ATLANTA, USA – In a rare interview, Wendy Williams, the former TV host and personality, criticised the guardianship system that has controlled her life since 2022.
Speaking on the popular Breakfast Club radio show on Thursday, January 16, 2025, Williams described her experience as “emotional abuse” and said it made her feel like she was in prison.
A Rare Glimpse Into Her Life
Williams, 60, has been largely absent from the public eye since her daytime talk show, The Wendy Williams Show, went off-air in 2022.
During the interview, she voiced frustration with her court-mandated guardianship and what she called a broken system.
“This system is broken, this system that I’m in,” she said. “This system has falsified a lot.”
Family Speaks Out
Williams’s niece, Alex Finnie, also appeared on the show, revealing that while Williams could call her family, they could not contact her directly.
Finnie said her aunt has been denied access to personal devices with internet connectivity, further isolating her.
“My aunt sounds great,” Finnie said. “I’ve seen her in a very limited capacity, but I’ve seen her, and we’re talking to her. This does not match an incapacitated person.”
Guardianship Controversy
In 2022, a New York judge placed Williams under guardianship following concerns raised by Wells Fargo, which claimed she was an “incapacitated person” subject to “undue influence and financial exploitation.”
Williams’s team later announced that she had been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, conditions that affect communication and cognitive abilities.
The diagnosis was made public just before the release of a four-part Lifetime docuseries about her life under guardianship.
Her guardianship attorneys criticised the series, calling it exploitative of Williams, who they argued was “cognitively impaired and impermanently incapacitated.”
However, during the interview, Williams pushed back against claims of cognitive impairment.
“Do I seem that way, goddammit?” she asked. “I am not cognitively impaired. But I feel like I’m in prison.”
The Breakfast Club hosts expressed their support for Williams, urging her guardians to allow her greater freedom.
“Y’all cannot hide Wendy,” host Charlamagne tha God said.
“Do not hear this phone call and see this all in the news and think you’re going to take away her phone and isolate her.”
A Fight for Autonomy
Williams’s case has sparked broader discussions about the guardianship system and its potential for misuse.
Advocates have called for reforms to prevent overreach and ensure the rights of those under guardianship are respected.
As Williams continues to speak out, her story sheds light on the challenges faced by individuals under guardianship and raises questions about how to balance protection with personal autonomy.
