SHOCKING PHOTOS: Wendy Williams Unrecognizable in Explosive Doc as Fans Slam Lifetime's Treatment of Ailing Talk Show Host
Fans of Wendy Williams saw the former talk show host during some of her most vulnerable moments with the premiere of Lifetime's new documentary which exposes her personal struggles and health issues.
Williams looked unrecognizable in the gripping four-part special, which has garnered backlash from viewers who believe she would have never wanted the world to see her in this condition.
She was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia only days before it aired.
Those in the star's inner circle said she suffers from alcohol-related brain damage and has nearly died several times.
The famed gossip guru has been out of the limelight since the cancellation of her show in 2022, following an earlier Graves disease diagnosis and contracting COVID-19. During one scene, she is seen without her wig, a rarity for Williams, while having a conversation with Blac Chyna.
Many viewers noticed that her symptoms had exacerbated since they had last seen her on the small screen, RadarOnline.com has learned.
"Her eyes bulging out her head shouldn't be televised. Social media goes too far. That's someone's mother," one wrote in shock.
In the doc, Williams shared that she can only feel about "two percent" of her feet due to her lymphedema, which can cause swelling, feelings of heaviness or tightness, restricted range of motion, and a thickening of the skin also known as fibrosis.
"Do you see what this looks like?" she asked while fighting back tears. "There's no cure for this."
The former radio disc jockey confessed she "should be in a wheelchair."
Amid her cognitive decline, Williams' accounts with Wells Fargo were frozen in 2022, and the bank petitioned successfully to have her put under a guardianship.
- Wendy Williams' Secret Battle: Troubled Star Suffers From 'Alcohol-Related' Brain Damage and Nearly Died Several Times, Say Sources
- 'Permanently Incapacitated': Wendy Williams, 60, Labeled 'Cognitively Impaired' in 'Tragic' Dementia Battle
- READ: Wendy Williams' Guardian Questions Validity of Contract for Lifetime Documentary in Unsealed Lawsuit
DAILY. BREAKING. CELEBRITY NEWS. ALL FREE.
Another heartbreaking segment showed the Hot Topics sensation asking her driver to take her past the former Wendy Williams Show studio after he had already done so.
"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.”
Cameras stopped rolling for the documentary in April 2023, at which point Williams had entered into a wellness facility to treat "cognitive issues," her manager and jeweler Will Selby shared.
Family members said she remains hopeful for a comeback and is focused on her recovery.
Williams is still at the facility today, and her family says a court-appointed legal guardian is the only person who can get in contact with her on a regular basis.
Two days before the documentary's premiere, the identity of her court-appointed guardian was revealed when Sabrina Morrissey filed a lawsuit against Lifetime parent company A+E Networks.
It's unclear what the complaint was as the docs are currently sealed, however it was presumably to stop the special from airing.
"She really isn't well y'all and she really is being taken advantage of!" one fan posted on X, formerly Twitter. "She shouldn't be filmed while in this state. She needs care from professionals," a second wrote, while a third posted, "This is Sad. Who thought this was a good idea to air?"
Never miss a story — sign up for the RadarOnline.com newsletter to get your daily dose of dope. Daily. Breaking. Celebrity news. All free.
Those involved in the controversial documentary, however, have stood by it.
"The film was signed off on by Wendy, her management, her attorneys, the guardianship," executive producer Mark Ford said. "They were aware of the filming all the way through. So, we did go by the book and get all the permissions that we needed to get."
"We went into this film thinking it was one thing, and the truth turned out to be another. Once we started seeing the truth of the situation, we couldn't ignore it. And the film had to go in the direction of the truth."