Wendy Williams, and her Hunter Foundation with husband Kevin Hunter, teamed up with WeHaveStories.org to help launch her Be Here campaign to address addiction and substance abuse across America.

Williams has always been outspoken about her former addiction of 10 years, retelling stories of her past on her hit television show about how she was a functioning addict during that time. Recently, Williams sat down with Entertainment Tonight to talk about the campaign.

“I was a functioning addict though,” she shared. “I would report to work on time and I walked in and all of my coworkers, and including my bosses, would know but instead of firing me, you see, I would grab my headphones and arrogantly walk into the studio and dare them fire me because I was making ratings.” 

Williams issues the following statement on the “Be Here” website. “These are our friends, our family, our colleagues and our neighbors who are going without or struggling with access to support. Substance misuse is estimated to cost society $442 Billion each year in healthcare costs, lost productivity and criminal justice costs. 45 million people are affected by addiction and addiction does not discriminate. It doesn’t care if you are wealthy, poor, employed, a child, a parent, or a celebrity. It exists to cloak people in shame and create a feeling of hopelessness for those affected.”