diff --git a/docs/example-widget-pager.html b/docs/example-widget-pager.html
index cd71a2eb..46cd338e 100644
--- a/docs/example-widget-pager.html
+++ b/docs/example-widget-pager.html
@@ -177,12 +177,10 @@
 			// Exterminate, annhilate, destroy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOqn8FxuyFs
 			var $t = $(this);
 			if (/Destroy/.test( $t.text() )){
-				$table[0].config.widgets = ['zebra'];
 				$table.trigger('destroyPager');
 				$t.text('Restore Pager');
 			} else {
-				$table[0].config.widgets = ['zebra', 'pager'];
-				$table.trigger('applyWidgets');
+				$('table').trigger('applyWidgetId', 'pager');
 				$t.text('Destroy Pager');
 			}
 			return false;
@@ -233,6 +231,7 @@
 			<em>NOTE!</em>
 		</p>
 		<ul>
+			<li>In <span class="version updated">v2.25.4</span>, updated example to use <code>applyWidgetId</code> to re-apply the pager widget after being destroyed.</li>
 			<li>In <span class="version updated">v2.24.0</span>, a page size select option with a value of "all" will display all rows - not recommended for ajax interactions!</li>
 			<li>In <span class="version">v2.19.0</span>, added <code>pageAndSize</code> method which allows setting both the pager page &amp; size.</li>
 			<li>In <span class="version">v2.17.6</span>, added <code>{startRow:input}</code> and <code>{page:input}</code> variables to the <code>output</code> option.<p></p></li>
diff --git a/docs/index.html b/docs/index.html
index 09786224..1cca15aa 100644
--- a/docs/index.html
+++ b/docs/index.html
@@ -5132,19 +5132,20 @@ $.tablesorter.updateCell( config, $cell, resort, callback );</pre>
 
 			<tr id="applywidgetid">
 				<td><a href="#" class="permalink">applyWidgetId</a></td>
-				<td>Apply the selected widget to the table, but the widget will not continue to be applied after each sort. See the example, it's easier than describing it (<span class="version updated">v2.25.0</span>).
+				<td>Apply the selected widget to the table, but the widget will not continue to be applied after each sort. See the example, it's easier than describing it (<span class="version updated">v2.25.4</span>).
 					<div class="collapsible">
+						<p>In <span class="version updated">v2.25.4</span>, the direct method will now correctly accept <code>$('table')</code>. Previously, only <code>$('table')[0]</code> would work.</p>
 						<p>In <span class="version updated">v2.25.0</span>, this method ensures that the widget initialization code is executed as well as the format function. So now a widget that was not previously initialized or had been previously removed, can be reapplied.</p>
 						<p>Only <em>one</em> widget can be applied at a time using this method.</p>
 						<h4>Direct method:</h4>
-						<pre class="prettyprint lang-js">$.tablesorter.applyWidgetId( $( 'table' ), 'zebra' );</pre>
+						<pre class="prettyprint lang-js">$.tablesorter.applyWidgetId( $('table'), 'zebra' );</pre>
 						<h4>Triggered event method:</h4>
 						<pre class="prettyprint lang-js">$(function(){
   // initialize tablesorter without the widget
-  $("table").tablesorter();
+  $('table').tablesorter();
 
   // click a button to apply the zebra striping
-  $("button").click(function(){
+  $('button').click(function(){
     $('table').trigger('applyWidgetId', 'zebra');
     return false;
   });
@@ -5367,7 +5368,7 @@ $('table').trigger( 'search', [['', '', '', '', 'orange']] ); // find orange in
 						<pre class="prettyprint lang-js">$(function(){
   $('table').trigger('destroyPager');
 });</pre>
-						The only way to restore the pager is to re-initialize the pager addon
+						The only way to restore the pager addon is to re-initialize the pager addon:
 						<br>
 						<pre class="prettyprint lang-js">$(function(){
   $('table').tablesorterPager(pagerOptions);
diff --git a/js/jquery.tablesorter.js b/js/jquery.tablesorter.js
index b789e3b8..b786e369 100644
--- a/js/jquery.tablesorter.js
+++ b/js/jquery.tablesorter.js
@@ -1902,6 +1902,7 @@
 		},
 
 		applyWidgetId : function( table, id, init ) {
+			table = $(table)[0];
 			var applied, time, name,
 				c = table.config,
 				wo = c.widgetOptions,