Talk show host and radio personality Wendy Williams has courted controversy many times over the course of her decades-long career, and now she's provoked the fury of Ariana Grande fans.

The "Break Free" singer's fans — who are known as Arianators, a name that evokes a panel of government officials who solely legislate on Ariana-related issues — have launched a Twitter campaign urging the cancellation of The Wendy Williams Show. They want Williams to face consequences for critical remarks she made about Grande's appearance on her program on Thursday (August 13).

In a discussion about Grande's breakup with Big Sean, Williams said, "She's 21. She'll forever look 12. I don't mean that in a good way." Her audience members laughed and made lots of "so true" head nods. She continued, "You know, it's nice to look younger than you are, but when you look too young, and then you're short? She's only like 4 feet 11. I don't look at her as a woman!"

Soon the hashtag #CancelWendyWilliamsShow was trending as Arianators tweeted in defense of their queen. Some of the tweets contained thoughtful musings on Williams' choice to deem Grande less than a woman because of her height and appearance. Others were petty, hateful and arguably worse than the host's initial offending comments.

Williams, who was fired by NYC hip hop station Hot 97 back in the late '90s for claiming stars including Sean "Diddy" Combs and Q Tip were gay (and sharing supporting imagery on her web site), has built a career on her strong opinions. While it's doubtful that the Ariana comments will be her undoing, the flap introduces some questions worth considering:

  • Does any person have the right to judge if another is a woman or man?
  • Do most 22-year-olds wear kitty cat ears all the time?
  • Is shaming a body-shamer with "you're ugly!" tweets a way to solve anything at all?
  • Is Wendy Williams the true genesis of body-shaming culture, or she just an easy target when it exists in more subtle forms just about everywhere you look?

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