Photo: Swavy/Instagram; Paras Griffin/Getty
The mother of slain TikTok star Swavy is calling outWendy Williamsfor her “disrespectful” coverage of the 19-year-old’s death.
Swavy, born Matima Miller,died of his injuries on July 5following a shooting in Wilmington, Delaware, according to police.
His mother, Chanelle Clark,told CBS3on Saturday that she was still reeling from his murder, saying, “I’m mentally going through it because I seen it. I seen my son shot down in the street like that.”
“Look at my eyes and stuff. Y’all, like as a mother,Wendy Williams, how dare you? So disrespectful,” Clark said. “I used to watch you as a child and even though you have a gossip show and all that, you didn’t even know my son.”
A representative for Williams did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
OnWednesday’s episodeofTheWendy WilliamsShow, Williams commented that she had “no idea” who Swavy was in a segment about his death. She also compared their social media followings during her coverage.
“I have no idea who this is,” Williams began. “Neither does one person in this building.”
Williams then explained that she doesn’t use TikTok before sharing news that Swavy had been murdered.
“Aw, all those followers,” she said. “Yeah, that’s really tragic.”
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After the broadcast, many viewers expressed their shock on social media at how Williams covered Swavy’s death. Williams' name began trending on Twitter on Friday after a clip of the segment went viral.
In a statementreleased last week, the late dancer’s family said they are “working diligently to get justice for Swavy.”
“This is just the beginning, we will forever keep his name alive and continue his legacy!” their statement read in part. “The impact he had on others remains unmatched.”
In the wake of Swavy’s death, this family hasset up a GoFundMe campaignto cover funeral costs. As of Monday, it has raised over $23,900.
source: people.com
