Wendy Williams’ eye situation already became the talk of the town back in 2018, right around the time she received a double diagnosis of Graves’ disease and hyperthyroidism. The host discussed her condition on-air, breaking down the condition to her audience. “My thyroid has been totally cattywampus and that is the eye thing that you all have been seeing. You caught it before I did,” she explained at the time (via CBS News). “My thyroid, my hyperthyroid is attached also to Graves’ disease. Graves’ disease squeezes the muscles behind your eyeballs and so that’s the reason for [the bulging of my eyes].” Despite her doctor’s orders for a three-week timeout, she promised to come back to the show sooner. “I’ll be back in two. I’m not an heiress. Who’s gonna pay my bills?” she quipped.
The National Institutes of Health notes that 1 in 100 Americans have Graves’ disease, including celebrities like rapper Missy Elliott and former President George H.W. Bush. Per Dr. Terry Jay Smith, an endocrinologist and professor at the University of Michigan Medical School, eye inflammation and protrusion are common symptoms for many with the condition. “About half of the people with Graves who develop over-activity of the thyroid also develop a very peculiar process around the eye which causes the eye to become inflamed and to bulge,” he shared with NBC News. Williams’ case has been particularly noticeable, but according to her family, she is making progress toward recovery.
