Two years after canceling her popular talk show, Wendy Williams' care team revealed that she was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia. On February 22, 2024, her team confirmed in a press release that after Williams underwent a series of medical tests, she received her diagnosis in 2023.
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) affects a person's ability to speak, read, write, and understand what others are saying. This is a subtype of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) that affects communication, including spoken and written language, and the ability to understand language.
Since the past few seasons of her talk show, rumors have been circulating regarding Williams' health, which her care team also acknowledged in a statement. “In recent years, questions have sometimes arisen about Wendy's ability to process information, particularly regarding Wendy's condition when she became mute, sometimes behaved erratically, and began to have difficulty understanding financial transactions. This has caused a lot of speculation,” the release said. said.
News of Williams' diagnosis was announced just two days before “Where's Wendy Williams?” A new Lifetime documentary, executive produced by Williams, will be premiered. In it, she and her family will detail Williams' whereabouts and address speculation about his health and cognitive abilities.
On February 23, 2024, Williams' court-appointed legal guardian sued Lifetime's parent network, A&E Television Networks. Court records containing details will be sealed. Lifetime confirmed to TODAY.com that there will be no changes to its Premier plan. “Mr. Lifetime was in court today for the screening of the documentary 'Where Is Wendy Williams?' which is scheduled to air this weekend as scheduled,” the spokesperson said.
Since canceling her daytime talk show, Williams, 59, has remained relatively quiet about her health despite mounting rumors. But come Saturday, her viewers will get an update on her health and how she got to this point. Until then, here's what you need to know about Williams' health.
Williams was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia in 2023.
Williams was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in 2023, according to a Feb. 22 statement. “With her diagnosis, Wendy is now able to receive the medical care she needs,” the statement added.
According to the Frontotemporal Degeneration Association, primary progressive aphasia is a type of FTD that typically results in difficulty speaking, reading, writing, and understanding what others are saying.
FTD is caused by atrophy of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, which control personality, behavior, and language. According to the Mayo Clinic, depending on which part of the brain is affected, a person may experience changes in personality, such as acting erratically and inappropriately or becoming aloof.
Although FTD can be misdiagnosed as a mental health condition or Alzheimer's disease, it usually begins between the ages of 40 and 65, which is younger than other types of dementia.
“When most people think of the word dementia, they think of memory loss or Alzheimer's disease, but FTD doesn't actually manifest as memory loss. “It affects how we interact with others and how we speak,” Dr. Sami Balmada, director of the Michigan Brain Bank and associate professor of neurology at the University of Michigan Medical School, previously told TODAY about Bruce Willis. com, he said: He was diagnosed with the same symptoms.
The same year that Williams was diagnosed with aphasia and FTD, the staff of Where Is Wendy Williams? reported that she was admitted to a treatment facility for “cognitive issues,” according to People magazine, and was unable to film the film. It was said that the event had no choice but to be cancelled.
There were questions about her cognitive status.
Before Williams revealed his FTD diagnosis, many speculated that the star was suffering from cognitive problems.
“Her care team is sharing this very personal update with her valued fans, friends, and supporters in an effort to correct inaccurate and harmful rumors about her health,” the statement read. has been done.
“Unfortunately, many people diagnosed with aphasia or frontotemporal dementia face stigma and misconceptions, especially if they are beginning to show behavioral changes but have not yet received a diagnosis. I am.”
Williams now has a court-appointed legal guardian who oversees her finances and health to protect her from potential exploitation due to her cognitive issues, People reported.
Williams' sister Wanda Finney also said in an article published on February 21, 2024 that Williams is currently in a health facility that specializes in treating cognitive issues.
Williams revealed that she was diagnosed with Graves' disease in 2018.
In February 2018, the talk show host announced that she would be taking three weeks off from “The Wendy Williams Show” after being diagnosed with Graves' disease. About a week earlier, she had canceled several of her performances because she developed flu-like symptoms. At the time, a rep for her show told TODAY.com in her statement that she had suffered from Graves' disease “for many years.”
“Graves' disease is an autoimmune disease that stimulates receptors in the thyroid gland to produce more thyroid hormone,” Dr. Deena Gupta Adimoolam, an expert in endocrinology and primary care prevention, told TODAY.com. Ta. According to the Mayo Clinic, overproduction of this thyroid hormone, or hyperthyroidism, can cause increased heart rate, sweating, weight loss, anxiety, hair loss, difficulty sleeping, and bulging eyes.
Williams said that when she revealed her diagnosis, fans pointed out changes in her eyes. “Graves' disease puts pressure on the muscles behind the eyeball,” she explains, adding that this causes the eyeball to twitch.
Williams returned to the show, but had to take time off again in 2019 and 2020 to deal with illness.
“Untreated hyperthyroidism can be life-threatening,” Adimoolam says. She added that although there are treatments such as medication, surgery and therapy, Graves' disease looks different for everyone. Even with treatment, some people may remain weak.
Williams passed out on live television in 2017.
In October 2017, Williams passed out during a Halloween episode of her talk show. She was dressed as the Statue of Liberty and was speaking to the camera when she began shaking and struggling to speak, after which she fell to the ground. The show cut to a commercial, and when she returned to commercial, she told viewers, “That wasn't a stunt. I overheated in my costume and passed out.”
The next day, she described feeling “hot and a little dizzy” before passing out. She said paramedics then told her her electrolytes were low.
“It was scary,” she recalled. “I was really scared. I was so scared that all I could think during the scare was, 'Don't pull the podium over me, it's going to get worse.'”
Williams has struggled with alcohol and cocaine use.
In 2013, Williams told NPR that he was a “real bad guy” when it came to drugs. “I was addicted to cocaine,” she said. “Crack cocaine–cooking it and getting it in the Bronx. …Thank God I've never been stopped by the police to embarrass my family, myself, and lose my job.” was.”
In 2019, Williams revealed that she lives in a modest house. “You know, I've struggled with cocaine in the past, but I've never gone anywhere to get treatment,” Williams said during an episode of the show.
Her documentary trailer and recent People cover story also mention her alcohol use. In her trailer, someone close to her picks up an empty bottle of vodka and asks if she has drank it in a day. Mark Ford, the documentary's executive producer, told People: “She was already going through a lot of physical struggles, but then it became clear that she was also battling mental health and addiction issues. It became,” he said.
She broke her shoulder in 2018
In 2019, Variety reported that Williams fractured his shoulder in December 2018, delaying his return to the show after the break. Mr. Williams was originally scheduled to return to the show on January 7th, but his return had to be postponed for a week to focus on his recovery.
She revealed in 2022 that she has lymphedema
During a segment on TMZ Live in 2022, Williams held up her swollen leg and explained that she suffers from lymphedema. According to the Mayo Clinic, the condition is caused when the lymphatic system is unable to properly drain fluid from different parts of the body, causing fluid to build up.
“I can only feel about 5% of my legs. Do you understand?” she asked. “I think I'm usually in a wheelchair.”
What is Wendy Williams doing today?
Williams is staying at a health facility, her sister and niece told People magazine. They said they can't contact Ms. Williams because she has a court-appointed guardian, but that she can contact them.
“I spoke to her yesterday. We talk very regularly when she contacts me. From what I understand, she's in a healthy, healing type of environment,” Wanda Finney said. said.
“She's in a place of emotional healing,” Finney added. “She's not the person you see in (the documentary).”
How to watch “Where’s Wendy Williams?” Documentary
The 2024 documentary “Where Is Wendy Williams?” will air on Lifetime on February 24th and 25th at 8pm ET/PT. You can stream it on any service with live cable, and the next day he'll be available to stream on MyLifetime.com.
