Wendy Williams slammed after joking about dead TikTok star Swavy’s follower count

Wendy Williams has been slammed for the way in which she announced the death of TikTok star Swavy on her show.

The internet star – real name Matima Miller – was killed aged 19 in a ‘senseless act of gun violence,’ his family said.

He was shot and taken to hospital on Monday, according to police in the US state of Delaware.

His family added in an Instagram post that they are working ‘to get justice for Swavy’.

Williams addressed the tragedy on her show, but began the segment by joking about Miller’s millions of followers.

She began by saying to her audience: ‘I have no idea who this person is, neither does one person in this building.’

‘Do you know who Swavy is? Clap. Clap if you know who Swavy is,’ she told the audience, before asking her crew.

‘Well, he’s a TikTok star. He’s got more followers than me – 2.5million!’ the 56-year-old said.

Williams was then told she has more followers on Instagram.

‘Well, as my son Kevin would say – no one uses Instagram anymore. And, as far as TikTok, I don’t use that. I don’t know what it is, I don’t wanna be involved,’ she joked.

‘So here he is,’ she added. ‘He’s 19 and he was murdered Monday morning.’

Viewers have been left shocked by the video, with some calling for her show to be taken off air.

‘Wendy Williams show needs to be canceled fr,’ one wrote on Twitter, while another added: ‘All those in favor of taking Wendy Williams off air say I.’

‘Wendy Williams needs to be stopped,’ one more viewer said. ‘Why haven’t they cancelled her yet. How dare u make fun of a TikTok star #swavy, who is deceased.’

It’s not the first time Williams has come under fire, with actress Tabitha Brown recently hitting out at the presenter after she spoke about her marriage on her show.

Miller died in hospital this week, with his family announcing the news in a heartbreaking post.

More: US TV news

‘On the behalf of our family, we would like to say thank you for the continued support and love for Matima Miller also known as Swavy or Babyface,’ the statement read.

‘It is with great sadness that we announce Swavy’s passing on 07/05/2021. He was taken away from us due to a senseless act of gun violence. Unfortunately, due to legality we are not able to provide much information on the events surrounding his passing.

‘However, the family is working diligently to get justice for Swavy. This is just the beginning, we will forever keep his name alive and continue his legacy! The impact he had on others remains unmatched 💯.’

Tributes have poured in for the late star, with a fundraiser also being set up to cover his funeral costs.

Metro.co.uk has contacted reps for Wendy Williams for comment.

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