A Media Queen Worth Saving: New Docuseries Shines Light on Guardianship and Dementia, Where Is Wendy Williams?

Wendy Williams, the renowned “Queen of Media,” has fans concerned after the Lifetime docuseries Where Is Wendy Williams? aired, with her life allegedly in a whirlwind of state-mandated guardianship, with no physical access to her family, and her fortune recently frozen by Wells Fargo. At 59, she also received a new diagnosis from her unknown medical team: aphasia and frontotemporal dementia.

Wendy Williams is a woman in media who has accomplished so much in the industry and is now appearing to allegedly suffer under the care of her newly instated guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, new manager, Will Selby, and new publicist, Shawn Zanotti. Some fans feel they do not seem to have her best interest at heart from footage seen in the new Lifetime docuseries, Where is Wendy Williams? which premiered over the weekend.

Wendy Williams Fans React to Series

The four-and-a-half-hour, two-night documentary event debuted on Saturday, February 24 and 25 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime and shocked fans at what the cameras captured. Wendy appeared to have a new manager who was once her “jeweler” and a publicist carting her around NYC with the idea that Wendy could book a gig for a new talk show or podcast to “bring in money.” Some fans asked, “Why are they trying to raise money when she already has money that her guardian should ration out?”

What viewers noticed was eerily not a woman who was healthy enough to appear on a talk show but one who was also not healthy enough to be paraded in the streets filming, being driven throughout New York, or even fly from New York to California, which is exactly what they were doing with the beloved media mogul. She was thin, confused, and rambling, and she demanded her driver and publicist take her to a store near her old talk show studio, with Williams repeating to them that they knew her and what she regularly purchased in the past. They circled the block numerous times until an unidentified short-haired blond white woman had Wendy roll her window down to state they would stop filming, and she was going home.

Wendy’s current manager and publicist, I say that loosely, are not her long-time partners in these duties; they are new relationships since parting ways with her ex-husband, Kevin Hunter Sr., who was her long-time manager. She divorced him after his infidelities were exposed. According to Wendy herself in clips in her Lifetime documentary, which re-aired before the Where is Wendy Williams? docuseries, she hired a private investigator to follow Hunter Sr., which exposed his dual life with a separate home and a lover who was visibly pregnant with his child.

In the docuseries, viewers also caught clips of some of Wendy’s past medical issues, where she passed out while taping her talk show; it was announced she had thyroid issues and Grave’s disease. Also included was TMZ’s interview coverage post-hiatus, when Wendy showed her bare feet riddled with lymphedema on screen as she lifted her foot into the camera to share her struggles with the world.

Viewers on social media reacted and questioned why her now outed state-mandated guardian, Sabrina, would allow Wendy to have people around her who didn’t appear to be taking care of her, questioning if she was even doing her job. Wendy’s current guardian filed a lawsuit to try to stop Lifetime from airing their docuseries. We can see why because Wendy does not seem cared for properly in this docuseries and has been financially and medically under her supervision. We didn’t see one nurse or doctor visit Wendy in this entire Lifetime special, not even a home health aid to check in with her or care for her swollen feet.

According to the Lifetime series, there was no food in Wendy’s refrigerator, she was rail thin, she was drinking around her manager and publicist, and her handlers’ concern did not seem genuine; the publicist didn’t try to stop her from drinking, and the manager’s concern seems staged as he picks up alcohol bottles and shows them to Wendy to ask, “Why is this here?” Shelby’s concern seems orchestrated; he also serves as an executive producer on the series with various others. EP titles can be loosely thrown around in exchange for appearances, so we don’t know the extent of his involvement past that theory. Shelby also has elevated his voice towards Wendy on more than one occasion in the series, sparking Wendy to state that Will “yells” at her, which has signs of a possible abusive relationship. We don’t know what happens behind closed doors when the cameras are off, and it’s hard to see a powerful woman who was adored throughout the nation being yelled at by a man in her home, let alone someone who was her “jeweler.”

