The producers of the Lifetime documentary, “Where Is Wendy Williams” are defending its release amidst the news that the former talk show host was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia.
The documentary began filming in August of 2022 following the cancellation of “The Wendy Williams Show.” The film includes disturbing footage of Williams, including the producers noting that there was no food in her refrigerator as well as her manager, jeweler Will Selby, yelling at Williams.
Williams was placed under the care of guardianship attorney Sabrina Morrisey by a court order in early 2022 after a financial adviser at Wells Fargo submitted a guardianship petition.
Morrisey unsuccessfully tried to have the documentary’s release blocked just before it premiered on Feb. 24. “Where Is Wendy Williams?” producers Mark Ford and Erica Hanson told The Hollywood Reporter that while the Lifetime movie initially began filming to document Williams’ comeback with a new podcast, they didn’t learn of her dementia diagnosis until much later.
Ford alleges they were told Williams had relapsed during filming and was getting treatment for alcohol addiction. After filming resumed, Ford claimed that Williams seemed sober and healthy for a time. However, over time, production became “more worried about what would happen to Wendy if we stopped filming than if we continued” after they noticed her cognitive decline.
“We just happened to be there every day seeing the reality of this situation,” said Ford. “And we just put the camera on it and captured it. There was no intention.” He added that after they began to realize something other than alcohol was causing Williams’ issues, they began asking more questions.
“Shouldn’t there be somebody here more often? Shouldn’t there be somebody filling a refrigerator and checking in on her on a daily basis?”
After being asked if they met Morrisey, Hanson revealed that she couldn’t get ahold of Williams’ court-appointed guardian. “No, no, no. She wouldn’t take my calls.”
Hanson added, “There were times where we really felt like if we stopped, what would happen?”
Ford noted that the producers hadn’t spoken to Williams since she was placed in a treatment facility in April 2023 following her diagnosis. Williams’ sister Wanda Williams agreed to be Wendy’s guardian but claims the court appointed Morrisey anyway, and the family has no idea where Williams is currently being treated. However, the family says Williams does contact them and seems healthier than she appeared in the documentary.
“I hope the people that instituted this guardianship will watch the film and see for themselves what Wendy’s situation was,” said Ford. “And perhaps this is a cautionary tale moving forward about how to prevent this from happening to other people.”
“Where Is Wendy Williams?” is currently available on Lifetime.
