Wendy Williams Had 3 Blood Transfusions & Couldn't Recognize Own Driver — Inside Her Dementia Battle

Wendy Williams became a beloved talk show host and a household name. But now, the very real struggle for life, liberty, and the future of the person behind the talk show host is shown in a new documentary.

“She is a person and she doesn't deserve to be suffering the way that she's been suffering,” Wendy Williams’ niece and goddaughter, Alex Finnie, said in an interview about the star’s headlining health battles and the new Lifetime documentary.

Early Signs and Concerns about Wendy Williams’ Health

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Wendy Williams almost died. The star began isolating herself from the world. The change worried DJ Boof, who worked on “The Wendy Williams Show” before it ended.

Due to the pandemic, they started filming the show from her apartment, but Boof noticed that she “showed no emotion” during filming and “wasn't the same person anymore.” Then came the fateful day in May 2020, when Boof found her unresponsive at her home.

"DJ Boof was there, and he called us crying saying that she was going to die, and she needs help. We called Kevin, who at the time was her medical proxy. He called the ambulance. The ambulance came. My auntie had three blood transfusions and that's the only reason she's alive today," Wendy's nephew, Travis Finnie reportedly said in the new Lifetime documentary about Wendy's life after her show ended in 2021.

Diagnosis of Her Health Issues

While Williams had been open about dealing with Lymphedema and Graves’ Disease, among other health-related issues, the cause of her noticeable inability to process information, find the right words, erratic behavior, and difficulty understanding financial transactions, though, remained unknown until 2023.

She got a definitive diagnosis of primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) was made after she underwent a series of medical tests.

The Documentary Producer Weighed In

Two days after Williams’ diagnosis was made public on February 22, 2024, her bombshell Lifetime two-night documentary, “Where is Wendy Williams?” aired. However, had the documentary’s producers known about the diagnosis, they would not have gone through with the project.

“If we had known that Wendy had dementia going into it, no one would have rolled a camera," producer Mark Ford said in an interview.

While the project started as a glimpse into the star’s podcast, it became an intimate account of her daily struggles, and while the case was made not to air the final result, a judge denied the request.

But as cameras rolled, and family members shared their insights, some light was shed about the situation around Williams’ guardianship. The star’s 23-year-old son, Kevin Hunter Jr., used to have power of attorney over her finances until the banks stepped in.

Guardianship Challenges and Her Financial Issues

High spending amounts caught the attention of banks, who suspected the worst. “Around that time they started accusing the family of doing things that weren't true and saying that my mom wasn't fit [sic],” Kevin stated, denying that he ever stole money from his mother.

The situation led to Williams’ power of attorney being switched from Kevin to a guardianship. Wanda Finnie, the star’s older sister, shared that at first, she was asked about being the star’s guardian. However, that situation ended badly.

“I said whatever I got to do and you know I'll be focused on Wendy's health. And then all of a sudden, the wall came down and there was nothing. Now why that happened, I don't know. I have opened my heart and you suck that information and then you shut it down and you tell me that I'm not capable of taking care of my sister,” Wanda said.

After appearing in front of a judge, Williams was given a guardian. Now the star’s every need, including her money, is in the guardian’s hands. “As her family, we were all sitting on the sidelines watching and she was crying out for help,” Wanda added.

Family and Friends’ Perspectives on Wendy Williams’ Situation

Kevin wants the family’s side of the story told, and he also wants what’s best for his mother. Sharing how he feels about the current situation, Kevin said, “The family side of the story hasn't been told so it's kind of left this great space of who's really telling the truth or what's really going on. I've always wanted the best for my mom, you know. I just stay strong.”

Williams misses her family, and Kevin doesn’t feel like the guardian has been protecting the star, who is currently in a “weak and vulnerable” state.

Dealing with the symptoms of Williams’ health issues has been difficult for the star’s driver and former publicist, who shared the star’s heartbreaking reality.

“She just blanks out. Like, you'll talk to her, she'll blank out. Sometimes she doesn't even realize who I am. I've picked her up many times, and she's like, 'Hey, who are you again?' Dealing with something like that is very hard,” he said.

Williams’ niece, Alex Finnie, is worried about another aspect - the star giving random people money. The documentary shows her talking to Williams about her concerns, urging the star to be more diligent and saying how money handouts give off “a little desperate energy,” and that she is “smarter” and “stronger” than that.

Williams has also had trouble controlling her anger, as a scene from the documentary showcases an incident where she became irate and increasingly angry during a trip to the vape store, yelling at Shawn and her driver to take her to the correct store. However, Williams’ relationship with alcohol has also been a point of grave concern to those close to her.

“As long as she has people around who are ‘yes’ people, the same thing is always gonna occur where she would ultimately just find any excuse to be by herself so she can get back to drinking,” Kevin said.

The star’s sister, Wanda, is not one of those “yes” people, as Williams herself said that her sister “hates” that she likes alcohol so much.

The substance abuse is, after all, responsible for the star’s alcohol-induced dementia she started to suffer from in the fall of 2021, Williams looked so skinny and confused that Kevin thought she could die.

“They basically said that because she was drinking so much, um, it was starting to affect her headspace and her brain,” he added.

Amid the heartbreaking developments, Williams is eager to get back to work, but Kevin thinks that she should slow down, saying that she’s worked enough in her life and should now prioritize her health-related needs. “I want to put my mom in a situation where working isn't the thing that kills her,” Kevin said.

How Is Wendy Williams Doing Now?

The former talk show host has support from other celebrities, such as Blac Chyna, who teared up talking to Williams in the documentary. Will Selby, the star’s manager, shed light on her current condition, having seen her very recently.

“Wendy is looking natural, she's gaining a little bit more weight, she doesn't have the pink sunglasses, she's not hiding from anything, she is as sober as she can be. She is thinking about her future,” he shared.