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The court-appointed guardian for Wendy Williams attempted to block the release of a Lifetime docu-series about the talk show host, saying in court last month that she was “horrified” by the description of Williams as a “drunk” and a “laughing stock”.
The conservator, Sabrina Morrissey, obtained a temporary restraining order to keep the two-part series, titled “Where is Wendy Williams?”, secret.
But A+E Networks, Lifetime’s parent company, and Entertainment One quickly managed to overturn that order on February 23, and an appeals judge ruled it an “unconscionable prior restraint on free speech” under the First Amendment. The program aired over the following weekend.
The battle between the guardian and the network was previously reported. But more details became available Thursday, when a New York judge ordered that most of the court record in the case be unsealed.
Williams ended her 14-year career as a national talk show host two years ago after struggling with medical issues. Around this time, Wells Fargo froze her accounts out of fear that she had dementia and was possibly being financially exploited.
That action led to the appointment of the guardian. Williams was eventually diagnosed with frontotemporal lobe dementia and progressive aphasia in May 2023.
At the time, Williams had signed a contract to make the documentary. His son, Kevin Hunter Jr., and his manager, William Selby, participated as producers. Williams is listed as executive producer.
However, according to the guardian, Williams lacked capacity to consent to the contract and still does. However, Morrissey allowed production to continue, with the understanding that nothing would be released without his approval and the court’s approval, according to his complaint.
Morrissey put limits on filming and told Selby he would not allow Williams’ medical appointments to be filmed. And at one point, the tutor refused to allow Williams to participate in any more interviews.
“In the following months, Selby repeatedly asked if (Williams) could participate in additional filming, stating that A+E wanted to film additional episodes,” the complaint states. “The Guardian made it clear that (Williams’) medical condition precluded further filming or interviews.”
The complaint alleges that Morrissey was completely blindsided by the trailerwhich was published on February 2. Neither she nor the court had approved the publication of the project.
He also alleges that Selby had assured him it would be a positive portrayal, “like a phoenix rising from the ashes.”
“However, the trailer makes it clear that the documentary is anything but positive,” the complaint states. “Instead, it cruelly portrays (Williams) as deeply confused and erratic, while she is clearly disabled due to her medical conditions.”
Morrissey was “horrified” to see Williams’ medical condition exploited and mischaracterized as a result of alcohol, and to see it portrayed in a “humiliating and degrading manner.”
Morrissey feared that the series would “ruin her legacy and eviscerate her remaining earning potential by portraying her as a drunk and a laughingstock.”
Williams’ relatives have criticized the conservatorship and the series reflects that point of view. In the complaint, Morrissey argued that the trailer falsely suggests that Williams’ “deteriorating condition has been caused or exacerbated by the conservatorship.”
Williams’ sister and son appear in the series to express their objections to the guardian, who is not named, and their opinion that his family should be in charge of his care.
After the series aired, Variety Senior television critic Aramide Tinubu called the show an “exploitative display of their cognitive decline and emotional well-being.” The series achieved strong ratings, with 1.2 million viewers during the initial broadcast plus the following three days.