When I was a young reporter at the National Enquirer, I convinced my bureau chief, Jerry, to let me interview Wendy Williams. There was no talk show yet, she was on the radio...and Black famous. I told them she was the next big thing and they relented. I contacted Wendy and she was all in.
Wendy and I chatted. When I told her I was from Jersey, the conversation loosened up. I am not sure if she was expecting a 23 year old Black kid from Newark, when she got on the phone with the Enquirer.
We kiki’d like we’d known each other for years. She is a pro. I was spilling ALL THE BLACK HOLLYWOOD TEA. Heaven.
We wrapped up, I went home to write and that was that.
The next day I get a call from my sis, mentor and senior reporter Pat and she is all like, “Fool, did you tell Wendy XYandZ?”
I was silent and then she laughed. She laughed that kind of laugh that older people do when someone younger does something really dumb. Like, she was laughing at me, but also like, “Boy, I don’t know what I’ma do with you.” She then says, “Jerry wants to see you and he’s mad...just apologize."
Black women ALWAYS hold us up.
So, I go in, sit with Jerry and he’s fuming. I normally called him Uncle Jerry, but I could tell he wasn’t here for it, so I said nothing. He asks me what I told Wendy. Truth was, I could not remember all of it. I ran my mf-ing mouth. RAN. I was 23, in an office on the Sunset Strip, talking to Wendy Willimas on the phone. I. Was. LIVING. #startedfromthebottomnowwehere
I told him what I could remember and he is rubbing his temples and asks, “Did you tell her who *Sitcom Star (name redacted) was dating?”
I sure the hell did, but I sat for a moment and pretended to be trying to recall if I had mentioned Sitcom Star and then finally admitted.
Some backstory…
We used to do these contests. That particular week we had a contest that *Midwestern Woman (name redacted) had won. Her prize was a date with Sitcom Star...the one I had spilled tea on to Wendy. The date was the next day. I was the chaperone and was to escort the woman to a show taping and then tag along on their date.
Apparently, Wendy got all up on her radio show and told all of New York that she had some good tea on Sitcom Star and then revealed what I had shared. THEN Sitcom Star called in to Wendy’s show, saying it wasn’t true. (*It was*) Wendy wasn’t having it and then Sitcom Star asked where she got her info.
Wendy says, “My boy Phill Branch from the National Enquirer.”
WHHHHHOOOOOO DOOOOEEESSSSS THHHHHHAAATTTTT?
For real, who does that? My whole name and place of employment.
Long story, longer...Sitcom Star called and cancelled his date with Midwestern Woman and she was already on a plane to L.A.
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