Wendy Williams’ guardian has been accused of ‘overstepping her authority’ in her attempt to have a documentary about the former chat show host altered and edited in a new lawsuit filed by A&E Networks after it was revealed she was left ‘permanently disabled’ by her dementia battle.
The American multinational broadcaster has filed a countersuit against the attempt by 60-year-old Wendy’s guardian Sabrina Morrissey to obtain the documentary, called Where Is Wendy Williams?. – they aired in February, closed according to TMZ on Wednesday.
A&E claims that Sabrina exceeded her authority by attempting to change and edit parts of the documentary, as Wendy had signed a talent agreement before she was “mentally retarded” as claimed by the guardian.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Wendy’s representatives and has yet to hear back.
The popular network also claims that there is no law against making a documentary about a dementia subject, so even if a talent deal wasn’t signed, nothing they had done would be considered wrong.
The broadcaster is suing Sabrina for attempting to infringe on A&E’s First Amendment rights. They give the example of Sabrina’s original lawsuit filed in February, in which she tried to get a judge to block the release of the original documentary.
Wendy Williams’ guardian has been accused of “overstepping her authority” in her attempt to have a documentary about the former chat show host changed and edited in a new lawsuit filed by A&E Networks according to TMZ; the star will be seen in Hollywood in October 2019
A&E claims Sabrina forced their production company to defend itself against “meritless claims” made in the documentary.
TMZ also claims that A&E says in the countersuit that Sabrina is trying to deny Wendy: “One of her last chances to exercise her autonomy and honestly reach her fans in exactly the candid and unfiltered way that has been the hallmark of her career
It comes as Sabrina claimed Wendy has been left ‘permanently incapacitated’ by her battle with dementia, her guardian has claimed in the latest legal row over the star’s tell-all documentary.
Host Williams was diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in May 2023. The diagnosis came a year after Wendy was placed under a court-ordered legal guardianship that oversees both her finances and her health.
Airing in February, Where Is Wendy Williams? was set to explore Williams’ life as she prepared to launch a new podcast, but featured shocking scenes of the former presenter drinking vodka in bed and having panic attacks, sparking backlash from fans against Lifetime.
Her guardian Sabrina Morrissey is now involved in a legal battle with the channel over the documentary.
In a file obtained by The American sunMorrissey’s lawyers called Williams “an acclaimed entertainer who, tragically, has been struck by early-onset dementia and has, as a result, been left cognitively impaired and permanently disabled.”
‘In January 2022, after becoming aware of a pattern of disturbing events surrounding [Wendy’s] and finances, Wells Fargo has taken 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 obtain the appointment of an independent guardian [Wendy’s] financial affairs.
Wendy has been left ‘permanently incapacitated’ by her battle with dementia, her guardian previously claimed
The filing further asks about parts of the case involving Williams’ “health, family relationships and finances” should be redacted to protect her privacy.
“We respectfully request that the court grant plaintiff’s request for limited redaction to protect non-public information from the guardianship proceedings placed under seal by the court overseeing those proceedings.
New York attorney Morrissey was appointed as her guardian after Wells Fargo froze her accounts in 2022 because her financial advisor at the time claimed she was of “unsound mind.”
In March, it was reported that Wendy was reportedly paid $100,000 per episode for her involvement in the four-part docuseries titled Where Is Wendy Williams?
At the same time, it was revealed that Wendy’s guardian had filed a lawsuit against Lifetime’s parent company, A&E Television Networks, alleging “blatant exploitation” in a “disgusting” manner.
The guardian, Sabrina, filed the lawsuit last month under temporary seal (which keeps the details of the case protected from the public), but the documents were unsealed and reviewed by The Hollywood Reporterrevealing explosive allegations in the case.
“This blatant exploitation of a vulnerable woman with a serious medical condition, who is loved by millions within and beyond the African American community, is disgusting and cannot be condoned,” the legal team of Williams’ guardian told the court.
Sabrina told the court that the talk show host “lacked capacity to consent,” according to THR, and that producers had not obtained her consent, as her court-appointed guardian, to produce the production.
Airing in February, Where Is Wendy Williams? was set to explore Williams’ life as she prepared to launch a new podcast, but featured shocking scenes of the former presenter drinking vodka in bed and having panic attacks, sparking backlash from fans against Lifetime
In a filing obtained by The US Sun, attorneys for guardian Sabrina Morrissey called Williams “an acclaimed entertainer who, tragically, has been struck by early-onset dementia and has, as a result, been left cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated.”
Williams was misled by producers into thinking the documentary would be a “positive and beneficial” project for her public image and reputation, the lawsuit said.
Williams’ publicist has also criticized the Lifetime documentary she signed her famous TV client on for. Shawn Zanotti laid the blame on the show’s producers, claiming the TV icon thought she was filming a show about her comeback – only for filmmakers to capture “a circus to her demise.”
Zanotti, who has worked as a publicist for Williams since 2021, spoke with NBC News about her complaints about the making of Where is Wendy Williams?, a four-part documentary now airing on Lifetime.
In an interview with the outlet, Zanotti claimed, “I felt that [Williams] was exploited.’
In August, Williams was seen in public for the first time in more than a year at an herbal supplement store in Newark, New Jersey
‘She thought we were focusing on her career comeback. … She would be ashamed. There is no way you can convince me that she would be okay with seeing and viewing herself that way.”
She told me too PEOPLE that she felt ‘lied’ about it.
Despite encouraging her client to apply for the show, Zanotti now says: “I would never let Wendy put her name and brand on the line like that. She’s an icon. It’s not the story we signed up for registered and I feel like I was lied to.’
Adding, “It’s so hard for me to even watch. Wendy would be ashamed.’