Wendy Williams has reportedly taken a major step towards ending her guardianship. The 60-year-old star – who fronted her eponymous talk show from 2008 until 2022 before Sherri Shepherd took over her slot – is under the guardianship of lawyer Sabrina Morrissey and living in a care facility, while her care team previously announced she had been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia.
As reported by TMZ, she has signed an affidavit this week asking the judge overseeing the guardianship to end the arrangement.
In the legal document, the presenter – who previously insisted she “not cognitively impaired” – claims she has “regained capacity” to function independently, and doesn’t need a guardian.
She has also claimed she doesn’t have Frontotemporal Dementia.
It’s believed a doctor – who was chosen by Williams’ attorney – will re-evaluate her on Tuesday (18.02.25), and the next day her lawyer will file an Emergency Order to Show Cause.
According to the report, if the judge rejects her request to end the guardianship, it could go to trial as she seeks to prove to a jury she has the capacity to run her own life.
In new documentary ‘TMZ Presents: Saving Wendy‘ on Tubi, Williams hit out at the New York City facility she’s staying in.
She claimed to feel “isolated”, adding: “Where I am is this place where the people are older, you know what I’m saying?
“They are in their 90s and 80s. I eat lunch and dinner in my bedroom. I don’t eat out there with the people that live here just ’cause it’s so goddamn depressing.”
She insisted she has only been outside twice “in the last 30 days”, and claimed both of those occasions was for dental appointments.
In a press release from her care team announcing her diagnosis last year, they addressed speculation after she had begun “to lose words, act erratically at times, and have difficulty understanding financial transactions”.
They continued: “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.
“Unfortunately, many individuals diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia face stigma and misunderstanding, particularly when they begin to exhibit behavioral changes but have not yet received a diagnosis.”
Almost a year ago, Wendy’s sister Wanda Finnie claimed that she wasn’t made aware of her sibling’s diagnosis after she was placed in a facility to be treated for cognitive issues and that the family had received no updates on Wendy since she spent time with them in Florida in 2021.
Primary progressive aphasia is a rare condition that affects the nervous system and inhibits the ability to communicate, while frontotemporal dementia affects personality, behavior and language.
