Over the last few years, Wendy Williams has regularly taken breaks from her namesake talk show. She shared that her hiatus in 2019 was because she was dealing with drug addiction struggles. Amid this newest season, though, she has been missing entirely reportedly because of her Graves’ disease and thyroid issues, while guest hosts fill in. Rumors continue to circulate that the 57-year-old’s health is in decline, especially after alleged financial troubles have come to light. Now, Williams’ legal team is stepping in to address the speculation.
Official court documents revealed that Wendy Williams’ bank at Wells Fargo was “concerned” about the state of her finances. Specifically, the bank was calling for guardianship over Williams’ account after her former financial advisor made certain claims, leading to a freeze on the talk show host’s access to her money. Her legal team filed an emergency petition in response but, as of yet, there’s been no public announcement from the judge in the case. In the meantime, one of her lawyers, LaShawn Thomas, debunked rumors about her mental capacity while speaking to Entertainment Tonight, saying that “she is of sound mind.” She continued in their statement:
Wendy wants the world to know that she strenuously denies all allegations about her mental health and well-being.
The legal team also alleged that Wendy Williams went to Wells Fargo herself to address things directly. Apparently, the suspicions about her potentially being exploited didn’t come about until Williams expressed wanting to take her banking elsewhere in the wake of past complaints. The lawyer would clarify as well that the recent financial debacle is more than likely the fault of one person in particular, who remained unnamed. They said:
Wendy had to unfortunately bring this action because Wells Fargo has refused to honor her Power of Attorney, granting her son authority to make inquiries to the bank on Wendy’s behalf. Wendy further believes that all of the false narratives currently making the rounds derive from this source and she is saddened that she once considered this person a friend.
The lawyer also confirmed that the TV personality has “employed holistic health professionals” amidst her ongoing problems with her thyroid and Graves’ disease. They reiterated that “she is fine.”
Before the bank trouble, it was suggested that Wendy Williams was in such bad shape that she couldn’t even dress herself or converse as she normally would. This was apparently why guests like Remy Ma, Michael Rappaport and more have been taking over hosting duties on the show. Yet, her rep Howard Bragman refuted the speculation at the time as “inaccurate.”
Despite her lawyers and reps both firmly denying any serious concerns with the star, The Wendy Williams Show itself is reportedly moving in a different direction. New reports indicate that the network is planning to have Sherri Shepherd take over permanently for the foreseeable future. But when it comes to Williams herself, the public will just have to wait for more updates.