Wendy Williams' family has had it, officially!
via: Daily Mail
The 60-year-old talk show host, who has been living under a guardianship and was diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in May 2023, recently blasted attorney Roberta Kaplan for saying she would require care for the rest of her life despite allegedly having never met her.
In an exclusive statement to DailyMail.com, Williams' family say they are looking for a new lawyer to represent her as she battles to end her guardianship.
'The family of Wendy Williams wishes to address the current circumstances surrounding her guardianship and her ongoing journey toward reclaiming her self-determination,' the statement begins. 'As we navigate this challenging time, we believe it is crucial to advocate for Wendy’s rights and autonomy.
'We are reaching out to esteemed Ben Crump Law Firm to assess the guardianship arrangement currently in place for Wendy in New York City,' Williams' family members announced.
'Our primary goal is to ensure that Wendy’s best interests are being served and that she has the opportunity to regain control over her life and decisions.
'Wendy is an extraordinary individual who has inspired countless people through her work and personal journey,' they continued. 'It is our firm belief that she deserves the opportunity to live with dignity and make her own choices, free from undue influence.
'We are hoping that — through the legal system — we can shed light on this situation and work toward a resolution that honors Wendy’s voice and wishes,' her family said. 'We ask for privacy and understanding as we navigate this complex process, and we thank Wendy’s fans and supporters for their unwavering love and encouragement during this time to “#FREEWENDY.”
'Wendy has always been a fighter, and we are committed to ensuring that she has the resources and representation she deserves. Together, we will work diligently to help Wendy reclaim her self-determination,' the statement concluded.
In a recent chat with TMZ, Williams — whose family has started a GoFundMe to help free her from her guardianship — took particular umbrage with her guardianship attorney Kaplan's recent claims that she has 'good days and bad days.'
Wendy claimed that the lawyer has no business commenting on her mental state as she has never even met the lawyer.
She told the publication: 'How would she know that? I’ve never met Roberta Kaplan and I have never talked with her. I’m isolated and locked away in a luxury prison. So much for the Me Too movement.'
Meanwhile, TMZ Executive Producer Harvey Levin revealed on the site that he had a 90-minute conversation with Williams on Friday and made the shocking claim that she did not show a hint of disability despite her aphasia and frontotemporal dementia diagnoses.
The 74-year-old television personality said: 'I can tell you that the Wendy Williams that I spoke to today is the same Wendy Williams that I knew 10 years ago. There is no difference.
'She was lucid, she was articulate, she was with it, and she was opinionated.'
He went on to explain that he is not going to get into the specifics of their lengthy conversation as it was off the record but she wanted him to give his personal evaluation of what he heard.
This comes just a day after Kaplan defended the decision to have her in a guardianship after the former talk show host plead for her freedom.
After Williams called into The Breakfast Club radio show and insisted she is not 'cognitively impaired,' her attorney the guardianship attorney stated otherwise, per TMZ.
She explained that Williams is dealing with frontal lobe dementia and emphasized that it is a neurological disease with no cure.
Her attorney — who said she is only representing Williams in her lawsuit against A&E for producing the documentary, Where Is Wendy Williams? — also explained that a state court declared Williams is unable to make legal and financial decisions on her own.
Her attorney said she will require care for the rest of her life due to the degenerative nature of the disease.
Kaplan also said that Williams has bad days and she also has good days when she has a lot of clarify, like when she called into The Breakfast Club on Thursday morning.
On the morning radio show, Williams told co-host Charlamagne tha God about how she felt like she was imprisoned due to her controversial guardianship and said her life is 'f***ed up.'
She also slammed her legal guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, during the call and claimed she has been isolated from her family.
Williams' fans were outraged after Wendy claimed Morrissey had taken her old phone and replaced it with a new one that can only make calls, but not receive them, making it impossible for friends or family to call her directly.
Due to the guardianship court order, Morrissey is prohibited from commenting on the story.
Williams also alleged that the consistent interactions she has anymore are when her 'nursemaids' give her her medication.
Previously, Williams' niece Alex also claimed that she is not impaired and asked fans to help amplify the #FreeWendy movement.
During the show, the former shock jock sobbed as she described her current situation as 'emotional abuse.'
'I am not cognitively impaired, but I feel like I am in prison,' she told the radio show hosts. 'I am definitely isolated.'
She added: 'To talk to these people who live here, that is not my cup of tea. I keep the door closed.'
The television personality described the stark nature of her daily life after being put under the guardianship.
'I watch TV. I listen to the radio. I watch the window. I sit here, and my life goes by.'
She said that she no longer has the company of her pet cats, claiming that they are 'gone' and had been taken away even though she 'wanted them with her.'
The TV star revealed that she ultimately hopes to move to Florida so she can live there with her family.
For now the star is just focused on being able to travel out to Miami next month in order to celebrate her beloved dad's birthday.
In an Instagram post before the interview took place, Charlamagne penned a caption about conservatorships and guardianships, which he insisted are 'designed to preserve dignity' and 'not control.'
'Conservatorships and guardianships should exist to empower, protect and support individuals — not to confine them in invisible prisons,' the talk show host wrote.
'Tomorrow morning on @breakfastclubam #WendyWilliams will remind us that these systems must be transparent, compassionate, and designed to preserve dignity, not control. Let's discuss.'
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