Norman Baker spent years working alongside Wendy Williams, helping transform celebrity gossip into must-watch television. But when filmmakers approached him about sharing his perspective for documentaries about Williams, the former Wendy Williams Show producer chose not to participate.
During an appearance on the Awf The Record podcast, Baker revealed that he has been approached with documentary opportunities but ultimately declined them. His main concern, he explained, is not wanting others to shape the narrative surrounding his relationship with Williams.
“I have been asked to participate,” Baker said. “I respect the game, and I don’t begrudge anyone doing any documentary about her. It’s just not really for me.”
For Baker, the issue isn’t with telling Williams’ story. His concern is losing control over how his words are ultimately presented.
“I really want to have control over my own point of view,” he explained, noting that a documentary could potentially edit his remarks in a way that creates a meaning he never intended. “I don’t want to be involved in trashing her.”
His comments come as another major retrospective on Wendy Williams is taking shape. Peacock has announced a three-part documentary currently carrying the working title Clap If You Care: The Wendy Williams Show, which is scheduled to premiere in 2027. More than 20 former staff members are reportedly participating, with longtime Wendy Williams Show executive producer Suzanne Bass helping spearhead the project.
Baker made it clear that his choice to stay away isn’t meant as criticism of Bass or anyone else involved. He has friends contributing to the documentaries and believes Bass is hoping Peacock’s project will honor the work Williams and her team accomplished throughout the show’s lengthy run.
“Suzanne really wants to make like a really, really nice tribute to our show and to Wendy,” he said, explaining that she has brought together several former staffers to reflect on Williams in a “nice, loving, tribute-y way.”
Whether Williams herself supports having her story presented in this manner is less certain. Reports claim Peacock caught her off guard with the documentary announcement and that she was not involved in its production. When Baker was asked directly if Williams had given the project her blessing, however, he couldn’t provide an answer.
“I’m not sure,” Baker responded. “I don’t know.”
The uncertainty follows the controversy surrounding Lifetime’s Where Is Wendy Williams?, which faced backlash two years ago over its intimate depiction of Williams while she was dealing with health issues and a guardianship. Litigation connected to the docuseries was privately settled with A+E Networks in July.
Netflix has also reportedly considered developing its own documentary centered on Williams.
Baker’s long history with Williams makes his decision to decline these projects especially noteworthy. He credits her with helping transform him from a behind-the-scenes producer into a familiar face on the show after the pair quickly connected through their shared sense of humor.
“It’s all really due to her,” Baker said when discussing the visibility he gained from appearing on the program.
He continues to defend Williams and the legacy of a show he feels left a significant void in daytime television. Baker described her as “so irreverent” and willing to say what was on her mind during a period when, as he put it, “nobody really is allowed to do that, especially a Black woman.”
Still, Baker hasn’t completely ruled out appearing in a documentary about Williams. For him, it ultimately comes down to the story being told and how it will portray her.
“Never say never,” he said. “I would maybe consider participating in something that was, like, you know, a tribute to Wendy.”
