Wendy Williams ‘permanently incapacitated’ from dementia court documents claim
Wendy Williams FILE PHOTO: TV personality Wendy Williams attends the 2019 NYWIFT Muse Awards at the New York Hilton Midtown on December 10, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Lars Niki/Getty Images for New York Women in Film & Television) (Lars Niki/Getty Images for New York Women )
ByNatalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
New court filings are giving details in the challenges former television host Wendy Williams faces.
TMZ shared the legal filings where her guardian said Williams “has been afflicted by early-onset dementia and, as a result, has become cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated.”
Williams was diagnosed with aphasia and dementia in 2023, about a year after she was put under a legal guardian who controlled her health and financial decisions, People magazine reported. Williams had been diagnosed at the time with Graves’ disease, lymphedema and alcohol abuse.
The legal filing is part of a battle between guardian Sabrina Morrissey and the producers of the “Where is Wendy Williams?” documentary which aired on Lifetime.
The documentary was released in February days after her diagnosis was made public, Entertainment Weekly reported.
“This case arises from the brutally calculated, deliberate actions of powerful and cravenly opportunistic media companies working together with a producer to knowingly exploit [Williams],” the filing said, according to People magazine. “FTD [frontotemporal dementia] is a progressive disease, meaning that there is no cure and the symptoms only get worse over time.”
The lawsuit says those who created the documentary “filmed without a valid contract and released without Guardian’s consent,” and that Williams was “highly vulnerable” and was “clearly incapable of consenting to being filmed, much less humiliated and exploited.”
Morrissey wants to keep parts of the case redacted for privacy. She is asking for unspecified compensation and punitive damages. She also wants the show pulled from being aired, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Morrisey claims that Williams received only $82,000 while the producers have “profited immensely.”
Representatives from A&E, Lifetime, Creature Films and Ford have not responded to the Times request for comment.
Williams’ family said that Morrissey is the only person who has full access to the host and that they have not had information about her health shared with them since 2021.
“How did she go from this aunt or sister that we love and is healthy one minute to this person who’s in and out of the hospital?” Williams’ sister Wanda Finnie said, according to People magazine. “How is that system better than the system the family could put in place? I don’t know. I do know that this system is broken. I hope that at some point, Wendy becomes strong enough where she can speak on her own behalf.”
Williams has been away from the spotlight only being seen or heard a handful of times over the past few months, including a New Jersey shopping trip in August and an off-camera interview with the Daily Mail in October.
The television personality left her talk show in 2022 after 12 years citing medical reasons.
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Photos: Wendy Williams through the years Wendy Williams attends the ceremony honoring her with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame held on October 17, 2019, in Hollywood, California. Keep clicking to see more photos from her career. (Michael Tran/FilmMagic)
Photos: Wendy Williams through the years 2003: Wendy Williams during the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival - Death of a Dynasty premiere at Tribeca Performing Arts Center in New York City. (Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
Photos: Wendy Williams through the years 2004: Wendy Williams during Virgin Records Presents "Damita Jo": A Celebration With Janet Jackson in Honor of Her New Album at Spice Market in New York City. (KMazur/WireImage for Virgin Records)
Photos: Wendy Williams through the years 2005: Wendy Williams during VH1 Save The Music: A Concert to Benefit the VH1 Save the Music Foundation at Beacon Theatre in New York City. (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
Photos: Wendy Williams through the years 2006: Wendy Williams during the 2006 VH1 Hip Hop Honors at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. (Michael Loccisano/FilmMagic)
Photos: Wendy Williams through the years 2007: Wendy Williams during Macy's Presents "Kiss and Tell" hosted by Nicky Hilton and Inside at Loft 11 in New York City. (Brian Ach/WireImage)
Photos: Wendy Williams through the years 2008: Kevin Hunter and Wendy Williams attend the Patron Music in Motion Tour Party at Marquee on September 29, 2008, in New York City. (Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
Photos: Wendy Williams through the years 2009: Supermodel Iman (left) and Wendy Williams attend the launch party for Sam Fine's "The Basics of Beauty" DVD at the Warren Tricomi Salon at the Plaza Hotel on June 18, 2009, in New York City. (Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
Photos: Wendy Williams through the years 2010: TV personality Wendy Williams and Dolly Parton attend Kenny Rogers: The First 50 Years award show at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods on April 10, 2010, in Ledyard Center, Connecticut. (Rick Diamond/Getty Images)
Photos: Wendy Williams through the years 2011: Celebrity talk show host Wendy Williams throws out a ceremonial first pitch before a baseball game between the Oakland Athletics and the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, Aug. 5, 2011, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
Photos: Wendy Williams through the years 2012: Andy Cohen and Wendy Williams on "Watch What Happens Live." (Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
Photos: Wendy Williams through the years 2013: Natalie Morales and Wendy Williams appear on NBC News' "Today" show in 2013. (Peter Kramer/NBC/NBC Newswire/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
Photos: Wendy Williams through the years 2014: In this handout photo provided by Disney Parks, daytime TV talk show host Wendy Williams poses with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse during a visit to the Magic Kingdom park at Walt Disney World Resort on January 17, 2014, in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (Gregg Newton/Disney Parks via Getty Images)
Photos: Wendy Williams through the years 2015: Television personalities Wendy Williams (left) and Brad Goreski appear onstage during the Lane Bryant launch of the #PlusIsEqual campaign at Times Square on September 14, 2015, in New York City. (Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Lane Bryant)
Photos: Wendy Williams through the years 2016: Wendy Williams during an interview with TV host Seth Meyers on May 19, 2016. (Lloyd Bishop/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
Photos: Wendy Williams through the years 2017: Wendy Williams poses for a photo on the observation deck after taking part in the ceremonial lighting of the Empire State Building to celebrate the ninth season of "The Wendy Williams Show" at The Empire State Building on September 18, 2017, in New York City. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
Photos: Wendy Williams through the years 2018: Wendy Williams appears on "Late Night With Seth Meyers" on October 30, 2018. (Lloyd Bishop/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
Photos: Wendy Williams through the years 2019: Wendy Williams attends her being honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 17, 2019, in Hollywood, California. (David Livingston/Getty Images)
Photos: Wendy Williams through the years 2020: Wendy Williams attends Spotify x Cash Money Host Premiere of mini-documentary New Cash Order at Lightbox on February 20, 2020, in New York. (Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Spotify)
Photos: Wendy Williams through the years 2021: Wendy Williams (left) officially unveils her Madame Tussauds wax figure at Madame Tussauds New York on May 10, 2021, in New York City. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Madame Tussauds New York)