Wendy Williams was deemed “permanently incapacitated” due to frontotemporal dementia and primary progressive aphasia. Her legal guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, disclosed the 60-year-old’s health update in a recent court filing. The update follows a 2022 guardianship case initiated by Wells Fargo over concerns about Wendy’s welfare and finances.
Highlights
- Wendy Williams diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and progressive aphasia.
- Legal guardian Sabrina Morrissey discloses Wendy is 'permanently incapacitated'.
- Wells Fargo's guardianship case raised concerns about Wendy’s finances.
Sabrina, a lawyer, said Wendy was now “permanently incapacitated,” amid her diagnosis with frontotemporal dementia and primary progressive aphasia in May 2023, The Independent reported on Tuesday (November 26).
The Wendy Williams Show host was reportedly described in Sabrina’s filing as “an acclaimed entertainer who, tragically, has been afflicted by early-onset dementia and, as a result, has become cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated.”
Wendy Williams was deemed "permanently incapacitated"
Image credits: BACKGRID
The filing further stated: “In January 2022, after becoming aware of a pattern of disturbing events concerning (Wendy’s) welfare and finances, Wells Fargo took the highly unusual step of initiating a guardianship proceeding on its own initiative in the Supreme Court of New York, New York County (the ‘Guardianship Proceeding’), to seek the court appointment of an independent guardian for (Wendy’s) financial affairs.”
Wells Fargo is a financial services company that offers banking, insurance, investments, and mortgages. It’s one of the largest banks in the United States and is considered a “Big Four Bank” along with Bank of America, Citigroup, and JPMorgan Chase.
Sabrina’s legal team included a plea asking the court to protect Wendy’s privacy by redacting some aspects of her “health, familial relationships, and finances” already outlined in the case.
In her filing, Sabrina requested the court to approve a motion to hide certain non-public information from legal documents associated with Wendy’s guardianship case.
The legal team of the host's legal guardian entered a plea in court to protect Wendy's privacy
Image credits: Wendy Williams Show
Sabrina, who serves as Wendy’s legal guardian, and her legal team said: “We respectfully request that the Court grant Plaintiff’s motion for limited redactions to protect non-public information from the Guardianship Proceeding that has been placed under seal by the court overseeing that proceeding.”
In 2022, Wells Fargo froze the media star’s bank accounts and requested temporary financial guardianship over her, claiming she was mentally unfit to manage her finances.
However, a court did not grant Wells Fargo direct guardianship; instead, Sabrina was appointed to oversee Wendy’s affairs, Soap Central reported in September.
In February, Sabrina unsuccessfully attempted to prevent Lifetime, a subsidiary of A&E Networks, from releasing the documentary Where is Wendy Williams?
Image credits: Inside Edition/Lifetime
The lawyer claimed at the time that the documentary exploited the famous broadcaster’s vulnerable state due to her dementia diagnosis.
Sabrina argued that Wendy was incapable of providing valid consent for filming, as shown by her evident cognitive decline in the documentary, Coming Soon reported in May.
Despite these claims, a judge ruled against the motion, stating that blocking the documentary’s release would violate the US First Amendment’s free speech protections.
Sabrina went on to file a lawsuit against Lifetime and the production companies — Entertainment One Reality Productions, Lifetime Entertainment Services, A&E Television Networks, Creature Films, and Mark Ford — days later before amending her complaint in September, The Independent reported.
The case was then reportedly moved to the New York, USA, Supreme Court in October. On November 22, Wendy’s lawyers submitted a demand for trial by jury, as per the British news outlet.
Wendy has frontotemporal dementia and primary progressive aphasia
Image credits: Lifetime
In the Where is Wendy Williams? documentary, which was released in February, Wendy frequently displayed signs of her declining health, struggling to maintain her balance and often needing assistance to walk.
Her emotional state could be seen shifting dramatically, ranging from cheerful and animated to visibly frustrated and tearful in a short span.
Wendy was openly filmed discussing her struggles, admitting at one point, “I love vodka,” while referencing her long history of alcohol dependence.
Critics of the documentary, including some viewers, have described these scenes as deeply uncomfortable, with one reviewer calling it “a painful and exploitative display of her cognitive decline.”
Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning — thinking, remembering, and reasoning — to such an extent that it interferes with a person’s daily life and activities, the National Institute on Aging explains.
Image credits: ddp
According to Dementia UK, frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is an umbrella term for a group of dementias that mainly affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, which are responsible for personality, behavior, language, and speech.
Unlike other types of dementia, memory loss and concentration problems are less common in the early stages.
