Heavy/Getty Wendy Williams' family was kept in the dark.
Ahead of the Lifetime documentary about former “Dancing with the Stars” contestant Wendy Williams, details about her condition have emerged. In addition, her extended family has spoken out about the lack of access they have to Williams.
Here’s what you need to know:
Wendy Williams’ Family Says They Currently ‘Cannot See Her’
On February 22, PR Newswire shared a statement regarding Williams released by her representative. “In 2023, after undergoing a battery of medical tests, Wendy was officially diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia,” the statement revealed.
The day before the statement, on February 21, People shared what Williams’ family says has happened. The outlet spoke with Williams’ niece, Alex Finnie, as well as Wanda Finnie, Williams’ sister and Alex’s mother.
Wanda told People, “The people who love her cannot see her.” She added, “I think the big is: How the hell did we get here?”
Alex acknowledged, “We’ve all seen the images over the last few months — and, really, few years — of what has seemed like a spiral for my aunt.” She admitted, “It was shocking and heartbreaking to see her in this state.”
Williams’ Legal Guardian Oversees Her Stay in a Care Facility
People noted that Lifetime began filming the Williams documentary in August 2022. At the time, it was designed to follow Williams as she returned to the public eye with a podcast. However, the focus of the project quickly shifted.
Filming continued until April 2023. Executive producer Mark Ford shared that filming ended after Williams was found with her eyes rolled back in her head, in her apartment. Williams’ guardian was brought in, and Ford noted the guardian was “responsive to our pleas… to get her into a safer place.”
Soon after that incident, Williams was checked into a facility to manage “cognitive issues.” She is still in a care facility. However, the family says they do not know where she is. The guardian has full control over when or if Williams departs the facility.
Williams can call her family, but they are not able to call her. Only Williams’ court-appointed legal guardian has full access to her, according to the family.
The guardian was appointed in May 2022 and directed to manage Williams’ health and financial issues. The family notes that they do not have access to the court papers regarding the situation, as they have been sealed.
Wanda explained, “All I know is that Wendy and her team walked into the courtroom one way, and they walked out, and the family is completely excluded.”
Alex also noted that in April 2022, “All of a sudden there was just this wall that went down and the family was blocked out” of everything related to managing Williams’ situation.
The Family Believes Williams Is Doing Better These Days
Alex appeared in a pre-taped segment on the February 22 episode of “The View” and shared some additional insight. She explained that the minimal contact with Williams’ legal guardian “Has been a big problem for the family in terms of just, can we get an update on how she’s doing?”
Wanda insists the family is still focused on helping her sister, despite their lack of access to her. “There is not a person in this family who doesn’t want the same thing for Wendy, and that is her health.”
Alex said that her aunt “can’t wait to start the next chapter of her life.” According to Wanda, she spoke with her sister the day before talking with People. She shared that Williams “is in a healing place emotionally. She’s not the person that you see in this film.”
The family does not know what Williams’ treatments consist of in the facility where she currently resides. Wanda admitted, though, “I don’t know what is working, but I do know that when she did reach out to me, it was a person who is remarkably different than what we see in that documentary.”
“She sounds really great,” Alex added. She noted that Williams sounds clear and focused “on the importance of family and the reality in terms of facing and understanding where she’s at physically and mentally and emotionally.”