Since Wendy Williams signed off from her talk show for the last time two and a half years ago, rumors have been swirling around her well-being. In a People Magazine cover story, her family opened up about Williams's struggles with serious health and substance abuse issues. Just hours after People revealed the story, a spokesperson released a statement saying Williams had been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
"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," the statement reads (via PR News Wire).
The statement continues: "In 2023, after undergoing a battery of medical tests, Wendy was officially diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Aphasia, a condition affecting language and communication abilities, and frontotemporal dementia, a progressive disorder impacting behavior and cognitive functions, have already presented significant hurdles in Wendy's life."
There's also a Lifetime documentary about the former talk show host titled "Where is Wendy Williams?" Lifetime had initially set out to document her comeback, which was supposed to be propelled by the release of her new podcast. However, her chronic alcoholism and fight with Grave's Disease, an autoimmune disorder that causes swelling eyes and feet, took filmmakers in a startlingly different direction.
This was no longer a feel-good story about Williams's post-talk show career — it was about a fight for survival.
In the jarring documentary, which premieres on Lifetime on Feb. 24, one particularly sad scene shows Williams asking her driver to pass by the set where she used to film "The Wendy Williams Show" — just moments after leaving that exact location.
"I don't know what the hell is going on," her driver says. "I think she's losing memory. She doesn't know who I am sometimes."
Where is Wendy Williams?
Williams was taken to a facility for "cognitive issues" in April of 2023, where she has stayed ever since. Concerningly, only a court-appointed legal guardian has access to Williams. Her family doesn't even know where she is staying.
"The people who love her cannot see her," says Wendy's sister, Wanda. "I think the big [question] is: How the hell did we get here?"
Her son says in the documentary that doctors have connected her "cognitive issues" to alcohol abuse. However, according to Dementia Australia, an organization that provides information and support for people diagnosed with dementia, the two are likely unrelated.
"Anyone who drinks excessive amounts of alcohol over a period of years may develop these conditions, but most do not," the organization says on its website.
The statement on behalf of Williams hints that her erratic behavior was caused by her dementia, not her alcohol abuse.
"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. 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.
"There is hope that with early detection and far more empathy, the stigma associated with dementia will be eliminated, and those affected will receive the understanding, support, and care they deserve and need.
"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. She is appreciative of the many kind thoughts and good wishes being sent her way."
