This article includes material from HuffPost’s weekly culture and entertainment newsletter, The Culture Catchall. Click here to subscribe.
For the past three years, Wendy Williams has been fighting for her life. She was placed in a court-ordered guardianship in 2022 after her bank, Wells Fargo, reportedly noticed “a pattern of unusual and disturbing events” related to her finances. Since then, the 60-year-old talk show host, famous for her celebrity gossip, has become the subject of endless internet fodder as concerns for her health and the circumstances of her conservatorship grow.
On Friday, Williams gave a new update on her guardianship battle during a phoned-in appearance on “The View” — the closest to a return to television since her syndicated talk show concluded in June 2022 without her. She spoke at length about how she’s doing and later begged her guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, and a judge to “get off my neck.” This followed reports that the broadcasting giant was taken to the hospital earlier in the week and underwent a mental-capacity evaluation, which she said she “passed with flying colors.”
“It was my choice,” Williams said of the voluntary test for her alleged “incapacitation,” adding, “which I don’t have it.”
Williams received a dementia diagnosis last year, which further complicated her guardianship case, though she’s maintained that she’s “not cognitively impaired.”
During her “The View” interview, Williams was also asked how she’s keeping her spirits up at this time, to which she vented about the spiral her life has gone down. “I am a college-educated woman,” she started. “I’m a global, international person, from radio to television. I’ve been doing important things all of my life. And these two people [the judge and her guardian] don’t look like me, they don’t dress like me, they don’t talk like me, they don’t act like me. And, I venture to say, they will never be me.”
Williams concluded, “I need a new guardian.”
This is one of a few recent instances where the host has been vocal about grappling with her conservatorship — which limits her autonomy in making financial, medical and personal decisions — and how it’s jolted her world.
In January, Williams told Power 105.1’s “The Breakfast Club,” “I feel like I am in prison,” referring to the wellness facility where she’s been living. Williams repeated similar rhetoric in February when TMZ released a Tubi documentary called “Saving Wendy,” where she spoke about feeling like a “prisoner” behind the glass of her facility. Williams seemingly alluded to that disheartening revelation while speaking to “The View,” as she noted that her recent hospital visit was because “I just needed a breath of fresh air.”
These days, Williams sounds more clear-headed about her life restrictions following Lifetime’s controversial “Where Is Wendy Williams?” docuseries, which was accused of blatantly exploiting Williams’ deteriorating health at the time for entertainment’s sake. Now that the host is reclaiming her voice and declaring war against her conservatorship, more and more people are starting to listen. The result? The emergence of a #FreeWendy movement.
The hashtag has gained steam among supporters online in the last few months as Williams continues to voice her guardianship hardships, which are hauntingly similar to what Britney Spears experienced as she fought to get out of her own conservatorship in 2021. IRL, Williams co-signed the fan-led movement, calling it “fabulous,” though it seems like she’s still a ways away from getting her freedom.
TMZ reported that Williams signed legal documents to terminate her conservatorship last month, though it remains unclear if or when that’ll happen. Williams’ advocate, Ginalisa Monterroso, recently told the outlet that things are still up in the air pending more health tests, but if things go well, the host could be moved to a “less restricted environment.”
With more developments expected, Williams has a long battle ahead of her. Even still, she told Good Day New York that getting out of her guardianship is “my No. 1 most important thing.” But others are prioritizing her fight, too.
On Wednesday, per Page Six, Brock Pierce, a bitcoin billionaire and former child actor, offered the talk show host shelter at one of his mansions to receive “around-the-clock hospital care” as she continues her pursuit. “I have always admired Wendy’s strength,” he shared in a statement, “and when I saw her ask for help, it was impossible to ignore.”
On Instagram, Pierce added: “Wendy has given so much to the world as both a woman and an entertainer. Years ago, I had the privilege of being a guest on her radio show, and now I want to extend a helping hand to an old friend in her time of need.”
More public support, outrage and the stamp of #FreeWendy could have a powerful impact on Williams’ case, just like the #FreeBritney movement had on Spears’. If nothing else, it puts more eyeballs on the issue of celebrity conservatorships. At most, it could ensure that Williams’ legacy of being a revolutionary force in radio and daytime television doesn’t live in vain.
Enjoy HuffPost Entertainment — Ad Free
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.
The pop culture icon is at least owed that.
Subscribe to The Culture Catchall to stay up to date on all things entertainment.