Wendy Williams’ closest loved ones say they are being kept out of the loop as the former television host receives treatment for “cognitive issues” at an undisclosed facility.
Ahead of the Feb. 24-25 two-night premiere of the Lifetime documentary “Where Is Wendy Williams?” her sister, Wanda Williams, and niece, Alex Finnie, spoke out about the media personality’s current state.
Concerns about the National Radio Hall of Fame inductee’s mental well-being are shown in the documentary when her driver says that there are times she is unable to recognize him or her surroundings. It is believed that her alcohol consumption amplifies her memory and other cognitive struggles.
“I speak with her very regularly when she reaches out to me. She is, from what I understand, in a wellness, healing type of environment,” Wanda told People in an exclusive interview. She and her niece both appear in the documentary, with Finnie serving as an executive producer alongside Wendy.
“We cannot reach out to her, but she can reach out to us. And she is in a healing place emotionally. She’s not the person that you see in this film,” she added. As a result of their limited contact, the family is also unsure of the type of treatment Wendy is undergoing.
“She sounds really great,” said “Finnie. “To hear my aunt now in terms of just how clear she is, just how focused she is on the importance of family and the reality in terms of facing and understanding where she’s at physically, and mentally, and emotionally, it is like a 180.”
A trailer for the project was released on Feb. 1, and to the surprise of some fans, Wendy appears as a shell of her once lively self, now significantly slimmer and, at one point, shown without her wig. A scene that some say would not have been approved if she had been in better health.
What is going on is the first time I’m seeing the trailer why is Blac Chyna lying on a wigless Wendy.
— The Celestial Sentinel (@DnellyBPD) February 17, 2024
Wendy Williams, in her right state of mind would never be seen without a wig let alone the Blac Chyna of it all 🫠😭 ! #WhereIsWendyWilliams pic.twitter.com/0WluGhMCc1
Crews began filming in August 2022 and stopped in April 2023 when the “Hot Topics” maven entered a facility to address her alcoholism and health issues, which include her dealings with Graves’ disease.
At the time production began, it was believed that Wendy was well on her way to charting a comeback with the announcement of “The Wendy Williams Experience” podcast. The project has not yet been launched.
Wanda shared that her younger sister is “remarkably” better than the woman whose loss of her purple throne on “The Wendy Williams Show,” health complications, and dissolution of her 21-year marriage to Kevin Hunter Sr. have all played out for public viewing.
Wendy exited her daytime talk show in 2021. It was canceled the following year and replaced by entertainer Sherri Shepherd’s show, “Sherri.” According to Finnie, “Where Is Wendy Williams?” is an opportunity for the former radio host to control her narrative.
“My aunt has always been such a public person and has been an open book, and we’ve all seen the images over the last few months and really few years of what has been like a spiral for my aunt. So for her to actually put her voice in here and take ownership of what’s happened, where she’s at present day… I think it’s powerful,” she said.
Wendy’s ex-husband is reportedly unsupportive of the documentary and turned down an invitation to lend his voice to it. “Kevin was shocked to see his ex-wife portrayed in such a negative light in the Lifetime trailer…He was also totally blindsided that their son, Kevin Jr., ended up signing onto the project after he initially said he wanted nothing to do with it,” a purported source told The U.S. Sun earlier this month.
Also featured in the project is a scene of Wendy saying that she has no money after being put under a court-ordered guardianship overseeing her health decisions and finances in December 2022. “The people who love her cannot see her…I think the big [question] is: How the hell did we get here?” asked Wanda.
With court documents sealed and the identity of her legal guardian unknown, her family remains unclear on all that transpired during the court proceedings. “All I know is that Wendy and her team walked into the courtroom one way, and they walked out, and the family is completely excluded,” said her sister. Prior to the release of the documentary trailer, the public had not seen Wendy in nearly a year.
#WendyWilliams spotted at dinner last night at Fresco By Scotto in NYC 🗽
— CASSIUS (@CassiusLife_) February 22, 2023
📸: Getty / Johnny Nunez
pic.twitter.com/DIxOVuuloW
In late January, local New York City radio host Miss Jones revealed that her industry peer was no longer residing in New York. While attempting to visit Wendy at her penthouse, she was informed that the host relocated months prior. Jones shared that she was told that the polarizing media figure had moved to Florida.
“Her family’s in Florida, and people were coming in her circle that they weren’t familiar with and they didn’t know, like, they couldn’t get access to her when they wanted; they moved her down to Florida. So she is allegedly down in Florida with her son recuperating,” she claimed.
Neither Wanda nor Finnie confirmed that Wendy was in the state of Florida in the exclusive interview. It also remains unknown if her whereabouts will be addressed in the documentary.
