Wendy Williams Faces Backlash For Appearing To Mock Amie Harwick’s Death

The Wendy Williams Show/CBS Television Distribution

Talk show host Wendy Williams is facing backlash yet again, after she appeared to make light of Hollywood sex therapist Amie Harwick’s death. 

Harwick, 38, was found on the ground beneath a third-storey balcony outside her Los Angeles home on Saturday, February 15, reportedly with injuries consistent with a fall.

Williams addressed the incident on her show, where she reminded viewers Harwick had once been engaged to The Price Is Right host Drew Carey. She then seemingly used Carey’s catchphrase from the show – ‘Come on down!’ – to joke about the therapist’s death.

You can watch the host make the insensitive comments here:

The Los Angeles Police Department said Harwick was ‘gravely injured’ when she was found and, sadly, died after being taken to a local hospital.

Police arrested Harwick’s ex-boyfriend, Gareth Pursehouse, in connection with the incident.

Williams claimed Harwick had been pushed from the balcony, and swiftly added: ‘Not by Drew [Carey]’. She went to continue the sentence, but appeared to see an opportunity for a joke and cut herself off to quote the game show catchphrase.

The host then tilted her head up before looking down to the floor, as if watching someone fall.

Her comments were met with gasps and groans from the crowd, and she quickly became defensive when a member of the audience pointed out the circumstances surrounding Harwick’s death had not yet been confirmed.

Williams went on to say that ‘allegedly, the ex-boyfriend did it’ – with a sarcastic amount of emphasis on the ‘allegedly’.

She went on to talk more about Harwick’s background, during which she wrongly referred to the therapist as ‘Dr Amie Hardwick’, rather than Harwick.

Viewers were quick to comment on Williams’ insensitive coverage of the topic, with many slamming the host for making light of Harwick’s tragic death.

One Twitter user wrote:

So @WendyWilliams hears that Drew Carey’s former fiancée was thrown off a balcony and later died. Her attacker was a man she’d been seeing. #WendyWilliams thought it was funny and made a joke about it. I’d like to call her a soulless harpy, but I was raised better.

Another commented:

I don’t get why there are so many sick people in the world who want to make jokes about someone’s death.. She had a family, friends and was in fear of her life but so many of you want to make a horrible joke about her and Drew?? What is wrong with you?!

Also, #WendyWilliams needs to be taken off the air for her comment about her and Drew. If you can’t say anything respectful about people especially on your show then don’t say anything at all. So many #Heartless people out in the world these days it is sad.

Williams is no stranger to controversy; last month she was forced to apologise after mocking Joker star Joaquin Phoenix’s cleft lip.

The host does not appear to have apologised for her joke about Harwick at the time of writing, February 18.

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Emily Brown

Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.