Fans of "The Wendy Williams Show" were wondering how actor Jerry O'Connell would do on his first day replacing Wendy as a guest host. Not only did O'Connell survive his debut, but he actually nailed it on Monday, March 12. That was the very first time in the duration of Wendy's show over the last 10 years that she had someone fill in for her.

Wendy's doctor prescribed a three-week medical leave for her because of Graves' disease and hyperthyroidism. She made the announcement on February 21 and started her leave that very day. However, Wendy joked that she would be back in two weeks.

She initially chose to have re-runs rather than have a guest host. After two weeks of re-runs, Wendy and her producer husband, Kevin Hunter, changed their minds. That was really a good thing because her fans look forward to the hot topics segment with fresh news. During the last two weeks, her television audience had to watch shows with topics that were old and not hot at all.

Jerry O'Connell's debut

Jerry will host all this week, and Wendy will return on Monday, March 19. Jerry's first day went off without a hitch. After his name was announced, he came through the double doors dancing. He was full of energy throughout the show. He never let viewers forget whose show it was because he mentioned Wendy's name many times during the hour.

Jerry refused to sit in the purple chair. He said it was reserved for Wendy, so he had the staff move it and bring him a different chair. The guest host handled the hot topics similar to the way Wendy does. When commenting on a topic, he was careful to say the word "allegedly." He and his co-hosts had fun with that word. The replacement host also used other buzz words that "Wendy Watchers" are familiar with because Wendy often uses them.

Many people noticed that O'Connell said something about the "shady cameraman." He stopped in the middle of a story, like Wendy does, to comment that Suzanne had gotten her hair cut. He got up from his chair, walked over to her, and touched her hair. When a guest talked about products she was promoting, Jerry chimed in with appropriate comments throughout the presentation, as Wendy does.

Responses on social media

Wendy tweeted a message of thanks to Jerry for taking care of her "Wendy Watchers." Most of the other comments on social media were positive. Some admitted that no one can fill Wendy's shoes, but the actor did a fantastic job pinch-hitting for her. Many enjoyed Jerry's energy and his funny jokes. One person suggested that he should consider becoming a stand-up comedian.

Some people on Twitter suggested that Jerry should have his own talk show. That's sound great, but for now, he has four more days substituting for Wendy Williams.
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