Wendy Williams diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia
The news comes days before the release of the Lifetime docuseries "Where Is Wendy Williams?"
Wendy Williams has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, her health care team has confirmed in a press release.
“Over the past few years, questions have been raised at times about Wendy’s ability to process information and many have speculated about Wendy’s condition, particularly when she began to lose words, act erratically at times, and have difficulty understanding financial transactions,” the statement reads. “In 2023, after undergoing a battery of medical tests, Wendy was officially diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).”
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Her team continued, “Wendy is still able to do many things for herself. 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.”
According to the National Institute on Aging, FTD is the result of damage to neurons in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. Its symptoms include "unusual behaviors, emotional problems, trouble communicating, difficulty with work, or difficulty with walking." Aphasia is a condition affecting communication abilities, including language expression and comprehension. Bruce Willis revealed last year that he was given the same diagnosis.
The former daytime talk show host, who spent more than a decade at the helm of The Wendy Williams Show, stepped down from her position in 2021 amid "serious" health complications. At the time, she was open about her struggles with Graves’ Disease and lymphedema. The following year, the show concluded, and Williams had her bank accounts frozen after her financial adviser alleged that she was of "unsound mind," according to court filings obtained by PEOPLE. She currently has a court-appointed legal guardian overseeing her finances and health.
Where Is Wendy Williams?, an upcoming two-part docuseries about her life after the show’s cancellation, is set to air on Feb. 24 and 25. It promises to explore her various health issues, including her memory loss and substance abuse.
Ahead of the film, Williams' sister, Wanda Finnie, and her niece, Alex Finnie, revealed that they are not in direct contact with Williams, though she is able to contact them from an undisclosed facility where she is receiving treatment for “cognitive issues.” They said she has much improved since filming the docuseries, for which Williams and Alex are both executive producers.
"I don't know what is working, but I do know that when she did reach out to me, it was a person who is remarkably different than what we see in that documentary," Wanda said in a new interview with PEOPLE. Despite those positive developments, the family claims it's unclear why the court appointed Williams a guardian.
"All I know is that Wendy and her team walked into the courtroom one way, and they walked out, and the family is completely excluded," Wanda said.
The Wendy Williams Show concluded on June 17, with former View panelist and actress Sherri Shepherd — who inherited the show's time slot — introducing a highlight reel of moments from Williams' run.
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