The Wendy Williams Show’s DJ Boof says that staffers for Williams were not clued into the extent of the illness the talk show host had been suffering from, amid multiple reports she is dealing with dementia.
DJ Boof, 39, told TMZ Live on Monday that it has been upsetting to witness Williams ongoing struggles with her health, and that he thinks her relatives will be critical to her care moving forward.
DJ Boof was asked how long it was apparent that Williams was in the midst of a health battle; and if there was a conflict between the people running the show and Williams’ family, in terms of what was the best course of action for Williams.
‘I don’t think no one knew exactly to the extent how bad it was,’ DJ Boof said. ‘I felt like people knew something was up with her, but they didn’t really know. I knew it because I’ve been around it – it’s sad to see something like that happen to her – she needs help.’
DJ Boof said he spoke to Williams as recently as a month ago, and felt the people running Williams’ guardianship were ‘not letting [her family] know exactly what’s going on.
The Wendy Williams Show’s DJ Boof, 39, says that staffers for Williams were not clued into the extent of the illness the talk show host had been suffering from, amid multiple reports she is dealing with dementia. Pictured in LA in 2018
DJ Boof on Monday said that it has been upsetting to witness Williams ongoing struggles with her health, and that he thinks her relatives will be critical to her care moving forward
‘I don’t think it’s her not keeping them in the loop,’ he said of Williams. ‘If you were to ask me I think she does need to be around her family … I think, if you were to ask me I think that Florida would be a better place for her, because that’s where her family is and she needs that 24 hour care.’
DJ Boof said watching Williams’ health decline has been difficult after working with her for a dozen years.
‘I’ve seen it all and we had a relationship outside of the show that most people don’t have,’ he said.
DJ Boof said the last time that he saw Williams was in Miami, and that she appeared to be thriving at the time.
‘I’ve seen her, she was 100 percent great, she was recovering … and she seemed to be doing great,’ he said.
Her health woes were the focal point of a Lifetime documentary titled Where is Wendy Williams?, which focused on how Williams’ alcohol consumption played a part in her downturn in health.
New details of Williams’ health decline have been released by different groups, as Williams’ caretaker issued a statement Thursday saying that doctors have diagnosed the TV personality with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia.
The health struggles ‘have already presented significant hurdles in Wendy’s life’ and have behavioral and cognitive impacts, according to the statement.
Williams’ health woes were the focal point of a Lifetime documentary titled Where is Wendy Williams?
DJ Boof said watching Williams’ health decline has been difficult after working with her for a dozen years
‘Wendy is still able to do many things for herself,’ the statement attributed to her care team read. ‘Most importantly she maintains her trademark sense of humor and is receiving the care she requires to make sure she is protected and that her needs are addressed.
‘She is appreciative of the many kind thoughts and good wishes being sent her way.’
The statement on Williams’ health was issued on PR Newswire. A representative listed on the release, Jennifer Hanley, referred questions back to the statement when contacted by The Associated Press.
The announcement came a day after a cover story in People magazine quoted Williams’ family about the nature of her struggles, ahead of a Lifetime documentary set to air Saturday.
‘The people who love her cannot see her,’ the magazine quoted Williams’ sister Wanda as saying. ‘I think the big (question) is: How the hell did we get here?’ The family said a court-appointed legal guardian was the only person with unfettered access to Williams.
The article said the Lifetime documentary crew, which set out in 2022 to chronicle Williams’ comeback, stopped filming in April 2023 when, her manager ‘and jeweler’ Will Selby says in footage for the film, she entered a facility to treat ‘cognitive issues.’
Her son says in the documentary that doctors had connected her cognitive issues to alcohol use, People reported. Williams’ family told People they don´t know where she is and cannot call her themselves, but she can call them.
The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration describes FTD as a group of brain disorders caused by degeneration of the frontal and/or temporal lobes of the brain that affects behavior, language and movement.
Williams’ caretaker issued a statement Thursday saying that doctors have diagnosed Williams with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia. Pictured in 2018 in Atlanta
The health struggles ‘have already presented significant hurdles in Wendy’s life’ and have behavioral and cognitive impacts, according to the statement
Aphasia, a brain disorder that can lead to problems speaking or understanding words, can be a symptom of it. The association describes frontotemporal degeneration as ‘an inevitable decline in functioning,’ with an average life expectancy of seven to 13 years after the onset of symptoms.
FTD usually occurs in people in their 40s, 50s and early 60s. It can affect a person´s personality, causing a loss of inhibition or inappropriate behavior. It is sometimes mistaken for depression or bipolar disorder, and can take years to diagnose.
There are no treatments to slow or stop the disease, but some interventions can help manage symptoms.
The association was involved in the disclosure of actor Bruce Willis’ diagnosis in February 2023, hosting a statement posted by the actor’s family.
‘We thank Wendy Williams for having the courage to make her diagnosis public and raise awareness of the disease,’ association CEO Susan Dickinson said in a statement. ‘We know that a diagnosis like this can be heartbreaking, but she is not alone. While there may not be a cure, every day we are working to improve care and research into treatments for this disease.’
Thursday’s statement credited Weill Cornell Medicine in New York with the care and expertise Williams received. Weill Cornell declined comment.
Williams rose to fame in part due to her no-boundaries approach to her life, which included sharing personal details about her health, plastic surgery and cocaine addiction – the subject of her 2003 memoir, Wendy’s Got the Heat.
A hallmark of The Wendy Williams Show, which competed for viewers with Ellen DeGeneres’ show, was her signature phrase, ‘How you doin´?’
Williams rose to fame in part due to her no-boundaries approach to her life, which included sharing personal details about her health, plastic surgery and cocaine addiction. Pictured last year in NYC
She transitioned to television after a successful career as a radio host, known for her hot takes on gossip and skewering of celebrities, including a contentious 2003 interview with Whitney Houston.
In 2022, Williams’ self-titled daytime talk show ended because of her ongoing health issues. Sherri Shepherd, who filled in for Williams as a guest host, received her own show.
Williams said in 2018 that she had been diagnosed years before with Graves´ disease, which leads to the overproduction of thyroid hormones and can cause wide-ranging symptoms and affect overall health.
