Former talk show host Wendy Williams took steady aim at her court-appointed guardianship in an interview with “The View” Friday, insisting that she is not cognitively impaired and does not know why she is being kept in a “memory unit” at an assisted living facility.
“Get off my neck,” Williams said when discussing her guardian and the judge who ordered the guardianship in a phone interview with “The View” co-hosts. She added that she would never want to work with them again and just wants to “move on with my life.”
Last year, the 60-year-old’s guardian Sabrina Morrissey filed a memo saying she’d become “cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated” following a diagnosis of early-onset dementia.
Williams said her movements are being restricted by the guardianship she has been under since 2022, adding that she wants to terminate it immediately.
Ginalisa Monterroso, a medical aid consultant representing Williams during the interview, said Williams first believed the guardianship was meant to help her manage her money — but what followed was unwarranted control, Williams said.
Williams alleges her phone was taken away by her guardian and that she was sent to Connecticut before being moved back to New York, where her contact with family and friends remains limited.
Morrissey did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“It’s time for my money and my life to get back to status quo,” Williams told “The View” co-hosts.
In 2023, Williams was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, her team said. Primary progressive aphasia affects the nervous system and the ability to communicate, while frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, refers to a group of diseases that affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, and is usually associated with behavioral and personality changes, as well as difficulty with language, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Williams has maintained that she is not cognitively impaired as her guardian alleged, telling “The Breakfast Club” earlier this year that she’s being kept “in a prison,” and allowed limited contact with her family.
Earlier this year, TMZ released “Saving Wendy,” an hour-long documentary where the 60-year-old spoke about her restrictive guardianship from behind the glass of her assisted living facility.
On Wednesday, Williams’ assisted living facility, Coterie Hudson Yards, accused her niece, Alex Finnie, of evading staff when she took her out of the building to go to dinner, TMZ reported. Williams’ guardian, Morrissey, has said there are no restrictions on her movements or ability to see family.
The former host mentioned the incident on “The View,” saying that her unit on the memory floor is locked, and she needs help from staff to leave.
The Huffington Post reported that the former host dropped a note from her room at Coterie Monday morning that read: “Help! Wendy!” She was then taken to a hospital for a cognitive exam.
Williams said she went to the hospital because she was experiencing “a little agita” regarding her situation, and had some bloodwork done for her thyroid. She asked for the independent cognitive exam, she said, adding that she is not incapacitated.
“You sound really good to us,” American comedian and “The View” co-host Joy Behar said during the interview.
“I wish I was allowed to put on nice clothing and come see you in person, but I cannot,” Williams said to Behar.
During the interview, Williams updated fans on her famous purple chair from “The Wendy Williams Show,” letting them know it was in storage. She hopes to get an apartment after her guardianship ends, where she plans to keep the chair.
