Wendy Williams ‘permanently incapacitated’ as dementia progresses, guardian says

On By Littum

(WGHP) – Longtime daytime talk show host Wendy Williams “The Wendy Williams Show,” is now “permanently incapacitated” as her dementia progresses, according to The American Sun.

In recent court documents, Williams’ guardian, Sabrina Morrisey, described the now 60-year-old former host as “an acclaimed entertainer who has tragically been affected by early-onset dementia and as a result has become cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated.”

The legal documents are in connection with a lawsuit over Lifetime documentary series “Where’s Wendy Williams?” Morrissey filed in February to block Lifetime from releasing the series, but a court ruled it could be released as planned. The first episodes of “Where is Wendy Williams” were released on February 24, with Williams listed as an executive producer.

In February, Williams’ team revealed that she had been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia. They issued a press release addressing what they referred to as questions “about Wendy’s ability to process information” and speculation about “Wendy’s condition, particularly as she began to lose words, sometimes behave erratically and have difficulty understanding financial transactions .”

The National Aphasia Association describes primary progressive aphasia as a neurological syndrome that deteriorates language abilities over time and can be caused by neurodegenerative diseases such as frontotemporal dementia.

Frontotemporal dementia, according to National Institute of Healthis caused by damage to neurons in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain and can cause “unusual behavior, emotional problems, problems communicating, difficulty working, or difficulty walking.” There is no known cure.

While rare, frontotemporal dementia tends to affect people at a younger age than other forms of dementia, with around 60% of cases affecting people between the ages of 45 and 64.

The Wendy Williams Show ended in the fall of 2022 after 14 seasons. The decision was linked to the host’s health problems.