New documentary examines Wendy Williams’ health: What to know

Wendy Williams’ health is still getting a lot of attention two years after her popular talk show was canceled. This is especially true now that a new documentary is out about her recent problems.

The four-part documentary, which ran on Lifetime on February 24 and 25, followed the former talk show host and her family as they try to figure out her life and health now that she is no longer on “The Wendy Williams Show.” Williams is in charge of producing the movie.

Williams’ health, especially her drinking and thinking problems, are at the center of the documentary. The woman, who is now 59 years old, has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, her care team said in a press statement before the documentary’s premiere.

What you need to know about Williams’ health:

In 2023, Williams was told he had frontotemporal dementia and aphasia

On February 22, 2023, Williams was told he had primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia “after undergoing a battery of medical tests.”

“Sometimes in the past few years, concerns have been raised about Wendy’s ability to understand and process information, and many have made guesses about her condition, especially after she started to lose her temper, act strangely, and have trouble with money matters,” the release said. “Wendy can now get the medical care she needs since she has a diagnosis.”

Primary progressive aphasia, or PPA, makes it hard to understand what other people are saying, read, write, and speak. It is a type of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) that makes it hard to communicate, including talking, writing, and understanding what people say.

The frontal and temporal lobes of the brain shrink, which leads to FTD. These parts of the brain control identity, behavior, and language. According to the Mayo Clinic, mental changes can happen if certain parts of the brain are affected. For example, a person may act erratically or inappropriately or become distant.

People sometimes mistake FTD for a mental illness or Alzheimer’s disease, but it usually starts between the ages of 40 and 65, which is younger than other types of dementia.

A lot of people think of Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss when they hear the word “dementia.” But FTD doesn’t show up as memory loss. Bruce Willis was diagnosed with the same conditions as Dr. Sami Barmada, head of the Michigan Brain Bank and associate professor of neurology at the University of Michigan Medicine. He told TODAY.com that it changes how people act, how they talk, and how they interact with others.

Williams thanks her fans for their support during her diagnosis in a Message on February 23.

She told TODAY.com in a statement, “I want to say I am so thankful for all the love and kind words I have received since telling everyone I have Aphasia and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD).” “I must say, wow!” The number of responses has been amazing. Sharing words with me has moved me and reminded me of how important it is to be kind and work together.

Williams also said she hoped that other people with the same illness could “benefit from my story.”

“I still need my own space and peace to do well,” she said in the end. “Please know how much I value your positivity and support.”

This woman’s mental health is being questioned

Before Williams officially announced that she had FTD, a lot of people thought the star was having memory problems.

The statement said, “Her care team is sharing this very personal update with her loved ones, friends, and supporters to put an end to false and hurtful rumors about her health.”

“Unfortunately, a lot of people who have been diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia have to deal with shame and misinformation, especially when they start to change how they act but haven’t been diagnosed yet.”

In the new Lifetime special, Williams seems to have memory loss when she talks to her family and friends. At different times, both her son Kevin Hunter Jr. and her manager Will Selby have said that these problems are linked to her drinking.

People reported that Williams has a court-appointed legal guardian who is in charge of her money and health so that she doesn’t get abused because she has brain problems.

Wanda Finnie, Williams’ sister, also told People in an article that came out on February 21, 2024, that the star is now in a health center that can help with cognitive problems.

In the video, Williams’ niece Alex Finnie said, “She’s getting help for some of her mental problems and cognitive issues.” “They’re getting to the root of the problem in terms of what causes maybe some of the drinking and other irrational decisions.”

Williams said in 2018 that she was told she had Graves’ disease

The talk show host said in February 2018 that she would be taking a three-week break from “The Wendy Williams Show” because she had been identified with Graves’ disease. About a week ago, she had to cancel a few shows because she felt like she had the flu. An agent for her show told TODAY.com at the time that she had had Graves’ disease for “many years.”

