Wendy Williams' Husband Breaks Silence on Cheating Scandal and Divorce: 'I Apologize to My Wife'
Wendy Williams‘ estranged husband and longtime manager Kevin Hunter is apologizing and vowing to “right some wrongs” amid their divorce.
In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, Hunter opened up about Williams’ filing — which a source told PEOPLE came after he admitted to cheating on her and fathering a child in an extramarital relationship.
“I am not proud of my recent actions and take full accountability and apologize to my wife, my family and her amazing fans,” Hunter said. “I am going through a time of self-reflection and am trying to right some wrongs.”
The Wendy Williams Shows producer, who shares 19-year-old son Kevin Jr. with Williams, went on to explain that he too would be working on his sobriety and would always stand by Williams.
“28 years ago I met an amazing woman: Wendy Williams. At the time, I didn’t realize that she would not only become my wife, but would also change the face of entertainment and the world. I have dedicated most of our lives to the business empire that is Wendy Williams Hunter, a person that I truly love and respect unconditionally,” he said. “No matter what the outcome is or what the future holds, we are still The Hunter Family and I will continue to work with and fully support my wife in this business and through any and all obstacles she may face living her new life of sobriety, while I also work on mine.”
“I ask that you please give me and my family privacy as we heal,” Hunter added. “Thank you.”
Last Thursday, a source confirmed to PEOPLE that Williams, 54, had filed for divorce from Hunter. The pair married on Nov. 30, 1997.
“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.”
RELATED: Wendy Williams ‘Confronted’ Her Husband About Allegedly Having a Baby with Mistress: Source
According to a source, Hunter had admitted to being unfaithful to Williams before she decided to walk away from their more than two decades of marriage.
“The split is definitely due to Kevin’s ongoing infidelity and that his mistress recently welcomed their child,” the insider said. “Wendy had hired a private investigator and confronted him. He confessed to everything three weeks ago.”
“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 said. “The decision to split was terribly hard for her, but she’s regaining her health. She decided she needed to finally put herself first.”
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 memoir Wendy’s Got the Heat.
“It has made our marriage — and I know this is cliché, but it’s true — it’s made our marriage stronger,” she told VladTV in 2013.
“No, I’m not back to the girl I was before him, because when you get stung like that, you never go 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.”
On Monday’s episode of The Wendy Williams Show, Williams alluded to the drama while 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 been living 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.”
“I have to tell you, you know, I’ve been dealing with issues with addiction, alcoholism, and I have a whole new life that I planned for myself and my son,” she continued. “Believe me you, when you lay in a room with no TV and four gray walls all day … this is my life in the sober house, it’s one of the best things, honestly, that could have ever happened to me.”
PEOPLE’s source confirmed: “She’s ready to leave the sober living house and build a new life for her and her son.”
