Wendy Williams Insists She's Not Cognitively Impaired and Is Trapped in a Conservatorship: ‘I Feel Like I Am in Prison’
The former talk show host gave a harrowing account of her life under court-appointed guardian Sabrina Morrissey
The former talk show host gave a harrowing account of her life under court-appointed guardian Sabrina Morrissey Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Wendy Williams attends Spotify x Cash Money Host Premiere of mini-documentary New Cash Order at Lightbox on February 20, 2020 in New York, New York.:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Wendy-Williams-tout-050324-3d00e62fb10d4eb18c5e62752a7fb8ee.jpg "Wendy Williams attends Spotify x Cash Money Host Premiere of mini-documentary New Cash Order at Lightbox on February 20, 2020 in New York, New York")
Wendy Williams was in tears on Thursday, Jan. 16, as she begged to get her out of her conservatorship and return to life outside the walls of the wellness facility in New York City in which she's been ordered to live.
Appearing on The Breakfast Club for a rare interview, the former television show host, 60, spoke out about her situation to host Charlamagne Tha God.
"I am not cognitively impaired but I feel like I am in prison," Williams said. "I’m in this place with people who are in their 90s and their 80s and their 70s. .... These people, there's something wrong with these people here on this floor. I am clearly not."
Related: Wendy Williams Makes a Rare Public Appearance at Son Kevin Hunter Jr.'s College Graduation
"Listen, this system is broken, this system that I am in. This system has falsified a lot," she said, noting she does not have access to her money. "For the last three years, I have been caught up in the system."
She went on to explain that she spends all her days in her room, taking all her meals in bed and watching TV.
"I can call you but you can’t call me," Williams said. "I don’t even know what kind of phone I have. … I can’t sit on the phone and look at things and scroll through things. I can’t do that. I do not have a laptop. I do not have an iPad."
"[It's] essentially what some people would call a luxury prison," Williams' niece Alex Finnie, who joined her aunt for the interview, explained. "It’s small. She has a bed, a chair, a TV, a bathroom, and she’s looking out one window at buildings across the street." Lifetime Wendy Williams in her Lifetime series, 'Where Is Wendy Williams?'
Williams claimed the facility does not let her come or go as she pleases, with elevators locked. Visitors are restricted, so much so that even Breakfast Club personality Lauren LaRosa wasn't allowed to see her despite Williams speaking to the front desk herself and requesting LaRosa come up.
The facility also regularly feeds Williams medication, some of which she claimed she doesn't know why they've been prescribed. "Everybody is like a nursemaid so to speak. They come in and give your pills and then they leave," said Williams. "I’ve had two pills all of my life. ... There are 7 pills, I have no idea what this pill is doing? I haven’t been to a pill person in a matter of a long time [to ask] ‘Excuse me doctor, can you tell me what this pill is for?' "
When she asked to go see her doctor for her thyroid, Williams — who has Graves' disease, an autoimmune disorder that causes the thyroid gland to produce too much thyroid hormone — was allegedly told "the pill that you have for [your] thyroid is perfect."
"This is my life, people." she said. "This is my life. This is my goddamn life."
In the most emotional parts of the chat, Williams broke down as she expressed fears of not being able to visit her father for his upcoming 94th birthday. He lives in Miami, where Williams hopes to relocate to be with her family, including her son Kevin Hunter Jr.
"I don’t know if I’m able to fly to Miami to say 'happy birthday' to my dad," said Williams. "That person who is holding me hostage, I don’t know if she’s going to let me see my dad for his birthday. .... I’m exhausted thinking about what if I can't see my dad for his birthday. At 94, the day after that is not promised. It's not promised."
"My life is like, f----- up," she cried, expressing her concern about retaliation that might come from her interview. "What if they take my phone? I won’t be able to talk to anybody!"
Asked how fans could help, Finnie urged supporters to "make as much noise as possible" using the social media hashtag #FreeWendy or supporting various Change.org petitions and GoFundMe campaigns. "Whatever we have to do to make sure my aunt is in a place where she's living her life in dignity."
"This is still a legal situation so yes, there are things that my aunt can’t talk about," Finnie said. "There are things that we as a family can't talk about. But I think the thing we can talk about is that my aunt sounds great. I’ve seen her in a very limited capacity. I've seen her. We're talking to her. This does not match an incapacitated person. That’s why we say she’s in a luxury prison. Because she's being held and she’s being punished for whatever reason that other people are coming up with as to why it is she has to be kept in this position."
"We’re not asking for a whole lot. I’m not asking for a whole lot. All I’m saying is just treat the woman with dignity and give her the freedoms she deserves," she added. Lifetime Wendy Williams in her Lifetime docuseries, 'Where Is Wendy Williams?'
PEOPLE has reached out to Morrissey for comment.
Morrissey is currently in a legal battle with media companies A&E Television Networks, Lifetime Entertainment and other affiliates, which were involved in the release of Where Is Wendy Williams?, a docuseries about television personality's guardianship, health diagnoses and life after The Wendy Williams Show.
"This case arises from the brutally calculated, deliberate actions of powerful and cravenly opportunistic media companies working together with a producer to knowingly exploit [Williams]," the filing alleged in part, referencing Williams’ frontotemporal dementia diagnosis.
A&E later filed a counterclaim denying the allegations.
Days before the documentary premiered on Lifetime in February 2024, Williams’ team revealed that she had been diagnosed with progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). A press release shared at the time noted that she received the diagnosis in 2023, stating that the conditions “have already presented significant hurdles in Wendy's life.”
FTD “is a group of disorders that occur when nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain are lost,” according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. “This causes the lobes to shrink. FTD can affect behavior, personality, language, and movement.”
“At this time, no treatments can cure or slow the FTD getting worse.”
“Wendy is still able to do many things for herself,” her team’s statement continued. “Most importantly she maintains her trademark sense of humor and is receiving the care she requires to make sure she is protected and that her needs are addressed. She is appreciative of the many kind thoughts and good wishes being sent her way.”
Nearly two months ago, Morrissey, shared an update on Williams’ health. In court documents obtained by PEOPLE at the time, Morrissey said the former talk show host is "cognitively impaired, permanently disabled and legally incapacitated.” Lifetime Wendy Williiams and her niece, Alex Finnie
But Finnie, on The Breakfast Club, seemed to deny that diagnosis.
"My aunt hasn’t had a medical evaluation to see if her rights have been restored," Finnie said.
f"It’s shame we’re in this place," Finnie added. "This is how sickening it is and how tired I am of having to talk about this and have these conversations with my aunt, because it’s not just her. Thank God that we have platforms like this. But there is a lack of scrutiny across the board... There’s a lot of neglect as well as financial exploitation of some of the most vulnerable people. That’s the reality."
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Last month, Williams made a rare appearance at her son Kevin Hunter Jr.’s graduation from Florida International University. Surrounded by her family, Williams sat in a motorized scooter wearing a sequined low-cut dress, black boots, and a large “W” necklace.
Prior to the celebration, Williams was seen with Hunter at the holistic store Bolingo Balance in Newark, N.J., in August 2024.
