What happened to Wendy Williams? A new documentary delves deeper into her health and guardianship
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- Wendy Williams has largely stayed out of the spotlight since exiting her talk show in 2021.
- Williams has been under a guardianship since 2022.
- A new Lifetime documentary titled "Where Is Wendy Williams?" will explain what happened to the star.
Wendy Williams is finally ready to give fans some answers.
Williams, a fixture of daytime TV for more than a decade, stepped away from "The Wendy Williams Show" in 2021 amid health issues. Since then, Williams has kept a low profile.
On Thursday, her care team announced that the star was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and dementia. The news came ahead of the release of Lifetime's two-night documentary "Where Is Wendy Williams?"
Here's a complete timeline of Williams' health challenges and guardianship.
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Williams dressed as Lady Liberty for the Halloween episode of "The Wendy Williams Show." During the live taping, Williams lost her balance mid-sentence and fainted.
The daytime talk show host recovered quickly and returned after the commercial break to assure fans she was OK.
"That was not a stunt," Williams clarified. "I overheated in my costume and I did pass out, but, you know what? I'm a champ and I'm back."
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During the week of February 12, 2018, Williams canceled tapings of her show scheduled for Wednesday through Friday.
"It's not the flu yet, but I feel flu-ish," Williams said in a video shared on Instagram, which has since been deleted. The host also added that she hadn't taken a sick day since starting her talk show in 2008.
"Wendy is still experiencing flu-like symptoms and so she can rest up and get better, we have decided to cancel tapings the rest of the week," a representative for the show told Us Weekly that week.
Williams gave Wendy Watchers an update on February 16 in an Instagram post that has also been deleted.
"I guess when you don't take a sick day EVER in over 25 years, the ground is supposed to shake! LOL," she wrote. "I ride or die for my craft. I appreciate all the tremendous love and support from everyone — especially my incredible staff. I'm hydrating this bug out. I will be back Monday and topics will be POPPING!! Miss u all."
She returned to "The Wendy Williams Show" the following Monday, February 19.
"I must say, it's good to be back," Williams said. "I apologize to those of you who had tickets for the show Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. I was not here. I was flu-ish with complications, but no more."
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Two days after returning to her show, Williams announced that she was diagnosed with Graves' disease, an autoimmune disease that causes an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism).
The star also said she'd take three weeks off to prioritize her health. "As women, we always put everything before us," she told the audience. "Stop putting everyone first."
In March of that year, Williams told People magazine that she was diagnosed with Graves' disease and hyperthyroidism 19 years earlier.
"It came from me neglecting my six-month endocrinology appointment," she said.
"I feel a hundred percent better than I was a few months ago. I had a storm going in my body is the best way I can explain it," Williams added.
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Williams got a hairline fracture in her right shoulder on Sunday, December 16, and missed the Monday taping of her talk show. She returned that Tuesday with her arm sling concealed underneath her shirt.
Williams said she wouldn't have been able to go to work on Monday because her "shoulder was on fire." So, she focused on medical attention that day.
"I'm on the mend," she said. "I don't need an operation. They tell me I'm very healthy for a person after 50."
Williams added that she would power through the remainder of the season before resting since only a few more days of filming were left.
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During her extended absence from the show, celebrity guests filled in for Williams.
"We were only supposed to be off two weeks for Christmas vacation," Williams said when she returned. "Toward the end of the two weeks, I started to feel thyroid-ish."
Wiliams said that her medications were still being modified.
"If you don't know about thyroid disease, it's a lifelong thing and they are always adjusting stuff," she said. "It can really screw you over."
Williams said that she was also dealing with Graves' disease and her vertigo during that time.
"I have a plethora of doctors, my medical team, and I'm happy to tell you that I'm doing swell," she added, to the applause of the audience.
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"You know me for being a very open and truthful person and I've got more to the story for you," Williams said on her talk show.
"Well, for some time now, and even today and beyond, I have been living in a sober house," Williams said, explaining that she and her then-husband Kevin Hunter Sr. created The Hunter Foundation and the 888-5-HUNTER phone number to help people with addiction.
"You know I've had a struggle with cocaine in my past," she added. "I never went to a place to get the treatment. I don't know how, except God was sitting on my shoulder, and I just stopped."
