Wendy Williams spoke out against her guardianship on “The Breakfast Club” Thursday morning, saying “I feel like I’m in prison.” The former daytime host has been under a guardianship since 2022, and last year her care team said she had been diagnosed with dementia and aphasia, which affects language and communication abilities.
However, when calling into “The Breakfast Club,” Williams said this is not true. “Do I seem that way, god damn it?” she asked hosts DJ Envy, Charlamagne Tha God and Jess Hilarious.
“I am not cognitively impaired, you know what I’m saying? But I feel like I’m in prison,” she said of the care facility where she has been living. “I’m in this place where the people are in their 90s and their 80s and their 70s … There’s something wrong with these people here on this floor.”
Williams’ niece, Alex, also phoned into the show to support her aunt. She said Williams’ apartment in the care facility has “a bed, a chair, a TV, a bathroom and she’s looking out one window at buildings across the street.” She later added that Williams is able to call her loved ones, but they are unable to call her and she has no access to the internet via a laptop or iPad. Williams said she has spent her last three birthdays alone due to the facility’s high security, adding: “This is what is called emotional abuse.”
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Williams was also asked about the two-part Lifetime documentary, “Where Is Wendy Williams?,” which aired shortly after the announcement of her diagnosis. Her guardian, Sabrina E. Morrissey, sued to try and prevent its release, citing exploitation. A&E and Lifetime then countersued, alleging that Morrissey had realized that it would feature criticism of her position as guardian.
“She was the one who wanted to do that, you understand what I’m saying?” Williams said of the documentary, adding: “What do I think about being abused? Look, this system is broken, this system that I’m in. This system has falsified a lot.”
Morrissey did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.
Williams’ niece Alex added that if people want to support Williams, they can use the hashtag #FreeWendy and sign the petition on Change.org.
“My aunt sounds great,” Alex said. “I’ve seen her, in a very limited capacity, but I’ve seen her and we’re talking to her. This does not match an incapacitated person. And that’s why we say she’s in a luxury prison, because she is being held and she is being punished for whatever reason that other people are coming up with as to why she has to be kept in this position.”
Williams was the host of “The Wendy Williams Show” from 2008 to 2021, but stepped down from hosting due to medical issues. The show aired its final episode in June 2022 after several guest hosts filled in for Williams.
“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,” reads the press release announcing her diagnosis last year.
“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,” the release added. “Unfortunately, many individuals diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia face stigma and misunderstanding, particularly when they begin to exhibit behavioral changes but have not yet received a diagnosis.”