Wendy Williams Makes Rare Public Outing Amid Health Concerns

Wendy Williams
Lars Niki/Getty Images for New York Women in Film & Television

Wendy Williams has been spotted in public less than a month after her legal guardian claimed the former talk show host was “permanently incapacitated.”

The beloved TV personality was seen in the back of a car in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where she appeared to be all smiles. In the video, shared on Instagram by blogger Antoine Edwards, Williams is seated in the back of an SUV while her nephew Travis Finnie picks up an order from Sho’nuff Oysters.

A fan filming the interaction greets Williams with her trademark “How you doin’?” with the star smiling and laughing. Williams is wearing a green jacket, bracelets, and red lipstick, and her hair is styled in bangs.

Fans jumped into the Instagram comments to share their reactions, with many agreeing that Williams “looks good.”

 

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“She looks and sounds normal,” wrote one commenter.

Another added, “She doesn’t look or sound permanently incapacitated that’s crazy to wish that on her that is heartbreaking for her fans.”

“She looks almost ready for her purple chair,” said another, referring to Williams’ long-running daytime talk show.

“Don’t believe the hype. Continue keeping her in prayer,” added another.

“I hope her family fights like Hell for her. We miss you, Wendy!” another wrote.

The sighting comes after Williams’ guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, filed court documents last month that refers to Williams as “an acclaimed entertainer who, tragically, has been afflicted by early-onset dementia and, as a result, has become cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated.”

Morrisey is involved in a legal battle with Lifetime over the Where Is Wendy Williams? documentary that aired in February. Morrissey’s team filed a restraining order against the TV network just days before the doc was released. However, the request was overturned as a judge found stopping the doc would be an “impermissible prior restraint on speech that violates the First Amendment of the institution.”

Earlier this year, Williams’ healthcare team released a statement revealing her diagnosis of primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia diagnosis.

“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,” the statement said.

Williams took an indefinite leave of absence from The Wendy Williams Show in 2021 due to various medical issues and retreated from public life. Her talk show continued with guest hosts for a while before being shelved; Sherri Shepherd later took over the slot with her own show, Sherri, beginning in the 2022-2023 season.

Prior to the recent Florida trip, Williams was last seen in public on August 19, when she stopped by the holistic store Bolingo Balance in Newark, New Jersey, with her son, Kevin Hunt Jr.