(NewsNation) — Former talk show host Wendy Williams opened up to NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield in a national TV exclusive, saying her medical reassessment tests never happened.
“The first thing I have to do is get an attorney,” Williams said during an exclusive “Banfield” interview. “They accuse me of being incapacitated. So I imagine the best way to prove that I am not is to talk with people. … I need a new attorney.”
Williams said her conservatorship feels “suffocating,” comparing it to prison, and suspects her guardian may be misusing her money.
“I have no idea why I’m here,” Williams said. “It’s $18,000 a month, which is extremely expensive. And what do I have? I have a bedroom and a bathroom and a window.”
Since 2022, Williams has been uunder the direction of court-appointed conservator Sabrina Morrissey.
“I need out of this,” Williams added, claiming that even her toiletries are locked away and she must ask permission to use them.
“If I want lotion, they bring me lotion. If I want to take off my nail polish … if I want to brush my teeth and wash my face, they have to bring it to me,” she said.
Tune in to NewsNation’s “Banfield” at 10/9c Friday to watch part two of Wendy Williams’ national TV exclusive. Then, catch the full conversation next week on the “Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield Podcast.”
Wendy Williams’ guardianship
The former host remains under court-ordered guardianship after being diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia.
In 2022, Wells Fargo initiated guardianship proceedings; Morrissey was made guardian after Williams’ show was canceled as a result of her health problems.
Morrisey filed lawsuits last year against multiple parties involved in the creation of Lifetime’s controversial documentary, “Where is Wendy Williams?” saying Williams was “highly vulnerable and clearly incapable of consenting to be filmed, much less humiliated and exploited,” according to court documents.
She described Williams as “an acclaimed entertainer who, tragically, has been afflicted by early-onset dementia and, as a result, has become cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated.”
While she sought to block Lifetime from releasing the series, a court ruled it could be released as planned.
Journalist: Wendy Williams’ alleged treatment raises serious concerns
Investigative journalist Diane Dimond believes the alleged handling of the situation by Williams’ guardian raises serious concerns.
“I believe that criminal things happen within the guardianship system all the time, and we don’t know about it because it’s such a damn secret system,” Dimond said during a previous “Banfield” interview.
Williams continues to say she is not “cognitively impaired” and has been “trapped” in an emotionally abusive conservatorship.
NewsNation’s Safia Samee Ali contributed to this report.
