WENDY Williams looked happy in a rare public appearance after her guardian claimed she’s “permanently incapacitated” by dementia.
Presenter Wendy, 60, who was diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in May 2023, was seen smiling and interacting warmly with fans in Florida.
The rare sighting took place outside Sista Sara’s Shonuff Oysters, a Fort Lauderdale restaurant, where Wendy was accompanied by her nephew, Travis Finnie.
Although the exact date of the video remains unclear, the footage was shared on Instagram by user @toinethedon on Sunday, showcasing an upbeat Wendy in the back seat of a car.
Dressed in a chic green jacket and carrying a black purse, Wendy appeared in good spirits as she accepted a food order from the restaurant staff.
A particularly touching moment in the video occurred when a fan greeted Wendy with her signature phrase, “How you doin’?” to which she responded with a smile and return of the greeting.
The caption on the post read: “She looks GOOD,” an opinion echoed by fans in the comments.
One wrote: “She looks almost ready for her purple chair,” referencing the iconic chair from The Wendy Williams Show.
Another added: “She looks and sounds normal.”
Someone else gushed: “She looks amazing!!!!!! She looks healthy!!” while another wrote: “I hope her family fights like Hell for her. We miss you, Wendy!”
The sighting comes amid ongoing concerns over Wendy’s health.
Just last month, Wendy’s guardian claimed she is “permanently incapacitated” from her “tragic” dementia battle.
Where is Wendy Williams? Official Trailer
The U.S. Sun exclusively revealed the stunning court admission by attorneys for Sabrina Morrissey, which was entered into the record as she battles with Lifetime over the documentary, Where is Wendy Williams?
In the filing, Sabrina’s legal team called Wendy, 60, “an acclaimed entertainer who, tragically, has been afflicted by early-onset dementia and, as a result, has become cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated.”
The admittance of the extent of Wendy’s illness came as a crushing blow to her loyal fan base, many who have held out hope that one day she would make a triumphant return.
The filing further stated: “In January 2022, after becoming aware of a pattern of disturbing events concerning [Wendy’s] welfare and finances, Wells Fargo took the highly unusual step of initiating a guardianship proceeding on its own initiative in the Supreme Court of New York, New York County (the ‘Guardianship Proceeding’), to seek the court appointment of an independent guardian for [Wendy’s] financial affairs.”
In the document, the guardian’s legal team pleaded to the court for certain portions of the case about Wendy’s “health, familial relationships, and finances” to be redacted to protect her privacy.
“We respectfully request that the Court grant Plaintiff’s motion for limited redactions to protect non-public information from the Guardianship Proceeding that has been placed under seal by the court overseeing that proceeding,” the papers continued.
RESTRAINING ORDER & LAWSUITS
Back in February, Wendy’s guardian tried to stop Lifetime from releasing its documentary with the iconic TV talk show host with a restraining order.
The request was quickly overturned by an appellate judge who found stopping Lifetime from airing the documentary would be an “impermissible prior restraint on speech that violates the First Amendment of the institution”.
Wendy’s guardian filed a lawsuit against Lifetime and the production companies involved in it on February 20, just days before the documentary was released, but according to a filing, the guardian “never served the Original Complaint”.
She filed an amended complaint on September 16, 2024, which was served to all defendants, including A&E Television Networks, Entertainment One Reality Productions, Lifetime Entertainment Services, Creature Films, and director Mark Ford.
The suit was then moved to federal court from New York Supreme Court in October.
Since then, the defendants have filed countersuits against Wendy’s guardian.
WENDY’S DIAGNOSIS
As The U.S. Sun previously reported, Wendy was diagnosed with alcohol-related brain damage before she was placed in a guardianship in 2022.
In 2019, Wendy was given the devastating diagnosis during a rehab stay in Delray Beach, Florida, sources claimed.
While in Florida, a brain scan was conducted as part of Wendy’s rehab stay.
A neurologist sat down with the star, her son, Kevin Hunter Jr., 23, and her then-husband, Kevin Hunter Sr., 51.
“The doctor explained to them that Wendy was suffering from alcohol-related brain damage. They told her that her alcohol abuse had done permanent damage to the layers in her brain,” the source said.
How Wendy Williams’ guardianship came about
Wendy was absent for the entirety of her final season of The Wendy Williams Show from 2021-2022.
Back in 2022, the Wendy Williams Show host’s bank, Wells Fargo, petitioned a New York court to hold a guardianship hearing for the star.
In their petition, the bank cited concerns that Wendy was “the victim of undue influence, dementia, and financial exploitation.”
In March of 2022, Wendy was placed under guardianship in New York.
New York attorney Sabrina Morrissey was named temporary guardian of the star.
During this time, Wendy was also absent from her wildly popular eponymous daytime talk show for the entirety of its final season.
After The U.S. Sun reached out to Wendy’s guardian for a response to the claims, they publically announced that the star had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia.
“As Wendy’s fans are aware, in the past she has been open with the public about her medical struggles with Graves’ Disease and Lymphedema as well as other significant challenges related to her health,” her team stated.
“The decision to share this news was difficult and made after careful consideration, not only to advocate for understanding and compassion for Wendy, but to raise awareness about aphasia and frontotemporal dementia and support the thousands of others facing similar circumstances.
“Receiving a diagnosis has enabled Wendy to receive the medical care she requires.”
