Wendy Williams has been left "permanently incapacitated" due to her ongoing struggle with dementia, according to her guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, who is currently embroiled in a legal battle with Lifetime regarding the release of the documentary Where Is Wendy Williams?, which premiered in February.
In a court filing dated November 12, seen by the New York Post, Morrissey said that the 60-year-old former talk show host "has become cognitively impaired, permanently disabled, and incapacitated" from her dementia battle." Williams was diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in May 2023. This diagnosis came a year after Wendy was placed under a court-ordered guardianship, which manages both her health and financial affairs.
A Painful Life
Where Is Wendy Williams?, which premiered in February, was set to showcase Williams' life as she geared up to launch a new podcast. However, it included disturbing footage of the former talk show host drinking vodka in bed and having panic attacks, sparking backlash from fans against Lifetime.
Morrissey, Williams' guardian, is currently locked in a legal dispute with the network over the documentary.
The court filing alleges that the defendants — A&E Television Networks, Lifetime's parent company, Lifetime Entertainment Services, EOne Productions, Creature Films, and executive producer Mark Ford — "cruelly took advantage of [Williams'] cognitive and physical decline by creating and publishing a documentary at a time when [Williams] was highly vulnerable and clearly incapable of consenting to be filmed."
Morrissey's legal team accused the defendants of "deliberately manipulating and provoking" Williams to provoke intense emotional responses and capture embarrassing footage.
In their filing, Morrissey's attorneys requested that the court redact details related to Williams' "health, family relationships, and finances" in the case to safeguard her privacy.
The defendants' defense was also presented in the filing, where they argued that the case stems from Morrissey's "misguided efforts to attempt to excuse her own failure to protect her ward."
Blame Game Continues
The defendants also argued that they had Williams' "consent, input, and participation" in the making of the documentary prior to her dementia diagnosis and before a guardian was appointed.
In the filing, both Morrissey and the defendants requested a trial that is expected to last between two to four weeks.
Earlier, in September, Morrissey filed a lawsuit regarding the documentary, claiming that Williams was "highly vulnerable and clearly incapable of consenting to being filmed, much less humiliated and exploited."
In response, the defendants have filed counterclaims against Morrissey, and the case is currently being overseen by the federal court.
Prior to the release of the Lifetime documentary, Williams' family told People that the "Think Like A Man Too" actress is living in a care facility. They also shared that they can only communicate with her when she reaches out to them.
Williams hosted The Wendy Williams Show from 2008 to 2022.
Along with her diagnoses of aphasia and dementia, Williams has faced numerous other health challenges, including Graves' disease and lymphedema. She has also struggled with alcohol and cocaine addiction.
