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Wendy Williams says she is the 'face' of substance abuse, slams trolls who called her 'frail'

VIDEO: Wendy Williams says she's the 'face' of substance abuse
2:05
Wendy Williams says she's the 'face' of substance abuse
Robin Marchant/Getty Images, FILE
PHOTO: Catherine Thorbecke
ByCatherine Thorbecke
April 09, 2019, 7:31 am

Wendy Williams is firing back at critics after a photo of her riding a motorized scooter at Walmart made the rounds online, describing her as "frail" and "lonely," slamming the stigma of substance abuse and imploring on her show Monday, "Do I look frail to you?"

The 54-year-old talk show host was snapped in an upstate New York Walmart during a weekend camping trip with friends she met living in a sober house.

Wendy Williams attends the Vulture Festival on May 19, 2018, in New York City.
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

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"The staff let me and my girls use the scooters because there was nobody there," she said. "It's 4 o'clock in the morning in Elin, New York ... what do you want me to wear? A Ballgown?"

She defended her health and slammed the online trolls who were quick to jump to judgment based on a single photo.

"You know I have the Graves' Disease, where I have pressure by my eyes," she said of the photo. "They caught me with an eye pop, also."

She went on to show more pictures from her camping trip, including one of her riding an ATV and holding a gun, saying, "Thank you, blogs. Do I look frail to you?"

Wendy Williams attends the Vulture Festival on May 19, 2018, in New York City.
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

(MORE: Wendy Williams reveals on her show that she has been living in a sober house)

Last month, Williams opened up about her struggles with substance abuse. Now, she is continuing to try and break the stigma.

"We are people with functioning careers who just want to check ourselves and get down with that 12 step," she said. "Everybody thinks it's going to be the bum on the corner or whatnot and whatnot."

"You who are watching, if it's you, I'm the face of it," she added.

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