Fans hoping that Wendy Williams would someday recover enough to return to the airwaves in one form or another following the cancellation of her talk show were dealt a heart-wrenching blow, when representatives for the media personality confirmed she had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. The news came just ahead of the premiere of Lifetime’s docuseries Where is Wendy Williams?, and now more details are coming to light about what she and her family have been through — including how she reacted when her niece broke the news that The Wendy Williams Show had been canceled.
The famed host did not return to her talk show when its 13th season premiered in 2021, citing myriad health concerns. A series of guest hosts filled in, with Sherri Shepherd ultimately becoming a permanent replacement with her own eponymous show. Wendy Williams insisted several times that she would return to TV, but according to her niece Alex Finnie, those statements weren’t just the result of a bruised ego or strong work ethic — Williams really didn’t understand what had happened. Finnie said (via THR):
My aunt did not know she was not going back to the show. She came over to my home one day, and this was when the news broke. I said to her, ‘Sit down. The show is no more. The show’s done. It’s now Sherri [Shepherd] who is in your time slot. The Wendy Williams Show as you know it, it’s done.’
It sounds like Wendy Williams’ niece was the one who had to break the news that her 13-year run had come to an end, with Sherri taking over the time slot officially in Fall 2022. However, Williams allegedly wasn’t able to comprehend such news right away, Alex Finnie said in Where is Wendy Williams?, as she continued:
She didn’t believe it. She was still going out and saying, ‘I’m getting ready for a new season,’ and then it took a little bit of time — weeks, months — to really understand where things stood. That’s how that played out.
There was a lot of conflicting information regarding Wendy Williams’ health at the time, with reports that she was “on the mend” and almost back “to her old self” coming alongside continued concerns that she was unfit to handle her own finances and reports that she was struggling with simple tasks like eating and getting out of bed.
Fans likely felt encouraged by Wendy Williams’ motivated attitude to get back in front of an audience — which previously included plans for a podcast rather than another talk show — and it’s terrible to think that any of that was caused by a lack of understanding her situation — be that professionally or health-wise.
Wendy Williams’ family recently spoke out, wondering, “How the hell did we get here?” in regards to the former talk show host, who has allegedly been living in a healthcare facility since April 2023, estranged from everyone except a court-appointed guardian. We’ll have to see what other questions get answered in Parts 3 and 4 of Where is Wendy Williams?, which airs at 8 p.m. ET Sunday, February 25, on Lifetime.
