We Finally Know What's Really Going On With Wendy Williams
Fans have been asking Wendy Williams, "How you doin'?" ever since she's been off air. A lot of mystery surrounded the talk show host having abruptly ended "The Wendy Williams Show" in 2022, as her health became a big concern. Now, we finally know what's going on.
Williams has been officially diagnosed with aphasia and dementia. Her team confirmed the news in a statement, saying (per Variety), "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." Her team went on to reveal her aphasia and dementia diagnosis, which causes memory loss and affects communication, per Medical News Today.
After delaying her 13th season, "The Wendy Williams Show" officially ended in 2022. At this point, people were already worried about Williams as she was placed under a guardianship regarding her finances. Not only that, but after her show ended, she also checked into a mental health facility. Williams seemingly went into hiding at that point, as she was rarely seen out in public. And when she did go out, it only raised fans' concern as it was clear her physical appearance was changing, and she would trip up on words. Williams lost a significant amount of weight, and many speculated that serious health issues were occurring, per TMZ.
Wendy Williams has been diagnosed with Aphasia and Dementia
Wendy Williams has always been willing to share her personal health struggles. In 2018, she revealed that she was diagnosed with Graves disease, which affects the thyroid and thyroid tissue, per People. And just a year later, she opened up about her diagnosis of lymphoedema, which causes swelling in the limbs. Although Williams was open about her health struggles, her disappearance in recent years and significant physical changes made it clear there were serious issues going on.
Just a day before her health diagnosis was made public, Williams' family spoke to People about how the talk show host was doing. Wanda Finnie, Williams' sister, told the outlet, "I spoke with her yesterday and I speak with her very regularly when she reaches out to me. She is, from what I understand, in a wellness, healing type of environment."
More information about Williams' health is expected to be unveiled in her Lifetime documentary, "Where is Wendy Williams?" which is set to be released on February 24, 2024. In a teaser for the documentary, we even see her driver raise concern about her memory, per People. "I don't know what the hell is going on," the driver says. "I think she's losing memory. She doesn't know who I am sometimes." The documentary was filmed ahead of her diagnosis, but now those closest to her and the rest of the world have a deeper understanding of the health struggles she is facing.