It’s been made overtly apparent that celebrity conservatorships are here to stay. First there was Britney Spears—who spent 13 years trying to regain control over her life—and now we have Wendy Williams, a once revered talk show host who recently has been kept under lock and chain at a medical facility. Williams is on a crusade to remove her guardian, who had been initially ordered by a court due to the 60-year-old’s dementia and aphasia, but it’s proving to be a tremendously difficult feat.

It feels as though the entire internet is rooting for Williams to reclaim her life, with the hashtag #FreeWendy regularly going viral on X. So, from her initial diagnosis to her recent pleas for help, let’s unpack everything you need to know about the conservatorship of Wendy Williams.

If Wendy Williams ends up back in her purple chair, I swear that’ll be one of the most iconic comebacks ever

— So1o (@KingSo1o) March 11, 2025

Wendy Williams is one of the most popular talk show hosts of the 21st century. Starting off as a radio host in New York City, Williams quickly became known for her melodramatic and flamboyant delivery. Netizens will likely recognise her best for her daytime television talk show, The Wendy Williams Show.

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The show, which aired from 2008 to 2021, gained a massive cult following—particularly among Gen Z who became completely obsessed with Williams’ unhinged hot takes on pop culture.

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It should be noted that even before this latest drama, Williams’ career was never void of controversy. Some of the host’s most problematic moments include once in 2020 when she dragged American singer and actor Dionne Warwick’s social media posts during one of her shows. “She’s never been involved in the Twittersphere. She watches TV or she sings songs, or she reads books or she socialises, or she moisturises her hair,” Williams joked.

That same year, Williams received backlash about comments she made regarding gay men wearing feminine clothes. Lashing out at men in the audience of her talk show during a Galentine’s Day episode, Williams said: “If you’re a man and you’re clapping, you’re not even a part of this. I don’t care if you’re gay… Stop wearing our skirts and our heels. Gay men, you will never be the women that we are—no matter how gay, sir.”

Back in 2016, Williams found herself at the centre of major controversy after pointing out that a Cosmopolitan cover featured “all the Kardashian women” except Caitlyn Jenner, who had come out as a transgender woman in 2015. “Caitlyn still has a member,” the host said as the cameras cut to one of the show’s producers shaking his head.

In 2018, Wendy Williams began to show signs of declining health, taking regular breaks from her talk show to regain her strength. While there were initial reports indicating that Williams’ mental health was suffering, the host never confirmed anything publicly.

Shortly after the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, it was revealed that the star had suffered from Graves’ disease, an autoimmune condition. During this time, Williams also endured a very public divorce from her husband and agent, Kevin Hunter who’d fathered a child with another woman.

Then, in January 2022, the bank Wells Fargo froze Williams’ accounts and requested a New York Supreme Court hearing to determine whether she was in need of a guardianship due to her health conditions. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the bank believed that Williams was an “incapacitated person” and argued that she was the “victim of undue influence and financial exploitation.” A judge then appointed a guardian to oversee and control Williams’ finances.

La’Shawn Thomas, Williams’ attorney, told news outlets that the host disagreed with the decision and made it clear that she was not going to willingly agree to hand over authority to her finances and life.

Following this, Williams’ show was officially cancelled and rumours began to spiral about the host’s mental wellbeing.

In February 2024, it was reported that Williams had been diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia. A press release from her team read: “Over the past few years, questions have been raised at times about Wendy’s ability to process information and many have speculated about Wendy’s condition, particularly when she began to lose words, act erratically at times, and have difficulty understanding financial transactions. In 2023, after undergoing a battery of medical tests, Wendy was officially diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). 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.”

“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,” the statement continued.

Shortly after the diagnosis was made public, the Lifetime docuseries Where Is Wendy Williams? dropped. The series was described as “exploitative” and “unsettling” by a number of publications. Indeed, while Williams appeared a willing participant and active producer on the show, several  scenes show her looking incredibly vulnerable and confused, being pressed about intimate details of her cognitive decline and public nightmare.

Variety’s review closes off by stating: “Forceful separation from her family, who seem shocked by her mental state, a lack of funds and a platform appear to have only exacerbated her issues. Moreover, Williams’ appointed guardian’s absence and apparent lack of care are extremely distressing and should be investigated further.”

Fans of Williams have been devastated by the star’s personal troubles, with netizens regularly taking to social media to discuss the issue and lament over Williams’ treatment.

Wendy Williams is not incapacitated. Those people will isolate her and possibly drug her until she is tho. #FreeWendy #TheView pic.twitter.com/ZmRjrvoP4y

— writtenbytruth.bsky.social ✍🏾🗣 (@writtenbytruth) March 14, 2025

What happened to Wendy Williams is INSANE. How disgusting that a bank can initiate a “guardianship” on a person and get the government involved. I don’t care if someone is mentally ill or not, it is NOT the bank or the governments business how she spends her money.

— DESTINY ᯽ SIERRA (@destinydelisio_) March 15, 2025

Still fighting to end her guardianship, Wendy Williams is currently living in an assisted living facility in New York. Family members, friends, and members of the public have all reaffirmed Williams’ comments that she is not incapacitated and should not be held in such a facility.

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On 10 March 2025, videos began circulating of Williams’ looking frantic at the window of her facility—with clips even showing the 60-year-old throwing a note out the window with the word “help” scribbled on it.

The New York Post then later reported that the former talk show host had “aced” a psychological examination called a “capacity test” and scored a “10 out of 10,” answering each of 10 questions used to determine whether she was alert and oriented correctly.

Williams then later “evaded” staff in order to go out for dinner with her niece. The Guardian then reported that the TV host’s caretaker, Ginalisa Monterroso, has said she wants her to get an independent medical evaluation. However, her court-ordered guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, doesn’t want Williams to undergo a police mental-capacity test and told publications she sees “issues” with Williams’ speech when it isn’t scripted.

Watching Williams’ lived experience right now is difficult. Controversial, yes—but Williams was once one of the most popular and revered talk show hosts in America. And given what we know about the insidious nature of conservatorships, I think it’s safe to say that acing a capacity test will do very little to help Williams’ case.