What was Wendy Williams diagnosed with? The TV personality is reportedly ready for a new legal battle to end conservatorship

Former television talk show host Wendy Williams has been diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), her medical team announced on February 22, 2024. The 59-year-old’s diagnosis was made last year and has significantly impacted her life.

According to a statement from her team, Williams continues to manage aspects of her life independently while receiving necessary care.

The announcement comes just ahead of the February 24 and 25 premiere of Where is Wendy Williams?, a two-part Lifetime documentary chronicling her struggles following the end of The Wendy Williams Show in 2022.

Her team stated they decided to go public with her condition to address speculation and misinformation about her health and well-being, as reported by NPR on Feb 22, 2024.

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Wendy Williams' health struggles and conservatorship

Wendy Williams' health battles led to the cancellation of her talk show, The Wendy Williams Show, after a 13-year run in 2022. In addition to her recent diagnosis, she has also been dealing with Graves' disease, an autoimmune disorder affecting the thyroid.

Concerns over William's financial and personal well-being resulted in a New York court placing her under financial guardianship in 2022 after Wells Fargo alleged she was an "incapacitated person" at risk of financial exploitation, according to The Hollywood Reporter, 2022.

The court-appointed guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, has controlled Williams' affairs since then. However, Williams has repeatedly voiced objections to the arrangement, stating she does not require such oversight.

According to a New York Post report in February 2025, Wendy Williams' guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, requested a new medical evaluation to reassess Williams' health condition. Additionally, in March 2025, Williams underwent a psychological examination at Lenox Hill Hospital, where she reportedly scored a "10 out of 10," indicating her mental capacity is intact.

Aphasia causes people to develop language-related disabilities in communication through speech, writing, and comprehension of language. This language impairment emerges in post-stroke or head trauma situations and may produce dementia as one of its consequences. The Mayo Clinic reports that aphasia affects 180,000 Americans, who mostly belong to the older population.

FTD is a neurodegenerative condition that impacts the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. It leads to behavioral changes, impaired judgment, and difficulties with language comprehension. Williams’ specific form of FTD—primary progressive aphasia (PPA)—primarily affects her ability to communicate, as per the Alzheimer’s Association, 2024.

While there is no known cure for aphasia or FTD, speech and language therapy can help manage symptoms. Some experimental treatments, including brain stimulation, are currently being researched for aphasia. In cases of FTD, medications can alleviate symptoms but do not stop disease progression.

Wendy Williams’ case has drawn comparisons to pop star Britney Spears, who successfully ended her conservatorship in 2021. Legal experts, such as Diane Dimond, author of We’re Here to Help: When Guardianship Goes Wrong, believe that securing an aggressive legal team might increase Williams' chance of regaining control of her finances and personal affairs, as reported by the New York Post in March 2024.

Currently, Wendy Williams resides in a memory care unit at The Coterie in Hudson Yards, where she reportedly has no access to electronic devices and only a fixed phone line for communication.

Advocates, including Ginalisa Monterroso of the Connect Care Advisory Group, argue that William's condition does not warrant such restrictive guardianship measures. Monterroso has worked with Williams since December 2023.

"That’s not Wendy. Even just look at her operate her scooter. Can an incapacitated person do that?" she stated.

She further emphasized that Williams' health issues might be linked to alcohol-related dementia or thyroid-related cognitive decline, which could be reversible in certain cases. Monterroso has filed a letter with New York's Adult Protective Services to advocate for a reassessment of Williams’ guardianship.

If Wendy Williams' new legal team successfully challenges her guardianship, she may follow in Spears’ footsteps and regain control over her affairs. Experts suggest the key to winning such a case is hiring civil rights litigators rather than elder care attorneys, as per the New York Post.

"You go in on a civil rights issue," Dimond explained. "There’s a growing problem of people winding up in these situations, but thankfully, there’s sometimes a way out."

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With a new legal team in place and public scrutiny increasing, the next few months will be critical in determining whether Wendy Williams can reclaim her independence.