Lifetime Producers + Family Question Williams’ Care

According to Lifetime producers, they were not aware that Wendy had dementia, which was recently announced in the media before the docuseries. Right now, fans are speculating if Wendy is being enabled to drink, if she indeed is suffering from these illnesses, or if it’s a combination of both. There’s a stark difference from when her son Kevin Hunter Jr. cared for her, and he inferred that her drinking might be inducing her illnesses. Lifetime producers spoke with The Hollywood Reporter with Mark Ford stating,

“I think we’re very transparent about our producers’ confusion. We’re asking all of these questions that everyone has all the way through. We don’t know this manager. It’s a new manager. We don’t know this publicist. It’s a new publicist. The guardian won’t speak to us. And so we’re constantly just trying to push forward and get the information as filmmakers. Like, what is actually going on here? And by the way, Wendy loved it when the cameras came to the door, it gave her a reason to get up in the morning. I think you see that.”

Lifetime Producer, Mark Ford – The Hollywood Reporter

According to Wendy’s son in the docuseries, who serves as an executive producer, Wendy was initially on hiatus from her talk show, thinking she would return and get healthy in Florida with him and the rest of her family. We then learned that her son’s rent and an Uber Eats bill, which allegedly accumulated to $100,000 over a year, were questioned by Wells Fargo, and his power of attorney was stripped.

Wendy’s assets were also frozen, and the state assigned her the professional guardian mentioned, leaving the family without access to her. We all remember seeing the video of Wendy stating that Wells Fargo had stolen her money. For anyone who knows Wendy’s lifestyle, $100,000 a year is not strange, as a five-star restaurant can run $500-$1,000 or more for two people for one sitting. This number would not be far-fetched if her son were spending Williams’ money with her instruction.

“Her addiction had so much control over her life that if a person is against it or wants to help with it, she moves them out…as long as she has people around who are ‘yes’ people, the same thing is always gonna occur, where she would ultimately just find any excuse to be by herself so she can get back to drinking.”

– Kevin Hunter Jr. for Lifetime’s, Where is Wendy Williams?

The court also questioned Hunter Jr.’s rent, and again, if anyone knows Wendy, she loved her son and gave him the world. A vegan, Hunter Jr., explained that he was helping to get her weight up and shared a video that shows Wendy much healthier and happier in his care in 2022, as shown below, a stark difference from her current state under her guardian.

Wendy’s sister, attorney, Wanda Williams, did comment in the documentary that she was asked to be Wendy’s guardian, and she stated she would but asked what that would entail. Still, the state moved forward with a professional guardian, and Williams’ case was sealed. TMZ revealed the originally unknown guardian as a New York lawyer, Sabrina Morrissey. Morrissey opened the door to exposure when she filed a lawsuit against A&E. TMZ reports that Morrissey was looking for a temporary restraining order, which would have curtailed Lifetime from releasing the documentary. While we can’t speak for Morrissey, we can now see why she would not want this docuseries to air. Anyone can see Wendy is not being cared for properly.

Wendy’s Career Highlights

A renowned television and radio personality, Wendy Williams has achieved notable success in her multifaceted career. Beginning as a radio host, Williams gained widespread recognition for her bold and candid style on The Wendy Williams Experience. Her ability to connect with audiences and her fearless approach to discussing celebrities and pop culture propelled her to become a prominent figure in the media landscape.

Williams’ accomplishments expanded when she transitioned to television, hosting the nationally syndicated talk show The Wendy Williams Show, which premiered in 2008. The show’s success lies in Williams’ unique interviewing style and her unfiltered commentary, making it a daytime television staple. Her influence also extends to the entertainment industry, as she received Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host.

Glitter spoke with Wendy in an exclusive interview years back at the height of fame for her talk show, The Wendy Williams Show. She spoke to us on her QVC line, her family, specifically the love she had for her son, Kevin Hunter Jr., breaking into radio and TV, as well as her passion for producing. Williams used her platform to accumulate a legion of fans along the way, singing “How You Doin” and shouting “It’s Time For Hot Topics” as they watched Wendy scoot over to her purple chair with her signature tea mug with her name on it.

She dipped her tea bag up and down as she scrolled through the day’s hot gossip and gave her very candid take on the celebrity news cycle. No one was off limits, including banter on Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, and Taylor Swift, to name a few. If the topic was hot, you could best believe Wendy was giving her take on the matter.

Beyond her on-screen presence, Williams has authored books, including her memoir “Wendy’s Got the Heat,” showcasing her journey and resilience. Despite facing personal challenges, she continued to be a trailblazer, breaking barriers for women, particularly women of color, in the media industry. Wendy Williams’ accomplishments reflect her impact on shaping the landscape of daytime television and her ability to resonate with audiences through her authenticity and charisma.