The TV personality said that only Hunter Sr. and their son, Kevin Hunter Jr., knew about her situation.
"I am driven by my 24-hour sober coach back to the home that I live in here in the tristate with a bunch of smelly boys who have become my family," Williams said.
"Doors locked by 10 p.m., lights out by 10 p.m.," she continued. "So I go to my room and stare at the ceiling and fall asleep to come here and see you. So that is my truth."
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Williams shared the diagnosis on an episode of her show, after addressing paparazzi photos in which her ankles appeared puffy and swollen.
"It's not going to kill me, but I do have a machine," she said, adding that she's "got it under control."
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Williams was filming "The Wendy Williams Show" remotely from her home during the coronavirus pandemic but stepped away to get treatment for symptoms of Graves' disease, a representative for the show told AP News.
"We look forward to welcoming Wendy back soon and continuing the Wendy@Home shows," the statement said.
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"While continuing her health evaluations, Wendy has tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19," read a statement posted on the talk show's official Instagram account.
"To allow Wendy time to quarantine and fully recover and to ensure that our production abides by all SAG/AFTRA and DGA Covid protocols, we expect to begin the 13th season of 'The Wendy Williams Show' on Monday, October 4th," the statement continued. "In the meantime, repeats will be scheduled."
Days prior, "The Wendy Williams Show" Instagram account announced that the host was "dealing with some ongoing health issues" and could not fulfill promotional obligations.
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Season 13 of "The Wendy Williams Show" premiered on October 18, 2021, sans Williams. As the season progressed, other guests such as Leah Remini hosted in her place.
"Wendy continues to be under medical supervision and meets with her medical team on a daily basis," a post shared on the show's Instagram account. "She is making progress but is experiencing serious complications as a direct result of Graves' Disease and her thyroid condition. It has been determined that more time is needed before she is able to return to her live hosting duties."
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"Wendy won't be returning to the show for the rest of this season," the source said. "Her healing is going slower than everyone had hoped. She continues to deal with a number of medical issues, including Graves' disease, and she and her team are taking it one day at a time."
The source also denied reports of a stroke, drugs, addiction, or dementia being factors in Williams' absence.
"The Wendy Williams Show" was officially canceled months later, and the final episode aired on Friday, June 17, without Williams present — despite the star previously being hopeful of a return.
Sherri Shepherd hosted the series finale and launched her own daytime talk show, "Sherri," in September of that year, replacing the time slot previously held by Williams.
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Wells Fargo froze Williams' accounts and petitioned a New York court for financial guardianship for the TV star, claiming that she was an "incapacitated person."
Williams' attorney, LaShawn Thomas, responded to this claim, telling Variety in a statement that "Wendy wants the world to know that she strenuously denies all allegations about her mental health and well-being."
"During this hiatus from the show, Wendy has employed holistic health professionals to help her reach optimal health during her treatment of Graves' disease and thyroid concerns," Thomas said.
According to Variety, Williams said in the affidavit that her former financial advisor, Lori Schiller, called her "of unsound mind," resulting in the bank barring her access.
Williams was placed under a temporary financial guardianship in March. That month, she told "Good Morning America" that she was "absolutely" of sound mind.
On May 19, a New York judge appointed a guardian over Williams' finances until July.
"Wendy doesn't agree with a financial guardian being appointed," Thomas told The Hollywood Reporter. "If it's the court's intention to have one appointed over her affairs for the long haul, she definitely isn't going to accept that."
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News of the official diagnosis was made public two days before the release of Lifetime's two-night documentary, "Where Is Wendy Williams," which was filmed over the course of nearly two years and follows the titular star's life after the end of her talk show. The documentary will air on Saturday and Sunday.
"Over the past few years, questions have been raised at times about Wendy's ability to process information and many have speculated about Wendy's condition, particularly when she began to lose words, act erratically at times, and have difficulty understanding financial transactions," her care team said in a press release.
"In 2023, after undergoing a battery of medical tests, Wendy was officially diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia," the statement continued.
Both of these conditions can result in issues with memory and mood changes. Actor Bruce Willis was also previously diagnosed with aphasia and FTD.
The same day that this diagnosis was revealed, TMZ reported that Sabrina Morrissey, Williams' guardian, filed a lawsuit against Lifetime's parent company A&E Television Networks.
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