Wendy Williams Diagnosed With Same Dementia as Bruce Willis
[Update 02/22/24] Daytime television icon Wendy Williams, who has been out of the limelight since her talk show ended in 2022, has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and dementia.
“On behalf of Wendy Williams Hunter, her care team is sharing this very personal update with her cherished fans, friends, and supporters to correct inaccurate and hurtful rumors about her health,” reads a statement from the star’s medical care team.
The statement goes on to say that Williams underwent a battery of medical tests in 2023 and “was was officially diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).” This is the same condition actor Bruce Willis was diagnosed with in 2022.
“Aphasia, a condition affecting language and communication abilities, and frontotemporal dementia, a progressive disorder impacting behavior and cognitive functions, have already presented significant hurdles in Wendy’s life,” the statement continues.
You can read the rest of the statement below:
“Wendy would not have received confirmation of these diagnoses were it not for the diligence of her current care team, who she chose, and the extraordinary work of the specialists at Weill Cornell Medicine. Receiving a diagnosis has enabled Wendy to receive the medical care she requires.
The decision to share this news was difficult and made after careful consideration, not only to advocate for understanding and compassion for Wendy, but to raise awareness about aphasia and frontotemporal dementia and support the thousands of others facing similar circumstances. Unfortunately, many individuals diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia face stigma and misunderstanding, particularly when they begin to exhibit behavioral changes but have not yet received a diagnosis.
There is hope that with early detection and far more empathy, the stigma associated with dementia will be eliminated, and those affected will receive the understanding, support, and care they deserve and need. 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.”
Below is the original article detailing Williams’ family’s comments on her condition.
Wendy Williams was a staple of daytime television for years, hosting The Wendy Williams Show from 2008 to 2021. However, the troubled star has been out of the limelight for the past couple years, leading many fans to worry about her well-being.
Now, in a new interview with People, Williams’ family has opened up for the first time about what’s been happening. The interview goes into detail about Williams’ physical and mental health, her addiction struggles, her time at a facility, and the upcoming Lifetime documentary, Where Is Wendy Williams?, premiering February 24.
“We’ve all seen the images over the last few months — and, really, few years — of what has seemed like a spiral for my aunt,” Williams’ niece Alex Finnie, told the publication. “It was shocking and heartbreaking to see her in this state.”
Williams took several hiatuses from her long-running talk show in recent years as she battled health issues, including addiction and Graves’ disease. Sherri Shepherd took over Williams’ talk show slot in 2022, and The Wendy Williams Show was canceled, with Sherri ultimately replacing it.
The upcoming documentary details some of these health battles, including Williams’ apparent memory loss. “I don’t know what the hell is going on,” her driver says in the documentary. “I think she’s losing memory. She doesn’t know who I am sometimes.”
According to People, the documentary crew stopped filming Williams in April 2023, after which she was entered into a facility to treat “cognitive issues.” Williams remains in the facility, and her family claims that a court-appointed legal guardian is the only person with direct access to her.
“The people who love her cannot see her,” Wendy’s sister Wanda said. “I think the big [question] is: How the hell did we get here?”
Wanda added, “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.”
Lifetime
Williams was open with some of her issues, revealing on her show in March 2019 her past problems with cocaine and how she’d been living in a sober house. Just a month later, she filed for divorce from Kevin Hunter, her husband of 21 years, after it was revealed he’d had a baby with another woman.
The divorce and breakdown of her family unit had an impact on Williams’ health. “[Wendy’s mom] Shirley, may she rest in peace, would always remind me that your aunt would trade everything that she has — every dime, every car, every wig — to be able to have a strong loving household and a loving husband,” Finnie shared.
“That was ripped from her right after her son had to go off to college [in 2018]. Emotionally, it was just a lot. It was too much for her world.”
“It put her back into that dark space,” Williams’ brother, Tommy, agreed.
Things only got worse when Williams’ mother passed away in November 2020.
“When our mother passed, who was her greatest advocate and strongest support system out of anybody in this family, she never grieved,” Wanda stated.
Producers claimed they stopped filming the documentary in April last year after they found Williams passed out in her apartment with her eyes rolled back into her head.
“The guardian did come around and was responsive to our pleas… to get her into a safer place,” executive producer Mark Ford told People.
Wanda added, “How did she go from this aunt or sister that we love and is healthy one minute to this person who’s in and out of the hospital? How is that system better than the system the family could put in place? This system is broken.”
Whether Williams can leave the facility lies in the hands of her guardian. But her family is standing by her side and hoping for her to get better.
“There is not a person in this family who doesn’t want the same thing for Wendy, and that is her health,” Wanda concluded.
Where is Wendy Williams?, Premieres, February 24, 8pm ET/PT, Lifetime
