Hoda Kotb admitted that she found it difficult to witness Wendy Williams' breakdown over her finances in a new documentary.

On Tuesday's episode of "Today with Hoda and Jenna," co-hosts Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager spoke with E! News host Justin Sylvester for their "The Scoop" segment. Before the latter talked about Williams, Kotb shared how she felt when she watched the trailer for Williams' new Lifetime documentary "Where Is Wendy Williams?"

Jenna Bush Hager and Hoda Kotb
(Photo : Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Jenna Bush Hager and Hoda Kotb attend the 70th anniversary celebration of NBC's "Today" at The Paley Center for Media on May 11, 2022 in New York City.

"I did see some of this Wendy Williams documentary, just a clip, and it made me sad to watch it," Kotb said. "It's just heartbreaking because we've known Wendy for many years."

Bush Hager immediately agreed with Kotb. Sylvester also confirmed it was "heartbreaking" before sharing the documentary's trailer.

"As a Wendy fan, I'm gonna tell you two things. One, if we had heard the rumors about the substance abuse, about her health issues, about her finances, and I think Wendy wanted to do this, so she could tell her side of the story," Sylvester explained after showing the trailer.


Wendy Williams
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Wendy Williams attends SiriusXM Town Hall with Wendy Williams hosted by SiriusXM host Karen Hunter at SiriusXM Studios on July 23, 2019 in New York City.

"The other thing with this documentary is, normally, people do unauthorized docuseries about big celebrities. But this time, Wendy is involved in this, so I feel like as an EP, with her son and her manager, Wendy is ready to tell her story and get back on TV because I think, a lot of times we hear the rumors, we hear the lies and they're blown out of proportion."

For Sylvester, while the documentary looked sad, it would show the audience a glimpse of Williams' life like never before, and she might come out on top.

Wendy Williams
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Wendy Williams gets her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 17, 2019 in Hollywood.

"This woman is an icon, and everybody wants her to have her show back. It's a comeback in full force," he added.

Kotb agreed, expressing her support for the "Love Triangle" star.

"Yeah, I mean, I think we're just cheering her on," Kotb added. "You just want her to be healthy and happy, and it's hard to watch her in that state, but we hope the best for her."

Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager
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Today Show host Hoda Kotb (L) and Today Show correspondent Jenna Bush Hager attend the cook-off hosted by People's "Great Ideas" food truck on NBC's Today Show on June 25, 2014 in New York City.

In the trailer, Williams talks about loving fame and wanting to be back on TV. She also admits to having no money after she got placed into financial guardianship in 2022.

"I think that the guardianship system is broken. We are her family, and you tell me that I'm not capable of taking care of my sister. What would you do? What should I do?" Williams' sister, Wanda Williams, says while getting emotional in the teaser.

"Where is Wendy Williams?" is a two-night documentary premiering on Feb. 24 and 25 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime.


Tags: Hoda Kotb wendy williams Jenna Bush Hager Today With Hoda & Jenna