was unaware of the diagnosis before they announced it.

"I continue to need personal space and peace to thrive," Wendy said in a statement to PEOPLE. "Please just know that your positivity and encouragement are deeply appreciated."

From their relationship as he was growing up to appearing in a documentary about her life, here’s everything to know about Wendy Williams’ son, Kevin Hunter Jr.

She had several miscarriages before she gave birth to Kevin

Wendy Williams and son Kevin pose at The Opening Night of "The Pee-Wee Herman Show" on Broadway on November 11, 2010.
Wendy Williams and son Kevin pose at The Opening Night of "The Pee-Wee Herman Show" on Broadway on November 11, 2010.

Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic

Before welcoming Kevin in August 2000, Wendy experienced multiple miscarriages, including two that occurred in the second trimester.

“I fought tooth and nail to be a mother,” she said during 2015 PBS special American Masters: The Women’s List. “I suffered several miscarriages including two at five months. That’s when you have the clothes already picked out, the nursery is already painted. They ask you do you want a funeral or do you want the cremation?”

She continued, “We went through that not once but twice, me and my husband. So our Kevin is a hard-won child. I would’ve loved to have had more children but I don’t want to test my blessing. Being a mother is for me. It’s not for everybody. It’s for me.”

He has accompanied his mom to events since he was a child

Wendy Williams with her son Kevin Hunter Jr. as she officially unveils her Madame Tussauds wax figure on May 10, 2021 in New York City.
Wendy Williams with her son Kevin Hunter Jr. as she officially unveils her Madame Tussauds wax figure on May 10, 2021 in New York City.

Cindy Ord/Getty 

Kevin has been attending events alongside his mom since he was young, including her visit to the Big Apple Circus and the Nickelodeon Mega Music Fest in 2010.

Kevin was also present at the unveiling of his mom’s wax figure at Madame Tussaud’s in New York City in 2021. Two years earlier, he made an appearance when Wendy was awarded her star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

The proud mom thanked her son in her speech for always supporting her and being by her side throughout her career.

He’s always encouraged me to keep it going,” she told PEOPLE at the ceremony. “And never asks me to pull back from anything that I say or that I wear or anything like that. He’s always been very encouraging.”

He walked into an intimate moment between Wendy and her then-husband

Kevin Hunter, Wendy Williams and Kevin Hunter Jr. at a celebration for The Hunter Foundation Charity on July 11, 2017 in New York City.
Kevin Hunter, Wendy Williams and Kevin Hunter Jr. at a celebration for The Hunter Foundation Charity on July 11, 2017 in New York City.

Bruce Glikas/Bruce Glikas/Getty

In March 2016, the talk show host appeared on Conan where she talked about an unfortunate incident that occurred as a result of her family always keeping their doors open. She recalled how when her child was 13 years old, he walked in on his parents during an intimate moment.

“If you walk in on me and my husband, you’re gonna get a surprise,” she told host Conan O’Brien. “He got a surprise and he will never do that again.”

“We don’t close doors at our house,” she said. “We walk hard in our house … or we’re always clearing our throats. That’s the warning sign that ‘here I come.’ He forgot to clear his throat and stomp!”

Though the moment was a surprising one for Kevin, Wendy shared in a September 2015 interview with Yahoo Parenting that she likes to keep things honest with her child, without giving him more than he can handle.

"I’m a tell-it-like-it-is parent, but I don’t give my son more information than I feel he can handle," she said. "He’s very communicative with me and my husband, so he will double back and ask questions if he has them. So we tell him just what he needs to know, and then if he has questions, we know he’ll ask."

He went to college in Miami

Wendy Williams and son Kevin Hunter Jr. attend Nickelodeon's Beyond the Backpack Campaign unveiling at Macy's Herald Square on August 10, 2010.
Wendy Williams and son Kevin Hunter Jr. attend Nickelodeon's Beyond the Backpack Campaign unveiling at Macy's Herald Square on August 10, 2010.

Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic

In 2019, Wendy revealed that her son was officially a college sophomore at a school in Miami.

During her appearance on The View, Wendy shared that classes were “back in session” and he was living in the city.

He and his father went through a difficult time during his parents' divorce

Kevin Hunter Jr. and Wendy Williams attend the Jeezy "TM 104" Listening Party on August 20, 2019 in New York City.
Kevin Hunter Jr. and Wendy Williams attend the Jeezy "TM 104" Listening Party on August 20, 2019 in New York City.

Johnny Nunez/WireImage

A month after his parents filed for divorce in April 2019, Kevin got into a physical altercation with his father in the parking lot of a store. Per TMZ, Hunter accused Wendy of reportedly attempting to "brainwash" their son against him and as the fight got physical, he put his son in a headlock. Kevin retaliated by punching his dad in the face.

“I love my son very much and I will not be pursuing this matter legally,” Hunter said in a statement to TMZ. “Things are not always how they appear.”

A source with knowledge of the incident told PEOPLE that Hunter was attempting to calm his son from escalating the argument by placing him in the headlock. He told TMZ he did not plan to press charges against his son, who was arrested by the West Orange police in New Jersey.

He was released the same night and was not taken to county jail. A month later, Kevin pled not guilty to the simple assault charges, and in July 2019, the charges were dropped.

“The police were not witnesses to what happened and they came onto the scene after the fact,” Kevin's attorney Raymond Hamlin told E! News. “If you don’t have a first-hand historian you can’t prosecute and the father never wanted to prosecute his own son. They have reconciled since. Things happen in families at times, unfortunately, but they are good now.”

He appeared in the documentary about her life

Kevin Hunter Jr. in 'Where is Wendy Williams?'.
Kevin Hunter Jr. in 'Where is Wendy Williams?'.

Lifetime

In a trailer for Lifetime's new two-part documentary, Where is Wendy Williams?, out on Feb. 24, the former TV personality’s family spoke up about their concerns for her well-being, including her son.

In a conversation with Kevin, Wendy said, "I want to be back on television." However, her son appeared to be hesitant as to the status of her well-being.

Later in the trailer, Kevin added that even though his mom was eager to get back to work, he felt that anyone saying “yes” to her was only going to make her condition worse.

"My mom, she always talks about how she wants to work, but I feel as though she's worked enough," he said. "She has people around her that are 'yes people' and allowing this to continue."

Kevin also expressed discontent with Wendy’s guardian, sharing that he was unsure they were acting in her best interests.

"I feel like the guardian has not done a good job of protecting my mom," he said.

Before the trailer concluded, Wendy said that while she loves fame, “family is everything. Everything."

In the documentary, Kevin opened up more about his mother's struggles with alcohol, and how when he was taking care of her in Florida, he kept her on a strict vegan diet and worked with a trainer.

"I helped her heal by one, eliminating all alcohol, [and two] keeping her occupied, whether it's going to the beach, working out," he said.

"I feel like her being down here with family was the best situation for her because she wasn't able to self-sabotage," he added. "If there should ever be someone who should help her manage that, it should be the ones around her, her loved ones, her family."

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