They're Out: Wendy Williams' Manager Will Selby and Publicist Shawn Zanotti 'No Longer Working' With Ailing Star
Feb. 28 2024, Published 1:30 p.m. ET
Wendy Williams is "no longer working" with her manager Will Selby and publicist Shawn Zanotti, who starred alongside the ailing talk show host in the controversial Lifetime documentary, RadarOnline.com has learned.
It's been rumored that Zanotti has been out of the picture for a while; however, sources claimed her jeweler-turned-manager, Selby, is no longer connected to her professionally, although they are allegedly on speaking terms — and the split must have been recent because Selby confirmed to RadarOnline.com last week that he was still representing the star.
"Will had initially remained involved in Wendy's care, and he is one of the few people who knows where she is, but he's no longer working with her," an insider shared with The Sun. Interestingly enough, Selby told us that as of Thursday, February 22, he was still Williams' representative — just two days before the first two episodes of Where Is Wendy Williams? premiered.
RadarOnline.com contacted Will for comment but did not hear back by publication.
The same can't be said for Zanotti. Fans watched as she flew a confused Williams to Los Angeles for a meeting with NBCUniversal without informing anyone of the trip.
"Shawn was in hot water after she took Wendy to Los Angeles," the source revealed. Their professional relationship has allegedly been over nearly a year.
"The last time Shawn did any sort of work for Wendy was in May, as she still needed a publicist when she had to back out of her speaking gig at the Atlanta Women's Expo after being hospitalized," the insider spilled. "Shawn handled that fallout from the Expo, but she's been out of the picture ever since Wendy went into treatment this time."
RadarOnline.com also contacted Zanotti for comment.
Many accused Zanotti of being a yes woman and putting Williams in more danger by giving in to her every demand. Viewers painfully watched as the publicist repeatedly tried to find the dementia-riddled Williams a vape pen and allowed her to drink at lunch before their meeting while telling the cameras that the troubled star "knows her limits."
Others accused Selby of being unable to care for Williams in her fragile state, including the talk show host's son, Kevin Hunter Jr., who said at the end of the day, Will is a jeweler.
The producers behind Where is Wendy Williams? defended their work, but said they never would have filmed if they had known about her dementia diagnosis.
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Days before the documentary debuted, Williams' team issued a press release announcing she was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, which impacts communication, cognitive function, and language. Her court-ordered guardian also filed a lawsuit against Lifetime's parent company in a Hail Mary attempt to presumably prevent the documentary from airing.
Despite Williams' condition, her brother recently shared that Wendy is doing much better in a treatment center, where she's allegedly been since the doc wrapped in April 2023.