Wendy Williamsdecidedto divorceher longtime managerKevin Hunteronce she learned that he’d allegedly cheated on her, fathering a child, a source tells PEOPLE.
Last week, Williams, 54, filed for divorce from Hunter, ending more than two decades of marriage. And the source says she left Hunter after he admitted he had been unfaithful.
“The split is definitely due to Kevin’s ongoing infidelity and that his mistress recently welcomed their child,” the source says. “Wendy had hired a private investigator and confronted him. He confessed to everything three weeks ago.”
Wendy Williams and Kevin Hunter.Johnny Nunez/WireImage
PEOPLE was unable to reach Hunter and his alleged mistress for comment. A rep for Williams could not be reached for comment.
“All of the recent drama put a huge strain on Wendy and caused her to struggle with her sobriety as she did everything she could to try and save their marriage,” the source says.
Filing for divorce wasn’t an easy choice, either.
“The decision to split was terribly hard for her, but she’s regaining her health. She decided she needed to finally put herself first,” the source says.
On Thursday, a source confirmed to PEOPLE that Williams had filed for divorce from Hunter. The pair wed on on Nov. 30, 1997, and share son Kevin Jr., 19.
“Thank you to everyone for respecting the family’s privacy during this time. Kevin is supportive of Wendy and they are working through this process together,” the personal representative for Williams told PEOPLE in a statement at the time. “No additional comment will be provided at this time.”
A representative for her show released the following statement: “Wendy and her family have been a part of Debmar-Mercury for over 10 years,. We respect their privacy regarding personal matters. As always, we remain committed to bringing an entertaining and topical show to our viewers.”
Days later, during Monday’s episode ofTheWendy WilliamsShow, Williamsalluded to the dramawhile reflecting on the motto of her Hot Topics segment, “Their business is our business.”
“It’s crazy ’cause now my business is your business,” Williams said with a laugh. “It’s kind of funny. Turnabout’s a fair game, I get it.”
Williams, who recently revealed that she had beenliving in a sober house, said she had a “really good weekend” and got together with six of her friends from the facility. (Two of them are her sponsors.)
“I’m moving out of the sober house in just a few days, you know,” she said. “It’ll be Wendy on her own.”
Kevin Hunter and Wendy Williams.Johnny Nunez/WireImage
PEOPLE’s source confirms, “She’s ready to leave the sober living house and build a new life for her and her son.”
Williams, who has long been open about her past addiction to cocaine, said speaking candidly about her struggles on her show has helped her recovery.
“You wear a different mask when you’re out here,” she said. “Everybody has things in their life that they’re … not ready to share with the world.”
Wendy Williams, Kevin Hunter and Kevin Jr. in 2017.Bruce Glikas/Bruce Glikas/Getty Images
Hunter’s alleged affair isn’t his first: He cheated on Williams after she gave birth to their son, a painful period she described in her memoirWendy’s Got the Heat.
“No, I’m not back to the girl I was before him, because when you get stung like that, younevergo back to who you were — only a fool does,” she continued. “But I love him, and he loves me, and we addressed it head-on.”
source: people.com
