Wendy Williams speaks out against guardianship: “As if I were in prison”

Wendy Williams spoke out against her conservatorship on “The Breakfast Club” Thursday morning, saying, “I feel like I’m in prison.” » The former daytime presenter has been under conservatorship since 2022, and last year her care team said she had been diagnosed with dementia and aphasia, which affect her language and communication abilities.

However, when calling into “Breakfast Club,” Williams said that’s not true. “Do I look like that, dammit?” she asked hosts DJ Envy, Charlamagne Tha God and Jess Hilarious.

“I’m 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 lives. “I’m in a place where people are 90, 80 and 70 years old… There’s something wrong with these people here on this floor.”

Williams’ niece, Alex, also called into the show to support her aunt. She said Williams’ apartment at the care facility had “a bed, a chair, a TV, a bathroom and she looked out a window at the buildings across the street.” She later added that Williams was able to call her loved ones, but they couldn’t call her and she didn’t have access to the internet through a laptop or iPad. Williams said she spent her last three birthdays alone due to the facility’s high security, adding, “That’s what we call emotional abuse.”

Williams was also asked about Lifetime’s two-part documentary, “Where’s Wendy Williams?” », broadcast shortly after the announcement of his diagnosis. His guardian, Sabrina E. Morrissey, filed a lawsuit to try to prevent his release, citing exploitation. A&E and Lifetime later countersued, alleging that Morrissey realized it would include criticism of her position as guardian.

“She was the one who wanted to do this, do you understand what I’m saying?” Williams said of the documentary, adding: “What do I think about being mistreated? Look, this system is broken, this system that I’m in. This system has falsified a lot.

Morrissey did not immediately respond to Varietyrequest 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 looks good,” 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 correspond to an incapable person. And that’s why we say she’s in a luxury prison, because she’s being held and punished for all the reasons others have given as to why she should be kept in this position.

Williams was the host of “The Wendy Williams Show” from 2008 to 2021, but gave up hosting due to medical issues. The show aired its final episode in June 2022 after several guest hosts replaced Williams.

“In recent years, questions have sometimes been raised about Wendy’s ability to process information and many have speculated about Wendy’s condition, particularly when she began to lose words, act out of control. erratically from time to time and have difficulty understanding financial transactions,” the report reads. press release announcing his diagnosis last year.

“The decision to share this news was a difficult one and made after careful consideration, not only to advocate for understanding and compassion for Wendy, but also to raise awareness of aphasia and frontotemporal dementia and support the thousands of “other people facing similar circumstances,” the statement added. “Unfortunately, many people 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. »