Let’s recap: During a Hot Topics segment of her show yesterday, Wendy Williams, asked the audience how they’d be celebrating Galentine’s Day (the Valentine’s Day alternative popularized by Parks and Recreation). Williams said,

“If you’re a man and you’re clapping, you’re not even a part of this.

You don’t understand the rules of the day. It’s women going out and getting saucy and then going home. You’re not a part.

She added that gay men don’t menstruate every 28 days. “

I don’t care if you’re gay. You can do a lot that we do, but I get offended by the idea that we go through something you will never go through.

And stop wearing our skirts and our heels!”

Some interpreted this as a dig at Billy Porter.

As you can imagine, that sat off a bit of an internet firestorm.

Representatives for Williams and her show declined to comment as Twitter blew up. One Twitter user wrote,

@WendyWilliams is just a mess and really isn’t worth your rage and it’d be better spent on someone/thing worthier.”

Another tweet said:

“@WendyWilliams really? What sort of ignorance is coming out of your mouth regarding gay men wanting to be women!! Really Wendy?”

Another said,

“#WendyWilliams going on an anti #trans rant for no good reason. Whining about periods as though periods are what’s most important about women. Sorry, Wendy. You’re not the decider of who can be a woman. Every person gets to decide who they are.”

Later in the broadcast, Williams said she stands by what she says on her show.

“I tell you every day, and I mean this, and I’m going to keep drilling it in your mind: It is so scary coming out here and sitting here by myself with my loose mouth and my slick humor. And, you know, I’m by myself. I can’t blame anybody but me.”

“I say it, and I mean it.”

Today, though, Williams was singing a different tune, and issued the following statement:

“I’ll start by saying I apologize, I did not mean to offend my LGBTQ+ community on yesterday’s show,” Williams said in a message posted to YouTube on Friday, adding that she didn’t realize that her comments were offensive until she watched a broadcast of the show later.

“One thing I can tell you right now is that I never do the show [from] a place of malice,” she said. “I understand my platform with the community, from first grade to intermediate school to high school to college to radio and now to TV. 

“I didn’t mean to hurt anybody’s feelings,” she added. “I’m just having a conversation. If you know me long enough, then you know … I live and let live every day. Life is too short. I’m 55 years old, and maybe I sounded like your auntie, your mother, your big sister, or somebody out of touch. I’m not out of touch, except for perhaps yesterday by saying what I said, so I deeply apologize, and I deeply appreciate the support that I get from the community. I will do better. I appreciate you supporting me. Thank you.”

This is bigbigbig because, as you know, Wendy rarely apologizes for ANYTHING…

Watch below:

(Photo, Avalon; via NBC News)