Wendy Williams has spoken out against the guardianship she has been under since 2022, stating, “I feel like I’m in prison."
On Thursday, Williams called into "The Breakfast Club" denouncing her dementia and aphasia diagnosis. Since the 2023 diagnosis, Williams has lived in an assisted care facility in New York City.
“Do I seem that way, god d**n 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,” Williams said. “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 explained she also spent her last three birthdays alone in the high-security facility, saying, “This is what is called emotional abuse.”
The 60-year-old spoke about her Lifetime docuseries, “Where Is Wendy Williams?" which aired in early 2024, around the time her diagnosis was announced. The docuseries is a detailed glimpse into Williams' life following the end of her daytime talk show, "The Wendy Williams Show" and the court-ordered guardianship placed on Williams after banks froze her accounts and claimed she was an “incapacitated person.”
However, the documentary was almost shelved after her guardian, Sabrina E. Morrissey attempted to sue and halt its release because of exploitation. A&E and Lifetime countersued, claiming that Morrissey realized the docuseries would highlight criticism against her as William's guardian. Morrissey did not respond to Variety's requests to comment.
“She was the one who wanted to do that, you understand what I’m saying?” Williams explained. “What do I think about being abused? Look, this system is broken, this system that I’m in. This system has falsified a lot.”
During the interview, Williams' niece also shared that she wants people to support her aunt through the hashtag #FreeWendy or by donating to her GoFundMe.
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