What Happened To Wendy Williams? She ‘Spiraled’ After Her Show Was Canceled

What happened to Wendy Williams?

What happened to Wendy Williams? It all started in October 2017, when Williams fainted live on air. “A lot of people thought that was a joke, me fainting on my set,” she said at the time. “No, that was not a joke. I’m a tall woman, and it’s a long way down.”

She explained: “I’m a 53-year-old, middle-aged woman going through what middle-aged women go through if you know what I mean,” hinting at hot flashes experienced during menopause. “The costume got hot. All the sudden right before passing out, I felt like I was in the middle of a campfire.”

Several months later, Williams disclosed that she has Graves’ disease, which causes an overactive thyroid, the organ that regulates body temperature, heart rate and metabolism. An overactive thyroid causes problems with organs like the heart, as well as bones and muscles.

Then, in March 2019, Williams said she had been living in a sober house “for some time”. Later that year, Williams revealed she had been diagnosed with lymphedema, a condition that causes swelling in her ankles.

This series of health issues caused her to take multiple hiatuses. The Wendy Williams Show went remote during the COVID-19 pandemic, and her autoimmune condition forced her to take more time off as guests filled in for her in her absence. The show’s 13th season would be its last.

In February 2022, it was announced that The Wendy Williams Show was to be canceled, while Sherri Shepherd would “inherit” Williams’ timeslot. “Since Wendy is still not available to host the show as she continues on her road to recovery, we believe it is best for our fans, stations and advertising partners to start making this transition now,” company co-presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein said at the time, per AP.

“We hope to be able to work with Wendy again in the future, and continue to wish her a speedy and full recovery,” the executives said. In a statement, Williams spokesman Howard Bragman said it’s been a “challenging time” as she deals with her health.

On February 22, 2024, two days before the documentary was set to air, a statement revealed the former talk show host was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia. Her team said the conditions have “presented significant hurdles in Wendy’s life.”

“Wendy would not have received confirmation of these diagnoses were it not for the diligence of her current care team, who she chose, and the extraordinary work of the specialists at Weill Cornell Medicine. Receiving a diagnosis has enabled Wendy to receive the medical care she requires,” the statement read.

What happened with Wendy Williams and Wells Fargo?

In early 2022, Williams’s bank, Wells Fargo, froze her accounts and denied her access to her funds, and assets, even from viewing her financial statements. “Wells Fargo has strong reason to believe that [Williams] is the victim of undue influence and financial exploitation,” but court documents fell short of specifying who was exploiting or unduly influencing Williams, per People at the time.

The bank said it reached its conclusion based on “reports of the financial advisor, who has recently witnessed telltale signs of exploitation, including [Williams]’s own expressed apprehensions” as well as “other independent third parties who know [Williams] well and share these concerns.” She was placed under a financial guardianship, similar to a conservatorship.

The Where is Wendy Williams? documentary

When the Lifetime documentary crew began filming for Where Is Wendy Williams in August 2022, the initial goal was to document her return to media as she prepared to launch a podcast, but the mood of the film changed when the crew captured Williams—an executive producer on the project—amid battles of alcohol addiction and struggles with her health.

People reported a particularly sad moment when she asked her driver to take her past the former Wendy Williams Show studio, forgetting that he had done so only moments earlier. “I don’t know what the hell is going on,” her driver said. “I think she’s losing memory. She doesn’t know who I am sometimes.”

Filming on the documentary wrapped in 2023 and that same year, Williams entered a facility to treat cognitive issues, which is where she remains. Her family says a court-appointed legal guardian is the only person who has access to her.

“The people who love her cannot see her,” Wendy’s sister told People, explaining that she can call them but they cannot reach her. “I think the big is: How the hell did we get here?”

The identity of Williams’ guardian remains private, but Williams claims they’ve stolen money from her. Filmmakers said she didn’t provide evidence.

Where Is Wendy Williams Part One airs on Lifetime on Saturday, February 24, at 8pm ET. Here’s how to watch it for free.