Ted Williams Reunites With Mom, but Not Before Some Morning Show Drama

By Marc Schneider Posted Jan 7th 2011 08:30AM

Kleenex is going to have a very good day. Ted Williams, the homeless man with a golden voice, was finally reunited with his mother Thursday in a supremely emotional exchange that was delayed because of two feuding morning shows and their cutthroat quest to capture the moment.

In the end, The Columbus Dispatch, which introduced Williams to the world, was the first outlet to post video showing the moment when he and his mother, Julia Williams, reunited for the first time in 10 years.

"Hi, Mommy! Hi, Mommy! Hi, Mommy!" repeated Williams as he approached and embraced Julia in a New York City hotel. "I told you I was coming this year. I don't look my best, but I'm home."

Williams, wearing the same Army jacket he had on in the Dispatch's original roadside video, clutches his 90-year-old mom as she rejoices, "My prodigal son has come home."

When she tells him, "Please don't disappoint me," he responds, "I'm not, Mom, I'm not. I'm through with it all. Mother, I love you so much."

The reunion should have happened earlier, but conflicts between NBC and CBS held things up.

A 'Today' producer told the Dispatch that Williams and his mom had been booked for NBC interviews on Thursday, but CBS swooped in and intercepted her.

"They held her up so we couldn't do the reunion," said the producer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. They claim that CBS wanted no contact between mother and son until their morning shows had concluded.

A CBS spokeswoman called that account "a complete fabrication."

"When NBC learned of our intentions to bring Julia to the airport (Wednesday night) to meet her son, they told us that they would not let them reunite even if it meant keeping Ted and Julia apart for days and that the reunion had to happen live on their show -- and that's exactly what they did. They snuck him off the plane into a van and away from the airport in order to avoid his mother."

CBS brought Julia Williams to La Guardia Airport on Wednesday night, but Ted "was whisked away by another media outlet" before the two could meet eyes.

"I was waiting for you to get off that plane," Julia told her son during their meeting Thursday.

Ted aired his concern about his mother's safety during the media swarm. "I thought they kidnapped you. I thought these people thought this whole experience was worth some money to them."

He then tells her how certain individuals, possibly news and TV producers, began contacting him to extract information on her.

"People in Columbus were saying, 'What's your mother's name? Where does she live? We wanna go pick her up. We wanna do this, that or the other.' And I was scared because anybody could have come in and said, 'I'm from whatever and ride with us,' and take you away. And then when that woman wouldn't let me speak..." Williams' statement ends there, and the raw footage from the Dispatch then cuts to another part of the conversation.

Williams has stuck with NBC for his appearances since coming to New York, having made a memorable debut on 'Today' and later doing voice-over work for MSNBC and Kraft Foods (a Mac & Cheese commercial). He capped off his busy day of work with an appearance on 'Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.'

Williams, a Brooklyn native, became an online sensation just this week when The Columbus Dispatch posted a video of him demonstrating his voice-over skills by the side of the road.

Tags: Ted Williams

Comments

(412)

Friday 07 January

By chell

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they should have reunited long before this and not in front of cameras. they're both after fame and money. now that he's gonna make a name for himself, she wants to ride his coat tails, after 20 years of not seeing him. great family!

Saturday 08 January

By Julia

His mother is a selfish, condesending old she-devil

By lsteward

I agree but it was 10 years, not 20 since they last saw each other.

By barb

The mother is making it all about her.
Shame shame. I see why he was gone for ten years.

Good luck voice man.

By MEL

I SO AGREE WITH CHELL WHERE WERE ALL THESE PEOPLE WHEN HE WAS CLEAN TRYING TO DO BETTER OR EVEN WHEN HE NEEDED THEM SO MANY KIDS N FAMILY IM SORRY BUT ILL BE DAMNED IF I HAVE MY FATHER SLEEPING IN THE STREETS BUT NOW THAT HE IS GOING TO DO VERY WELL FINANCIALLY HE WONT BE OUT OF SIGHT!EITHER WAY IM HAPPY FOR HIM HE SEEMS LIKE A REALLY NICE MAN AND DESERVES TO HAVE A ROOF OVER HIS HEAD AND B SAFE. GOD BLESS HIM

By goatcars2

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It would be wonderful if Ted takes a job and turns his life around to go on to live a happy and prosperous life....BUT, this is not Hollywood and the reality is that drugs have a strong hook and with money to satisfy the need, I don't see a happy ending here... I sincerely, hope I'm wrong!!!!!

By Sally

If you watched the Today Show this morning you would have heard they have provided him with a physcologist to help him with all that is currently happening to him. His mother is back into his life and she seems to have a good affect on him. He is also going to church will also helps him. So he has a very good chance of succeeding with all this support which is exactly what he needs.

By Christine

Can you be any more negative? Give the guy a chance! If the media leaves him alone and isn't up in his face 24/7 maybe he'll have a chance to keep his life on the straight path!

By lou

Through GOD the creator all is possible, we all deserve a second chance, AMEN.

By Vince

Both of you have valid point, in my opinion, but I do hope Sally turns out to be right.

By Pat

I was thinking the same thing. Boy, I do hope this has a Hollywood ending, but as you say when he has money will the call to drugs be too strong. Boy, I hope not.

By Michael

I ABSOLUTELY agree with you. And, like you, I too hope I'm wrong. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how this thing plays out...

By sai125

U r sooooo RIGHT! I am so afraid for him and I so hope all these people supporting him in his success, and the hype of everything, will BE there to ENSURE he does not resort back to drugs and alcohol. I hope all these supporters that one of them--someone will HIRE a supoort person-experienced with "addictions" to continuously call him, check on him and be there to help him from falling again. LET us keep him in our prayers for a Happy ENDING because this was a TRUE blessing. I just cannot see God snatching it away from him after blessing him :-(

Sunday 09 January

By John S-B

Ted was sober for 2 1/2 years BEFORE all this good fortune happened. And that was much tougher for him than things will be now.

By Trish

people CAN turn their lives around... I, too, hope Ted is on his way to a wonderful life!!

Best wishes to him and I hope people keep their negativity to themselves!

By HI J E A N N E

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Don't worry, you are wrong.

By Dan

Really, if you had read the story or even listened to Ted in the video, you would have heard that he's been clean for two years. I'd say that his reunion with his mother and his new found prospects will give him a pretty good chance to continue down the road of sobriety. I wish Ted the best of luck in his life and his work! As for the two news outlets playing tug of war with this guy and his mother, they should be ashamed of themselves! It just goes to show you why FOX is rated higher than either of these loser networks!

By Cutie

......great voice.

By murrayfuentes

Why can't they give him some new clothes?! They've already made a bunch of money off his voice! That is ridiculous that he has to apologize to his mother for how he looks.

By Slash

Mr. Williams has 9 children. I'm betting he goes away in a year.

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