A specialist in endocrinology and general care prevention, Dr. Deena Gupta-Adimoolam, tells TODAY.com, “Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disease that makes the thyroid gland make more thyroid hormones.” The Mayo Clinic says that this overproduction of thyroid hormones, called hyperthyroidism, can cause a faster heart rate, sweating, weight loss, nervousness, hair loss, trouble sleeping, and eyes that look bigger than they are.

Williams said that when she told her friends about her diagnosis, they had noticed changes in her eyes. “The disease Graves squeezes the muscles behind the eyes,” she said, adding that it makes her eyes twitch.

Williams went back to her show, but she had to take time off in 2019 and 2020 to deal with having a child.

Dr. Adimoolam says that hyperthyroidism can be life-threatening if it is not managed. There are ways to treat Graves’ disease, like medicine, surgery, and therapy, but the symptoms are different for each person, she says. For some, it might still be too much to handle even after treatment.

Williams passed out on live TV in 2017

Williams passed out on the Halloween episode of her talk show in October 2017. She was talking to the camera while dressed as the Statue of Liberty. Suddenly, she started to shake and find it hard to speak, and she fell to the ground. Once the show came back from an ad, she told the watchers, “That wasn’t a stunt.” I got too hot in my outfit. I passed out.”

The next day, she said she felt “hot and a little dizzy” before she passed out. After the fact, the doctors told her she was low on electrolytes.

“It was scary,” she said. “It was very scary.” During the scare, all I could think was, “Don’t pull the podium over on you; that’ll make it worse.”

Williams has had problems with drinking and using drugs

Williams told NPR in 2013 that she used to be a “real friend” when it came to drugs. She said, “I was hooked on cocaine.” “Crack cocaine—making it and getting it in the Bronx.” Thank God the police never stopped me because they would have made my family and me look bad and caused me to lose my job.

Williams said in 2019 that she was living in a clean house. Williams said on an episode of her show, “You know I’ve had a problem with cocaine in the past, and I never went to a place to get help.”

Both the documentary and a current cover story in People talk about how much she drinks. Mark Ford, who was in charge of making the documentary, told People, “She was already fighting so much physically, and then it became clear that she was also fighting mental and addiction issues.”

Several family members and Selby talk about how they tried to keep Williams from drinking throughout the video. Around her room, you can often see empty glasses and liquor bottles. Hunter also says in the last show that his mother was diagnosed with “alcohol-induced dementia.”

In 2018, she broke her shoulder

Variety revealed in 2019 that Williams broke her shoulder in December 2018, which meant she couldn’t go back to the show after the holidays. Williams was supposed to go back to the show on January 7, but she had to wait a week to focus on getting better.

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She has swollen lymph nodes, mostly in her feet

Williams’ lymphedema in her feet is the main subject of some parts of the video. She screams and says she can’t stand it in one scene. In another, she won’t work out with a personal trainer to get more stable because she’s afraid of falling.

People with lymphedema have limbs that swell because their lymphatic system doesn’t drain properly. In Williams’ case, her feet and legs. It usually gets worse for a person’s life. It can be painful and cause dangerous consequences, and it can’t be cured.

In the video, Williams says, “This is lymphedema” as her swollen feet look on screen. “And now I can only feel 2% of my feet.” “Can you see what this is?”

In 2019, she first talked about her illness on her talk show. During an interview with TMZ Live in 2022, she talked about her health in more detail.

“Normally I would be in a wheelchair,” she said. In the video, she later said the same thing.

Today, what does Wendy Williams do?

This is what Williams’ sister and niece said in the video and to People: Williams is staying at a wellness center. Because the court named a guardian for Williams, they said they couldn’t get in touch with her, but Williams could.

“I talked to her yesterday, and I talk to her all the time when she contacts me.” “From what I know, she is in a place that promotes health and healing,” Wanda Finnie said.

“She is emotionally getting better,” she said. “She’s not the person you see in the documentary.”