Wendy Williams
1994–2001: WQHT, website, move to WUSL
### 1994–2001: WQHT, website, move to WUSL

By this time, Williams attended parties to gain information which she would report on air in addition to reading [tabloid newspapers](/wiki/Tabloid_newspapers "Tabloid newspapers"). She continued gossip segments and gave relationship advice to teenage girls during "Ask Wendy". Williams's ratings increased dramatically after she read aloud a magazine article about an anonymous rapper confessing to being gay. She became known for speculating about his identity and spread rumors that there was not one, but multiple gay rappers who were not open about their sexuality. Among her insinuations was that [Tupac Shakur](/wiki/Tupac_Shakur "Tupac Shakur") was raped in prison, which he denied. Williams employed the term "[pinky](/wiki/Little_finger "Little finger")'s up" when alleging someone was gay and regularly used the slur *[faggot](/wiki/Faggot "Faggot")*, which she considered to be inoffensive. Her comments contributed to an increase of [homophobia in hip hop culture](/wiki/Homophobia_in_hip_hop_culture "Homophobia in hip hop culture").

Williams created a website, www.gowendy.com, as an offshoot of her radio program. Featuring photos and rumors of celebrities, it received up to 100,000 views per day. In April 1997, WQHT suspended Williams for one week after mentioning her website on air, which displayed a doctored image of [Bad Boy Records](/wiki/Bad_Boy_Records "Bad Boy Records") executive [Sean Combs](/wiki/Sean_Combs "Sean Combs") naked from the waist down having sex with another man. The station suspended Williams again in September 1997 for online comments insinuating that her colleague [Angie Martinez](/wiki/Angie_Martinez "Angie Martinez")'s boyfriend [Q\-Tip](/wiki/Q-Tip_%28musician%29 "Q-Tip (musician)") was gay. Upon her return after deleting the post a month later, Williams called the [Bad Boy Records](/wiki/Bad_Boy_Records "Bad Boy Records") girl group [Total](/wiki/Total_%28girl_group%29 "Total (girl group)") "broke hoes" after their comments favoring her suspension. WQHT permanently removed Williams and her fans protested outside of their offices. By this time, Williams had received more than 50 letters from the station regarding her "lack of good judgment". She speculated her removal was due to pressure from music industry executives and stood by her comments, stating: "I stopped caring about artists when I realized it's more lucrative to talk about them than with them."

She was fired from Hot 97 in 1998\. Williams was hired by a Philadelphia urban station, [WUSL](/wiki/WUSL "WUSL") ("Power 99FM"). She was very open about her personal life on air, discussing her miscarriages, breast enhancement surgery, and former drug addiction. She helped the station move from 14th place in the ratings to 2nd.


What was Wendy Williams' radio show format like in the mid-1990s?