Wendy Williams received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 17, 2019, in recognition of her substantial contributions to the entertainment industry. The ceremony, held on Hollywood Boulevard, celebrated Williams’ decades-long career as a radio and television personality. Surrounded by fans, colleagues, and well-wishers, Williams expressed gratitude for the honor and shared reflections on her journey. The star on the Walk of Fame solidified her status as a prominent figure in the media landscape, acknowledging her influence and impact on the world of talk shows and entertainment.

Comparisons to Britney Spears + Netflix’s I Care A Lot

While not the same, fans are seeing similarities to Britney Spears’ abusive conservatorship situation, whom Wendy campaigned for on her talk show. Except this time, we are seeing it played out with the added baggage of how Black women are treated with the combination of sexism and racism. Under Britney’s conservatorship, she had no control over her financial or personal decisions. Her father, Jamie Spears, and her attorney, Andrew Wallet, had control until there was a public outcry to #FreeBritney. In April 2019, a Britney Spears’ fan podcast called Britney’s Gram released a voicemail from an unnamed source who stated that he was a former paralegal involved with Spears’ conservatorship, and he stated that she was forced to go to the mental health facility. 

It's not a woman in general thing. White women don't experience racism in banking like Black women do, who deal with the double-headed monster of sexism and racism.

The circumstances that led to Britney Spears' conservatorship compared to Wendy Williams's guardianship differ. https://t.co/meCGAdPISB pic.twitter.com/zONRYjmL5V

— Ola Ojewumi (@Olas_Truth) February 27, 2024

Fans also compared Wendy’s situation to the fictional movie I Care A Lot, where we watched the exploitation of the elderly and healthcare facilities with state-appointed guardians who then steal the fortunes of sick and elderly individuals who have families that should be their caretakers and who are cut off from contact. 

Viewers shared that they feel Wendy’s family, including her sister Wanda Finnie, want to help bring attention to what needs to be done to challenge or investigate and make the public aware of Wendy’s upcoming review of her guardianship. 

Wendy’s family spoke exclusively with People, where Wanda Finnie, Wendy’s sister, stated,

“How did she go from this aunt or sister that we love and is healthy one minute to this person who’s in and out of the hospital? How is that system better than the system the family could put in place? I don’t know. I do know that this system is broken. I hope that at some point, Wendy becomes strong enough where she can speak on her own behalf.”

– Williams’ sister Wanda Finnie for People

The Racism + Sexism Black Female Journalists Face

In regards to the added racism that this situation with Williams has stirred, the criticism of Wendy is tenfold due to the nature of her career in media gossip as well as criticism of her addictions, which she has always been transparent about. Williams, on air, announced towards the end of her show that she was living in a sober house and returned there after she taped the show each day. Many white male celebrities are given second, third, and fourth chances with their sobriety in the entertainment industry, including Ben Affleck and Robert Downey Jr.; even Anne Heche was treated delicately by the media. When it comes to Black women like Whitney Houston and Wendy Williams, many throw their hands up and look the other way.

Although she spoke her mind, Wendy Williams was never given a true runway to be her authentic self like Howard Stern, Joan Rivers, and many others who spoke unfiltered. It was 1,000 times harder for her behind the scenes to speak freely, facing abuse along the way, even at times from the entertainment community. Not to take away from anyone who may have felt slighted by the talk show host, but for those who may be offended by her gossip commentary, there seems to be a huge disparity in how outlets like Page Six, American Media, and other journalists are given a pass on their coverage.

For Wendy, the ruler seems, at times, harsh and unwarranted, with some even threatening to hurt her. Snoop Dog verbally attacked and then apologized to Gayle King for some of her comments in the past. While the Grammys celebrate Dr. Dre with a special award category each year, Wendy helped journalist Dee Barnes survive homelessness by giving her $15,000 when Dr. Dre allegedly beat Barnes for also being an outspoken Black female journalist.

Hope For Wendy Williams

Wendy has always supported others, using her platform to uplift women, the LGBTQIA community, and cancer patients and survivors; as a Cancer sign, she always seemed to wear her heart on her sleeve as she always stated and was the best friend in her fan’s heads. We can only hope that the same energy that helped Britney Spears will help Wendy Williams navigate her guardianship and return her to her family.