Where Is Wendy Williams Today? Talk Show Host Is in Care Facility to Treat ‘Cognitive Issues’
Representatives for Wendy Williams have confirmed the former talk show host has frontotemporal dementia and aphasia. The news comes ahead of Lifetime’s two-night documentary event, Where Is Wendy Williams?
Wendy Williams is in a care facility, her family says
In June 2021, Williams hosted her final episode of The Wendy Williams Show. The show ended its 13-season run a year later amid rumors and concern about Williams’ declining health. (Guest hosts had filled in for Williams for the final season.) Since then, the one-time DJ and daytime TV personality has largely been absent from the public eye.
In August 2022, a film crew started documenting Williams’ life after her syndicated talk show ended. The resulting documentary, which premieres Feb. 24 on Lifetime, is a candid portrait of Williams as she struggles with alcohol addiction, memory loss, and other health issues.
After filming ended in April 2023, Williams entered a care facility due to “cognitive issues,” Will Selby, her manager and jeweler, explains in Where Is Wendy Williams? (via People). She remains in the facility today, her family says.
“She is, from what I understand, in a wellness, healing type of environment,” her sister Wanda Finnie told People.
Wendy Williams’ sister says she ‘cannot see’ her sibling
Williams’ relatives, several of whom appear in the Lifetime doc, say they do not know exactly where she is and cannot contact her directly, though she can call them. An independent legal guardian has control over her finances and healthcare decisions.
“The people who love her cannot see her,” Wanda said. “I think the big [question] is: How the hell did we get here?”
Holly Davis, a family law attorney with Austin, Texas-based Kirker Davis LLP, told Showbiz Cheat Sheet in an email that it was “atypical” for Williams’ family not to know where she was receiving treatment.
“I assume that is because there have been particular findings made by the court, and recommendations made by the guardian, to limit Wendy’s contact with certain or all individuals, given the advanced stages of her medical condition, and perhaps the involvement of at least several family members in questionable or disputed financial transactions at the beginning stages of Wendy’s condition,” Davis, who is not involved with Williams’ case, shared.
The talk show host was diagnosed with dementia and aphasia in 2023
With renewed attention on Williams due to the Lifetime documentary, representatives for Williams decided to speak out “to correct inaccurate and hurtful rumors about her health.”
In 2023, Williams underwent “a battery of medical tests.” Those resulted in a diagnosis of “primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD),” they said in a Feb. 22 press release.
“Aphasia, a condition affecting language and communication abilities, and frontotemporal dementia, a progressive disorder impacting behavior and cognitive functions, have already presented significant hurdles in Wendy’s life,” the statement continued. She received care from specialists at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York.
“The decision to share this news was difficult and made after careful consideration, not only to advocate for understanding and compassion for Wendy but to raise awareness about aphasia and frontotemporal dementia and support the thousands of others facing similar circumstances,” Williams’ representatives said.
“Wendy is still able to do many things for herself,” they added. “Most importantly, she maintains her trademark sense of humor and is receiving the care she requires to make sure she is protected and that her needs are addressed. She is appreciative of the many kind thoughts and good wishes being sent her way.”
Where Is Wendy Williams? premieres Saturday, Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
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