After years of using celebrities’ most private moments as fodder for her daytime talk show, Wendy Williams now finds herself thrust into the gossip mill she once played an essential role in feeding.
For the last few years, the former talk show host has found herself in the headlines battling a myriad personal issues, including a messy divorce, health issues that forced her to take a leave of absence from her show, a surprising financial guardianship and the cancellation of her popular show after 14 seasons.
Her sudden rash of problems had some fans wondering what’s going on in Williams life. Who was protecting her from herself?
On Thursday, things took a devastating turn as the television personality’s representatives revealed that she was diagnosed with aphasia and dementia in 2023. As sad as this news is, there’s something interesting about the announcement coming just before the premiere of her new Lifetime documentary “Where Is Wendy Williams?” The two-part film chronicles her personal struggles and her family’s fight to surround her with people she can trust.
The project is now mired in even more scandal as Williams’ guardian is suing Lifetime parent company, A&E Television Networks, According to PEOPLE, the guardian — who is not identified in the documentary but whom TMZ identifies as Sabrina Morrissey — filed a lawsuit under seal, so the public can’t view the documents. But PEOPLE claims its sources say this is “an attempt to prohibit the airing of the upcoming documentary,” which premieres Feb. 24 and 25.
Though Williams has always been open about her life, this is the latest example of her worst moments being splashed across gossip sites and social media. Some viewers are concerned about the impact this chaos will have on her health. Others feel that Williams is finally finding herself in the uncomfortable gossip mill she used against so many celebrities in the past.
There was a time when Williams never met a good rumor or headline she wasn’t ready to exploit relentlessly. She’s been criticized for it for years, earning a reputation as a polarizing figure. With her own difficult battle upon her, it has raised questions about how much of her personal struggles we should be privy to.
While the internet is showing an overwhelming amount of support for Wendy, there will always be those who still find her style disrespectful. The different perceptions of who she was to the audience is leading to a wide range of reactions to her diagnosis.
Some critics have pointed out that Williams didn’t ask these questions about other celebrities in the past, so it’s hard to offer her something she didn’t provide others. However, anyone who has seen dementia take a loved one knows how hard this will be for her family. Treating Williams with respect and grace during her health battles is not necessarily about her — it’s about the family members who must reconcile the stark changes with the person they once knew.
Let me be clear: No matter how you feel about Williams or her controversial interviews, it’s important to note that no one should wish dementia on any family. Her family will carry a heavy emotional burden as her illness progresses, and that’s something we should never lose sight of.
In the end, it costs nothing to offer her family a small bit of kindness and grace. If this is too much to ask of some critics, the least they could do is not make the situation worse.