Last taping of the 'The Montel Williams Show' isn't the end

[Brian Damage]

Montel Williams will head into the studio Wednesday afternoon to tape what will be the grand finale of his daytime talk show, but it definitely won't be the last time viewers will see the former Navy officer.

Indeed, Williams promised Tuesday he's got a handful of deals to either produce or appear in shows to be announced shortly.

"I'm discontinuing the taping of 'The Montel Williams Show,'" he said. "I'm not done in this business by any stretch of the imagination."

The show taping Wednesday will air May 16, although some original shows and compilations will air until August.

The decision to end the show, he said, was made for business reasons only. He'd been under the same contract for 17 years, tied to a show that has changed owners multiple times since he started.

He won't be specific about his plans, but he did say he's partners in a project with prolific producer Philip Gurin ("Weakest Link," "The Singing Bee"), and has others he may produce or host.

And "The Montel Williams Show" won't go away because a best-of package will air around the country.

"I'm not in any shape or form going away," he said, adding, "I may compete against myself."

When "The Montel Williams Show" began, Williams just was one of many talk shows on the air. He takes pride in noting 91 others have come and gone during his run.

"I think he's made a unique contribution," said Katz Media Group analyst Bill Carroll. "He came at the talk-show format in a different way. He'd been an inspirational speaker and he brought that kind of energy and that kind of focus. He came on at a time when confrontational television was the norm."

Carroll attributes the 51-year-old Williams' longevity to that voice, which was often of advocacy. "Whenever you're a little bit distinctive," he said, "that makes a difference."

The impact of taping the finale, a retrospective, hasn't quite sunk in yet, Williams said yesterday.

"It will probably hit me in three weeks when I wake up and realize I don't have to go to the studio," he said.

For 17 years, he's taped shows on Wednesdays and Thursdays. During that time, viewers have seen Williams go through a divorce, other turmoils and the shocking revelation he's got multiple sclerosis.

"I have MS, there's no if, ands or buts," he said. "I have MS, but MS does not have me, nor will it ever. I work every single day of my life to make the most of my life with MS."

Away from the daytime show, he has authored several books, launched the health-focused Web site www.livingwellwithmontel.com, and is developing properties in the Maryland area. He called his work as a spokesman for the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, a group that helps get prescription drugs to the needy, his "crowning moment."

Today, of course, starts the next phase in a career that included 22 years in the military before Williams turned to TV.

"I don't look at things as the end," he said. "I look at things as a beginning."

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertain...illiams_s.html

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