The family of recently-slain TikTok star Swavy is asking for an apology from Wendy Williams, whose insensitive announcement of his death on her talk show has become a viral clip.
On Wednesday, Williams talked about Swavy’s July 5 shooting death in Wilmington, Delaware on the “Hot Topics” segment of The Wendy Williams Show, and said, in part, “I have no idea who this is. Neither does one person in this building.”
She went on to talk about the scores of social media followers the 19-year-old — born Matima Miller — had before confirming he had been killed.
Swavy’s brother, Rahkim Clark, said of the embattled Williams that “Wendy has always been a messy person.”
“That’s what her life consists of, this gossip and reporting stories,” Clark told TMZ, “but this is not just any other story. This is not a highlight; this is not a hot topic, this is our real life — like, we’re dealing with this in reality. So for her to speak on the events surrounding my brother’s death before she reached out to our family … she didn’t send condolences. She didn’t even report the right story.”
“It’s one thing to take public knowledge and put it out there, but you gave a false narrative,” Clark continued. “You gave a false story; you painted him as a thug, as a drug dealer, as someone that was out here trying to be in the streets or anything like that. That wasn’t the type of person that he was.”
“As a Black woman, as a Black mother,” Clark added, “you didn’t have any empathy at all for my family.”
Williams’ brutal delivery of Miller’s death was widely criticized on social media. Bishop Talbert Swan shared the clip, writing, “A 19 yr old Black man, Matima Miller, better known as ‘Swavy’ by millions of social media followers, was murdered and @WendyWilliams thought it was ok to make fun of him. Wendy, may you reap everything that you have sown.”
Another user was harsher, asserting, “Wendy Williams treating Swavy the way she did on live television is really on-brand for her. What a f***ing weirdo.”
Miller’s mother cried as she told TMZ she asked God why she saw Williams’ reporting of her son’s death.
“To see something like that as a mother, mentally messes you up,” Chanell Clark contended. “This just hurt. Wendy Williams, how — as a mother — how do you put a child out there like that? Nobody knew him like that.”
“I’m looking for an apology,” she said. “I do want an apology but at the same time, I’m pissed with Wendy.”
His family has launched a GoFundMe Miller memorial page and is seeking justice for the 19-year-old, calling his death a “senseless act of gun violence.”
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s “Dear Culture” podcast? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. Download theGrio.com today!