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What's Going On With Wendy Williams? Breaking Down Her Diagnosis And Guardianship

On March 10, Wendy Williams was taken to the hospital in an ambulance after she dropped a note out of her window that allegedly read: “Help! Wendy!!” The New York City Police Department confirmed that she was taken to the hospital after they conducted a wellness check. Unfortunately, this is just the latest distressing update in Wendy’s ongoing health and legal saga. The former Wendy Williams Show host was diagnosed with dementia a few years ago and is living under a legal guardianship. However, she’s denied that diagnosis and is in the middle of a legal battle to terminate her conservatorship. So, what’s actually going on with Wendy Williams? Here’s what we know about the sensitive situation.

What Happened To Wendy Williams? Health Issues Explained

Does Wendy Williams Have Dementia?

Wendy Williams
Image Credit: Getty

In February 2024, the TV personality’s medical team revealed that she had been diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia. At the time, the team shared in a statement: “Wendy is still able to do many things for herself. 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.”

Wendy ended her daytime show in 2022 after struggling with a variety of health issues, including Graves disease, an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid. That same year, her bank, Wells Fargo, alleged in a New York court that she is an “incapacitated person.” Wendy’s been living under a legal guardianship since then. Her court-appointed guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, oversees her finances and health, and claims that Wendy is “cognitively impaired, permanently disabled and legally incapacitated.”

However, Wendy and her family have spoken out against the conservatorship. During a January 2025 appearance on The Breakfast Club, Wendy stated, “I am not cognitively impaired but I feel like I am in prison.” She also said that she’s not able to come and go freely from her living facility, and that she doesn’t even know what medications she’s receiving. Her family claims they didn’t get a say in the conservatorship matter.

“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,” Wendy’s sister, Wanda Finnie, shared with People. She questioned how this system could be “better than the system the family could put in place.” According to TMZ, New York authorities have now launched two separate investigations into Wendy’s conservatorship. Per the outlet, she and her loved ones have been speaking with Adult Protective Services.

Wendy Williams The View Comments

On March 14, Wendy joined The View via a phone call to explain her situation and why she wants to terminate her guardianship. “It was my choice to get an independent evaluation on my incapacitation, which I don’t have it,” she said about her recent trip to the hospital. “How dare they say I have ‘incapacitation’?” During the conversation, Joy Behar noted that Wendy sounded “okay.”

The former talk show host shared that she’s “not permitted to do anything” in the memory care unit where she lives. Wendy explained that she stays in her bedroom most of the time and isn’t allowed to have guests. “Why am I here where people don’t remember anything?” she asked on the show, pointing out that the other residents are much older than her. “I wanna terminate the guardianship and move on with my life,” she said.

Wishing Wendy and her family all the best as they navigate this extremely challenging and upsetting situation.

Ilana Frost
Ilana Frost is an entertainment writer at Betches. As a teenage girl in her twenties, she spends her time stanning Olivia Rodrigo, baking cakes for award shows, and refusing to ever leave her Reputation era.