What on Earth Is Happening With Wendy Williams?

Where is Wendy Williams? Reviews are calling it “devastating” and “exploitative.” The docuseries takes place over nearly two years, primarily after Williams underwent court-ordered financial guardianship in 2022, and chronicles the television personality’s struggles with health and alcohol abuse. Instead, Wells Fargo submitted a petition for guardianship, referring to Williams as an “incapacitated person” and arguing that she is a “victim of undue influence and financial exploitation.” Williams’ lawyer told THR that the TV host “doesn’t agree with a financial guardian being appointed,” adding that Williams would not accept a court decision to “have one appointed over her affairs for the long haul.” In an affidavit, Williams accused Wells Fargo of lying about her ability to care for herself as a way of fraudulently locking her out of her accounts, which she claimed had led her to “default or risk defaulting” on multiple bills. In the aforementioned Vulture interview, Hanson and Ford allege that Williams entered into the Lifetime contract while under the guardianship, and that “every single frame” of the docuseries was filmed during Williams’ legal arrangement. will not only help people see Williams “as a human being” but also further the public’s understanding of guardianships, conservatories, and “the entire system that really is running life right now—not just for her, but for so many other people that are also at the center of it.” Despite the suit, and the spreading notion that the docuseries was an exploitative maneuver, producer Ford told CNN that the producers feel that the docuseries actually helped Williams seek better care, expressing hope that “the documentary played a role in helping her get to that safer place.” Hanson told Vulture that she worries what would have happened if the camera crew hadn’t been there, leaving Williams “in that apartment by herself, dealing with the loneliness, the addiction—all of it.” Ford, speaking to Vulture, goes so far as to say that Wendy’s story, and specifically her guardianship, is “now a matter of public interest”; he adds that if there’s more story to tell, he would “hope there’s more reporting.” Even though Williams wasn’t necessarily the most beloved figure in the media due to the sometimes rude nature of her talk show, this news is devastating fans and detractors alike, as it has become increasingly clear that Williams doesn’t have the agency over her own life that we would expect such a television titan to have.