Former talk show host Wendy Williams is grappling with dementia, with her health now deemed to be deteriorating after her guardian reported she is “permanently incapacitated.”
According to court filings made public by Deadline and obtained by a number of news outlets, Williams’ court-appointed guardian Sabrina E. Morrissey claims the American media personality has become “cognitively impaired, permanently disabled and incapacitated.”
Williams, 60, was first diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia last year, but it became known to the public in February through a statement on behalf of her caretakers.
Who is Wendy Williams?
Williams is a former TV host and American media personality who, between 2008 and 2021, hosted her own daytime talk show, “The Wendy Williams Show,” featuring celebrity gossip and entertainment news, presented with a confrontational approach.
Before she made her TV debut, Williams gained popularity as a radio disc jockey for over a decade, establishing herself in the industry in the mid-’90s before she went on to host her own daily radio show, “The Wendy Williams Experience.”
What kind of dementia does Wendy Williams have?
Williams has a rare form of frontotemporal dementia, also known as FTD, which damages the temporal and frontal lobes of the brain affecting behaviour, motor function and language. As the dementia worsens, these parts of the brain shrink.
FTD is incurable and usually occurs in people in their 40s, 50s and early 60s. It can affect a person’s personality, causing a loss of inhibition or inappropriate behaviour. It is sometimes mistaken for depression or bipolar disorder, and can take years to diagnose.
The disease often includes primary progressive aphasia, which means it causes problems with language skills. A person with this type of FTD might have trouble finding words or understanding speech.
In most cases, people with FTD don’t have a family history of dementia, however those with relatives who suffer from or had FTD are more likely to be diagnosed with it.
Which other celebrities have dementia?
Renowned American actor Bruce Willis, known for his leading man roles in action films such as “Die Hard” and cult classic “Pulp Fiction,” was also diagnosed with FTD, which was announced by his family in February 2023.
A year before, his family said the 69-year-old would be stepping away from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia.
Since then, Willis’s condition has worsened. His daughter Tallulah Willis shared a recent photo of herself with her father and mother, actor Demi Moore, on social media on Tuesday.
Actor Sean Connery lived with dementia in the final years of his life and actor and comedian Robin Williams, who died by suicide in 2014, had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia.
Why did Wendy Williams’ guardian sue A&E Television Networks?
The legal dispute between Morrissey and A&E Television Networks erupted after a Lifetime documentary called “Where Is Wendy Williams?” about the challenges that led to Williams’ departure from her eponymous TV show.
In an interview with NBC News, Williams’ former publicist, Shawn Zanotti, slammed the decision to air the documentary — which portrayed Williams’ drinking problems — saying Williams was being “exploited.”
“She would be mortified,” Zanotti told NBC News. “There’s no way you can convince me that she would be OK with looking and seeing herself in that way.”
With files from The Associated Press
