Wendy Williams Apologizes for Making Fun of Joker Star Joaquin Phoenix's Cleft Lip

It looks like Wendy Williams is getting some major backlash after she somehow made fun of Joaquin Phoenix on her show. The talk show host has released an apology after she poked fun at the Joker star's cleft lip.

Williams recently spoke about her attraction to Phoenix when he is cleanshaven. Although the statement itself may seem harmless, the daytime talk show host then put a finger to her lip, miming Phoenix's cleft lip. Not surprisingly, fans of the Joker star immediately reacted on social media, throwing shade at Williams for making fun of Phoenix as well as people with cleft palates.

Soon, even some big names got involved. Football player Adam Bighill took to Twitter demanding that Williams apologize for her actions. Bighill pointed out that his own son Beau has a cleft palate and wanted to raise awareness about the birth defect. Since then, Williams released an apology.

"We're thinking about Beau today as he is in surgery. I want to apologize to the cleft community and in Beau's honor, our show is donating to @operationsmile and @AmerCleftPalate and encourage our Wendy Watchers to learn more and help support the cleft community," Williams wrote.

Interestingly, there is no mention of Phoenix in Williams' apology.

For the record, Phoenix's scar is not a result of surgery. The Gladiator actor has previously claimed that he was born with the scar.

Related: Joker Set For Limited Theatrical Rerelease Now That It's Gotten So Many Oscar Nominations

This Article's Topics

Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!

DC
Have an opinion on this article? We'd love to hear it!