Serena and Venus Williams praise King Richard, Wendy Williams replacements, and more

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Serena and Venus Williams are overflowing with pride about King Richard, the story of how their father, Richard Williams, groomed them to become tennis superstars.

“It’s so cool we get to share with the world everything that my father means to me and our family and all that he’s done for us,” Serena told Variety. “It’s an original story of how a family actually succeeded. I’m so proud that it’s been being told this way,” Venus added.

Will Smith, who stars in the title role, hopes that Richard appreciates a special scene when his character tells Venus, portrayed by Saniyya Sidney, to be prepared for the pressure of representing Black girls for her entire career.

“It was a really private moment that I was able to share,” Smith says, “so I hope he felt honored and saw my love for him in that scene.”

King Richard debuts in theaters and begins streaming on HBO Max on Friday.

In other news, Fat Joe and Remy Ma will be among the stars sitting in for Wendy Williams. Joe will host the show Tuesday, November 23, followed by Remy on Wednesday November 24. Also, Devyn Simone from MTV’s The Challenge: Aftermath, author Bevy SmithVariety correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister and comedian Michael Yo will co-host on Monday, November 22. Williams is recovering from Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disease that causes an overactive thyroid. 

Finally, Halle Berry is reconfirming that Cardi B is “the Queen of Hip Hop.” After she made that statement Saturday at the premiere of her new film, BruisedNicki Minaj fans were upset. “There’s room for more than one queen,” Halle said Monday night on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “Nicki is a queen in her own right, H.E.R. is a queen. All these ladies to me are queens.”

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