Additionally, FTD is a rare form of dementia affecting around one in 20 people with a dementia diagnosis.
FTD occurs when abnormal proteins build up in the brain, damaging its cells, as per Dementia UK.
While the exact cause is unclear, about one-third of cases are linked to genetics. FTD typically affects people aged 40 to 60 and has two main forms: behavioral variant FTD, which impacts personality and behavior, and primary progressive aphasia, which affects language skills.
Her legal guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, disclosed the 60-year-old’s health update in a recent court filing
Image credits: Wendy Williams Show
Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) causes symptoms such as reduced motivation, loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities, and inappropriate behaviors like making suggestive comments or overeating.
People with bvFTD may also struggle with empathy, focusing on tasks, and making decisions, often showing repetitive behaviors.
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) affects language skills, in different types: The semantic variant causes difficulty with word recall and understanding, the nonfluent variant leads to struggles with speech formation and grammar, and the logopenic variant involves finding the right words but not losing their meanings.
As PPA progresses, symptoms can overlap with bvFTD.
There is no cure for FTD, but symptoms can be managed. For behavior, it helps to accept the illness and avoid arguing with the person.
Aphasia "can affect speech, how you write, and how you understand both written and spoken language," explained Professor June Andrews
Image credits: June Andrews
For language issues, speaking slowly and using simple sentences, gestures, or photos can improve communication.
Movement problems may be addressed with medications, therapy, and walking aids, while support groups provide tips from experts and those living with FTD.
The average life expectancy after FTD symptoms begin is typically seven to 13 years, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
According to Doctor Alison Dawson, a Senior Research Fellow based in the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Stirling, and a member of the faculty’s Centre for Environment, Dementia, and Ageing Research, aphasia is a condition that leads to difficulties with communication and with understanding others.
She told Bored Panda in an email: “Whether a person develops aphasia as a result of their dementia, and the form that it takes for individuals varies.”
The update follows a 2022 guardianship case initiated by Wells Fargo over concerns about Wendy’s welfare and finances
Image credits: Lifetime
Professor June Andrews, an expert in the care of older frail people and people with dementia, further explained that aphasia is a disorder that affects communication.
She told Bored Panda in an email: “It can affect speech, how you write, and how you understand both written and spoken language. Not everyone with dementia has it.”
Doctor Dawson said that the measures implemented to protect people with dementia “very much depend on where in the world.”
She explained: “Many countries have dementia strategies which set out their ambitions on caring for people living with dementia, but these are not always uniformly enacted.
“Many countries have legal measures which are designed to protect people who have temporarily or permanently lost the capacity to make fully informed decisions for themselves.”
Dr. Alison Dawson explained that being "incapacitated" in the context of dementia meant the person could no longer make informed decisions due to an inability to understand, retain, or process information
Image credits: Alison Dawson/Linked In
The expert further revealed: “Alzheimer’s is the most common form of later life dementia and people who develop this form of dementia may start by having problems remembering details, but behavioral changes are common early symptoms in some other forms of dementia.
“Not everybody who is living with a form of dementia will become incapacitated even after many years, but for some, e.g. those who develop Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, this could happen within months of onset.”
Doctor Dawson explained that being “incapacitated” in the context of dementia meant the person could no longer make informed decisions due to an inability to understand, retain, or process information and that trusted others must step in to make decisions based on the person’s best interests.
“This may be because they are no longer able to understand a written text or what is being said to them, or they are no longer able to process that information sufficiently to understand the potential consequences of a decision, or they are no longer able to retain information for enough time to be able to use it to inform their decision-making processes,” she said.
Professor Andrews revealed that the need for protection did not depend on age, as she stated: “Once someone has lost capacity in the UK, decisions about them or for them can only be made by someone who has power of attorney for them or through guardianship.”
Dementia experts spoke to Bored Panda about the case
Image credits: Entertainment Tonight
The professor reacted to Wendy Williams’ struggle with alcohol addiction, as she explained: “Overuse of alcohol can cause dementia.
“Also, people with dementia may lack judgment and start to drink too much as a result of this lack of judgment.”
As per Doctor Dawson, some common misconceptions about dementia include the belief that everyone with dementia has the same needs and experiences and that it’s impossible for people with dementia to live well.
Many also assume that there is nothing that can be done to help those with dementia remain active, engaged, and included in their communities.
These misconceptions overlook the reality that dementia affects each individual differently, and with proper support, people living with the condition can continue to live fulfilling lives.
“The commonest misconception is that it is all about memory,” Professor Andrews concluded.
"We all miss Wendy, will always be the Queen of Shade and Sharing," a reader commented
