A lot to say, naturally

WENDY WILLIAMS has been on the radio for more than 20 years; her syndicated show airs on KDAY-FM (93.5) in Southern California. Starting Monday and running for the next six weeks, her new live, hour-long, daytime talk show, “The Wendy Williams Show,” will air on Fox at 1 p.m.

You’re not just a humble girl from Jersey. Who gets name-checked in a Mariah Carey song?

Isn’t that wonderful? Mariah, ironically, during the promoting of this album, never came by for an interview. I will hunt her down! Eventually, Mimi and I will meet up. . . . And when we meet up, it’ll be delightful conversation.

I sometimes worry with your show that every hip-hop star is gay.

Everybody is not gay! But I think it’s common knowledge in entertainment, from television to music to films, that homosexuality is big. I don’t find it to be a big deal. I find it more stunning that other people find it this big deal. The girls on Wisteria Lane where I live -- because I live in the suburbs, we sit with coffee at the pool and like that -- I find that your average person finds it all so shocking. Just like average people probably don’t understand how much pictures are Photoshopped.

That’s an incredible ring!

I’ve been married for 10 years. It’s a 7-carat stone. The stone originally was maybe 3 carats, but he replaced it in our seventh year. And as I was pregnant, my fingers started to grow, so I got a second band so that I would not have to be this statistic -- you know, black woman, no man, no marriage. And to each his own, how people want to live! But I like being a couple, and I’m proud to be married for 10 years. And our son Kevin Jr., our only child, I’m proud to be representing all of this and now bringing it to television. I have weight issues like most women. I’m 43 years old. And I’m a mess. But that’s a good thing.

How are you a mess?

Oh, I think we all have our times when, you know, whether it’s business, personal -- or you need a good moisturizer. I’ve got my issues with my parents, like everybody else does. I’m scared of the same things everyone else is scared of. And brave maybe where other people aren’t brave.

Maybe you have a little bit of oppositional disorder. When you’re challenged, you push.

It just so happens that I’ve had a very, very successful career in radio and I’ve managed to push ahead as a woman -- as a black woman, first. Now as a woman. When I think of myself doing well in radio, I don’t think of myself as the most celebrated black woman. No, I’m the most celebrated woman in radio. And my achievements rival all the boys. So I’m in the boys’ club. And there’s room for all of us on daytime TV. There’s room for Rachael Ray and Wendy. And Tyra and Wendy. And Ellen and Wendy. And what’s his name: Steve Wilkos and Wendy.

I love that you have a semi-secret suburban Jersey life.

Target, the girls on Wisteria Lane, coffee on the deck. Arts and crafts! You know what really I like to do? Painting. I like to paint. I will go to Home Goods and buy a canvas of something ugly, but it’s the right size that I need? Stop at Michael’s, get the paints that I need, paint over the entire canvas, let it dry while I’m inside mixing a meatloaf or something for my family. And I’m not gourmet, but I love being around the house. Then I’ll come back out to the canvas and finish painting it and hang it in the house.

Come on.

I love bedazzling things. Put rhinestones on something. If my son’s school uniform has a little hole at the fly, or something like that -- I like doing that. And I always have.

I know this weird legal stuff is going on, that lawsuit. [Williams’ former staffer accused her husband of sexual harassment.] There was probably a lot of talking between the two of you during that.

I mean, what’s to talk about? There’s shock and of course feelings of betrayal. But if anything, this has made us even closer. Because you see this is all happening at the same time as we have this TV show. And I have a new team of people and so much excitement brewing around the Wendy brand right now -- who has time to dwell? Let them handle that.

What’s the benchmark? Six weeks in, you say, we’re on? If we’re wonderful and fabulous, there’s the buzz that we’ll be back -- well, I can’t even say a particular month -- in 2009. We’ll go dark -- I’m learning phrases! -- on Aug. 22. Hopefully the lights will be back on in 2009.