Permanently Incapacitated? Wendy Williams’ Guardian Shares Heartbreaking Update Amid Dementia Battle
TV personality, Wendy Williams‘ ongoing battle with early-onset dementia has advanced, according to her court-appointed guardian.
New documents obtained by PEOPLE, share the extent of the 60-year-old entertainer’s health deterioration as told by her legal team and guardian.
Sabrina E. Morrissey, Williams’ court-appointed guardian, claimed that she has become “cognitively impaired, permanently disabled and legally incapacitated” just months after her diagnosis with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia was made public.
The filing called the former talk show host “an acclaimed entertainer who, tragically, has been afflicted by early-onset dementia and, as a result, has become cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated.”
The documents added that after a “pattern of disturbing events concerning [Wendy’s] welfare and finances” financial institution Wells Fargo “took the highly unusual step of initiating a guardianship” for Williams’ “financial affairs” in January 2022.
The latest filing comes amid the ongoing legal battle around Lifetime’s documentary Where Is Wendy Williams? and the documents ask the court that certain parts of Williams’ “health, familial relationships, and finances” be redacted for her privacy.
The two-part Lifetime special – which focuses on concerns around Williams and the impact of her alcohol addiction – has been contested since it was set to air in February.
Morrissey’s original request to halt the airing of the documentary was overturned as “impermissible prior restraint on speech that violates the First Amendment of the institution.”
She later filed an amended complaint in September against Lifetime and the production companies.
The suit then moved to federal court from New York Supreme Court in October.
Ahead of the Lifetime documentary airing, Williams’ care team issued a lengthy statement to the public explaining her medical condition.
“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 documents read, referencing her frontotemporal dementia diagnosis.
“FTD is a progressive disease, meaning that there is no cure and the symptoms only get worse over time.”
It reads further:
“As Wendy’s fans are aware, in the past she has been open with the public about her medical struggles with Graves’ Disease and Lymphedema as well as other significant challenges related to her health.
“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.
“In 2023, after undergoing a battery of medical tests, Wendy was officially diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).”
The statement added that the condition presented Williams with “significant hurdles in [her] life”
It concluded:
“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’ court-ordered guardianship first began in April 2022 following Williams’ ongoing health issues with Graves’ disease, lymphedema and alcohol abuse. She was later placed in a care facility, with alleged limited contact to her family.
In February, Williams’ medical care team revealed the mother of one had been diagnosed with progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
According to a press release at the time, she received her diagnosis in 2023 and her medical team said the conditions “have already presented significant hurdles in Wendy’s life.”
“Wendy is still able to do many things for herself,” the team said in a statement.
“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.”
Williams spoke out later that day in a statement to PEOPLE, saying she has “immense gratitude for the love and kind words I have received after sharing my diagnosis.”
“Let me say, wow! Your response has been overwhelming. The messages shared with me have touched me, reminding me of the power of unity and the need for compassion,” she said.
“I hope that others with FTD may benefit from my story … I continue to need personal space and peace to thrive. Please just know that your positivity and encouragement are deeply appreciated.”
The same day her diagnosis was released, Morrissey filed a lawsuit against Lifetime’s parent company A&E Television Networks, seeking to halt the release of the documentary.
That effort was eventually denied by an appeals court, after which Lifetime confirmed in a statement to PEOPLE that “the documentary Where Is Wendy Williams? will air this weekend as planned.”