Wendy Williams made a powerful appearance on The Breakfast Club Thursday morning, where she passionately addressed her guardianship situation. The ex-daytime talk show host, currently under guardianship since 2022 and diagnosed last year with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, expressed, “It feels as though I’m trapped in a prison.”
According to Wendy Williams, “I want to be clear that my mind is sharp and fully functional. However, I can’t shake the feeling of being trapped. It’s as if I’m surrounded by individuals in their 90s, 80s, and 70s, and it’s unsettling. There’s definitely something off about the atmosphere on this floor.”
Charlamagne Tha God, the host of BREAKFAST CLUB, revealed that Williams was reaching out because she felt “trapped in a conservatorship” and was unable to escape her current situation.
In April 2023, Williams entered a facility that was not publicly identified, following the decision to place him under the supervision of court-appointed caregiver Sabrina Morrissey. Morrissey had previously claimed in a New York court in late 2022 that Williams was mentally unfit, which prompted Wells Fargo to seek temporary financial guardianship for him.
Last year, Williams became the focus of the contentious Lifetime docuseries, Where is Wendy Williams? Recently, she was accompanied on the show by her niece, Alex Finnie, who also participated via phone. Finnie revealed that the facility where Williams is staying has high security.
Echoing previous reports about Williams’ limited communication, she emphasized that Williams is only able to make outgoing calls, and no one is permitted to call her. She explained, “You won’t be permitted to leave or have any visitors. This means you can’t even step outside for a walk, go on a trip, or see your family.”
Alex Finnie remarked, “This has been the situation since 2023. She remains in that room, day in and day out, without adequate exposure to sunlight. I visited her in New York last October, and the security measures were overwhelming. I faced a barrage of questions about my identity, my purpose for being there, and the reason for my visit. It was truly distressing.”
Williams mentioned that she and Morrissey viewed the documentary together, emphasizing that it was her initiative to pursue it. She went on to assert that her circumstances constitute “emotional exploitation.”
As per Wendy Williams, “How do I feel about being mistreated ? Honestly, this system I’m part of is fundamentally flawed. It has distorted the truth in many ways.”
Alex Finnie persisted in supporting her aunt, expressing that she “sounds fantastic.”
Alex Finnie stated, “I have observed her, albeit in a restricted manner, and we are indeed communicating with her. This clearly contradicts the notion of someone who is incapacitated. That’s precisely why we refer to her situation as a luxury prison. She is being confined and subjected to punishment based on the arbitrary justifications others have concocted for her continued detention.”
Alex Finnie remarked that, while his observations have been limited, there is clear communication happening with her. This directly challenges the idea that she is incapacitated.
This is exactly why we describe her circumstances as a luxury prison; she is being held and punished based on the unfounded reasons fabricated by others to justify her ongoing confinement.
Wendy Williams expressed that her phone has been confiscated, leaving her unable to make any purchases and reliant on others to obtain what she needs. She is eager to celebrate her 94-year-old father’s birthday in February, yet she fears that her guardian may prevent her from attending. At the age of 94, she expressed with deep emotion, “The next day is never guaranteed.”
Alex Finnie expressed the family’s fears that Williams might be relocated without any prior warning or means to reach her. Despite worries about potential backlash from Williams’ guardian, they felt compelled to voice their concerns.
Finnie expressed, “I asked her, ‘Are you prepared for what lies ahead ?’ She replied, ‘I must go through with this. At this stage, there’s no other option for me.’ What you’re about to hear is just a brief excerpt of the challenges we’ve faced over the past few months and even the last two to three years.”
Morrissey attempted to block the release of the docuseries, but a judge rejected his request, emphasizing the protections of the First Amendment. This extensive four-hour project, broadcast over two nights on Lifetime, captured Williams’ deteriorating condition following the cancellation of her talk show in June 2022.
It provided an intimate look into her life over nearly a year, highlighting her battles with family issues, the pressures of fame, and struggles with alcohol.
Filming came to a halt when she entered an undisclosed facility. Mark Ford, the producer of Where Is Wendy Williams ?, expressed to The Hollywood Reporter last year, “Our primary concern was the potential consequences of halting production rather than the implications of continuing.”
Shortly after the documentary was released, producers revealed that she had not yet viewed it. Ford explained to THR that they have been unable to show it to her. “We can’t screen it for her since she’s confined to a facility, and we haven’t had any communication with her since we finished filming.”
He mentioned that he and his team engaged in discussions with Williams off-camera during the filming process to clarify their vision for what they aimed to present. Wendy Williams served as an executive producer on the project, a role that was part of a three-film agreement with Lifetime.
Following her early efforts to prevent the airing of the docuseries, Morrissey, serving as Williams’ guardian, filed a lawsuit against A+E Networks, the parent company of Lifetime, in March. She argued that the agreement to produce the documentary was invalid because Williams lacked the legal and mental capacity to consent to her involvement.
Furthermore, it was claimed that Williams was misled into believing the project would be “positive and beneficial” for her public image. In September, a newly updated complaint regarding the documentary requested that all earnings from the project be allocated to support Williams’ medical expenses.