Wendy Williams is facing significant challenges as her early-onset dementia progresses, according to her court-appointed guardian.
Legal documents obtained by PEOPLE reveal that Sabrina E. Morrissey, who oversees Williams’ guardianship, described the former talk show host as “cognitively impaired, permanently disabled, and legally incapacitated.”
This health update coincides with Morrissey’s ongoing legal dispute with A&E Television Networks, Lifetime Entertainment, and other entities tied to the docuseries Where Is Wendy Williams?, which explores Williams’ guardianship, health issues, and life following The Wendy Williams Show.
Legal filings accuse media companies of exploiting Wendy Williams during her battle with frontotemporal dementia, describing their actions as “brutally calculated and deliberate.” The documents claim these companies collaborated with a producer to take advantage of Williams, fully aware of her progressive condition, which has no cure and worsens over time.
According to the filings, the docuseries was “filmed without a valid contract and released without the Guardian’s consent.” It further alleges that Williams was in a “highly vulnerable” state, unable to consent to being filmed or subjected to what is described as humiliation and exploitation.
Per NBC News:
Wendy Williams has become “cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated,” according to a memo filed by her guardian’s lawyers.
The 60-year-old former talk show host has been “afflicted by early-onset dementia,” resulting in her incapacitation, attorneys for her guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, said in a legal filing in New York court on Nov. 12.
Williams was diagnosed in 2023 with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, her team said in a statement in February.
Primary progressive aphasia is a nervous system syndrome that affects the ability to communicate. Frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, refers to a group of diseases that affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, and is usually associated with behavioral and personality changes, as well as difficulty with language, according to the Mayo Clinic.