Wendy Williams is in good spirits during rare outing after guardian claimed she’s ‘permanently incapacitated’

Wendy Williams has been pictured looking happy and smiling in a new social media post, after the star’s guardian claimed the beloved host’s battle with dementia had left her ‘permanently incapacitated’.

In one Instagram image shared by her niece, Alex Finnie, the 60-year-old TV star – who was diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in May 2023 – was grinning from ear to ear.

Wendy appeared relaxed and cheerful as she posed for a selfie with Alex during what appeared to be a family dinner.

Alex also uploaded a short clip of the couple, in which she posted a loving kiss on the former radio personality’s cheek.

Wendy put on a black top that she tucked into high-waisted jeans; she left her long locks in loose waves and wore bold red lipstick.

‘It’s the most wonderful time of the year [heart emoji] #FamilyOverEverything #MyHeart,” Alex wrote in the caption.

Followers were thrilled to see the beloved host, as one commented: ‘She looks like the Wendy we all know and love! Looks great, keep up the fantastic work.’

Another wrote: ‘Thanks for sharing. You and your Aunt Wendy look beautiful.”

“Ahhhh, sending Wendy all our love,” said a third fan. “So great to see her smiling and with her family.”

While a fourth fan added: “Thanks for letting us know our girl is okay!”

The star’s new image comes just days after the proud mother attended her son Kevin Jr.’s high school graduation. at Florida International University during a rare public outing.

The TV presenter arrived at the Miami event on a mobility scooter and wore a stylish black sequin dress; she was accompanied by her father, Thomas Williams Sr.

Photos from inside showed the mother-of-one beaming as Kevin Jr., 24, received his diploma in traditional blue college robes.

At one point, she also seemed to get emotional as she watched her only son walk across the stage.

Wendy shares her son with ex-husband Kevin Hunter, 52. She filed for divorce from Hunter in 2019 after he fathered a baby with a mistress, and their divorce was finalized in 2020.

Wendy’s public outing came shortly after a family insider told DailyMail.com that Wendy is ‘clearer now than ever before’ following her guardian’s claim that she is ‘permanently incapacitated’.

The star was diagnosed with dementia in 2023, a year after she was placed under a court-ordered legal guardianship that oversees both her finances and her health.

Last month, lawyers for the star’s guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, claimed in new documents that Wendy had become “cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated.”

It was the latest update amid a legal row over the star’s tell-all documentary Where Is Wendy Williams? – which sparked widespread backlash when it aired in February.

However, a family insider pushed back on the claim about Wendy’s mental state, saying: “She is now clearer than ever during custody, which is an issue for some.”

Where is Wendy Williams? planned to explore Wendy’s life as she prepared to launch a new podcast, but it featured several shocking scenes from the host, including one where she drank vodka in bed and another where she had a panic attack.

Sabrina is now involved in a legal battle with the channel over the documentary.

In a file obtained by The sun last week, Sabrina’s attorneys called Wendy “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] welfare and finance, 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 Proceedings”) to obtain the appointment of an independent guardian [Wendy’s] financial matters,” their lawsuit reads.

Just two months ago, the beloved talk show host spoke exclusively to DailyMail.com and shared that she was doing well, before also slamming the documentary.

“I’m doing really well,” she said in October. ‘The documentary was bad. I understand that it is now worth an award. It’s going very well.’

New York attorney Sabrina 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.

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.

Sabrina filed the lawsuit under temporary seal in October — which kept the details of the case protected from the public — but the documents were subsequently 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 tolerated,” Wendy’s guardian’s legal team told the court.

Sabrina added that the talk show host “did not have the capacity to consent,” according to THR, and that producers had not obtained her permission, as her court-appointed guardian, to produce the production.

Wendy was misled by producers into thinking the documentary would be a “positive and beneficial” project for her public image and reputation, the lawsuit said.

In response, A&E Networks argued that Sabrina “overstepped her authority” by attempting to change and edit parts of the documentary.

The American multinational broadcaster filed a countersuit alleging that Wendy signed a talent agreement before she was “mentally retarded,” as her guardian claimed.

The popular network also claimed 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, citing Sabrina’s original lawsuit filed in February in which she tried to get a judge to block the release of the original documentary.

A&E claimed that Sabrina forced their production company to defend itself against “meritless claims” made in the documentary.

TMZ also alleged that A&E says in the countersuit that Sarbina is trying to deny Wendy “one of her last opportunities to exercise her autonomy and honestly reach her fans in exactly the candid and unfiltered way that has been the hallmark of her career.”

Wendy’s publicist Shawn Zanotti previously promoted the Lifetime documentary she signed her famous TV client on.

Shawn 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.”

Shawn, who has worked as Wendy’s publicist since 2021, spoke to NBC News about her grievances with the making of the four-part documentary.

In an interview with the outlet, Shawn claimed, “I felt that [Wendy] was exploited. She thought we were focusing on her career comeback… She would be embarrassed.

“There’s no way you can convince me that she would be okay with seeing and viewing herself that way.”

The Wendy Williams Show was last broadcast after 13 years in June 2022 – without the star himself appearing.

She previously retired from the show in 2021 and began what was initially expected to be a temporary leave of absence to deal with health issues.