Wendy Williams’ relatives claim they’re ‘denied contact’ with talk show host as she turns 60 and ‘express their well wishes’
As Wendy Williams celebrated her 60th birthday on Thursday, insiders say her family has yet to catch up with her, wishing her all the best as she reaches this milestone.
“Wendy Williams’ family cannot comment on her current condition or whereabouts due to the ongoing legal battle and the fact that they have been largely denied contact,” an insider said. People Thursday. ‘They are all supporting and praying for Wendy and want to wish her all the best as she celebrates her 60th birthday.’
Williams “was, is, and always will be an icon,” the insider said of the talk show host, who is under the guardianship of Sabrina Morrissey, a court-ordered guardianship imposed after she was diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia earlier this year.
Williams’ relatives have spoken openly in the past about the battle they say they have been fighting for more than two years, after Williams was placed under guardianship in 2022.
Williams’ sister Wanda Finnie said last February People that no one informed her of Williams’ health problems and the treatment she was receiving.
As Wendy Williams celebrated her 60th birthday on Thursday, insiders say her family was unable to catch up with her, and wish her all the best as she reaches the milestone. Williams pictured in NYC last year
Williams’ diagnosis of aphasia and frontotemporal dementia was announced earlier this year
Finnie said the last time she was updated on the events surrounding Williams was in the fall of 2021, when Williams and her family members were visiting Florida.
“When she was in Florida, there were a number of people involved,” Finnie said. “Even outside of her family, there were doctors involved, people in Wendy’s professional world that were involved.
“She had a health care team, nurses and family. She got healthier.”
Finnie said in the article that Morrissey is the only person who can communicate with Williams on a regular basis.
“How did she go from this aunt or sister that we love and who’s healthy one minute to this person who’s in and out of the hospital the next?” Finnie said of Williams. “How is that system any better than the system that the family could have put in place? I don’t know.”
Finnie said the system surrounding Williams’ health and custody is “broken.”
Finnie said, “I hope at some point Wendy is strong enough to speak for herself.”
Williams’ team sent a statement to People earlier this year after her health diagnosis was made public.
Williams was photographed in Atlanta in August 2018, before her health problems began
Williams was photographed in a 2020 episode of Watch What Happens Live
“I want to say how grateful I am for the love and kind words I have received since sharing my diagnosis of Aphasia and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) with you all,” Williams said. “Wow!”
“Your response has been overwhelming. The messages shared with me have touched me and reminded me of the power of unity and the need for compassion.”
The unrest surrounding Williams has also spread to A&E after the Lifetime documentary series Where Is Wendy Williams? aired.
Morrissey said Lifetime, owned by A&E, had “shamelessly” used Williams for ratings purposes for the series, “portraying her in an extremely demeaning and undignified manner.”
Mark Ford, executive producer of Where Is Wendy Williams?, told the publication earlier this year that Williams’ attorneys and her guardianship were “consulted and approved” for the docuseries.
Ford said, “The film was approved by Wendy, her management, her lawyers, the guardianship. They were aware of the filming the entire time. So we followed the book and got all the permissions we needed.
“We went into this movie thinking it was one thing, and the truth turned out to be something else. Once we saw the truth of the situation, we couldn’t ignore it. And the movie had to go in the direction of the truth.”