Lifetime aired the first two hours of “Where is Wendy Williams?” on Saturday. The talk show host revealed her diagnosis of aphasia and frontotemporal dementia ahead of its release as the documentary offers a look into what her day-to-day life has been like. In an extended clip shared by the network, Williams battled with mutiple people, incuding a producer who she emphatically told, “Go out, please, because I’m done with you.”
The pair’s conversation was about Williams’ relationship with her son, Kevin Hunter Jr. When Williams was asked if she supports her son “right now,” in a portion of the documentary exploring her use of money that led to a financial guardianship being put in place, she was offended.
“First of all,” she answered as the man began to apologize, “asking ‘do I support’ is the wrong word. Who the f–k are you? Go out, please, because I’m done with you. Okay. My son, financially and also healthwise, is the best.”
“Go away. Go away. Go away,” she added as she cried.
The documentary isn’t an easy watch, as seen in the clip and throughout the four-part series. The video opened with Willams answering a question about her health. She told a journalist she planned to be back at “The Wendy Williams Show” after a few weeks and was asked if she would plan to have a replacement host for her show. An outraged Williams snapped back, “How dare you!” and rolled up her window.
Williams is alternately annoyed and joyful in parts of the documentary. After she and her manager, Will Selby, joked that Williams prefers to only speak to people who visit for a “short time” before they’re asked to leave — around 12 minutes — Selby is tasked with helping Williams pick out an outfit for the day. She wasn’t happy with any of the options, and eventually told the woman assisting her to go away.
After the wardrobe person walked away, Williams told Selby, “I don’t care for her.”
“Wendy being pissed off is normal,” Selby told the cameras. “She doesn’t really mean it, but she’s a pain in the ass. She’s very matter of fact, she changes her mind all the time. She may like you today and not like you tomorrow.”
At other points, Williams appeared to cheer herself on. While she discussed the potential sell of her apartment and wardrobe, which she noted she hasn’t worn in a long time, Williams told her make-up artist, “But guess what? To be Black, and to be gorgeous, and to be a woman, I’ve achieved success. Don’t you think so?”
In May 2022, a New York court appointed a conservator for Williams, who was also legally removed from being under the care of her son, Kevin. In his interview, Kevin said that his mother should have “family” instead of a court-appointed guardian. “The family’s side of the story hasn’t been told,” he said.
“So it’s kind of left this great space of who’s really telling the truth, or what’s really going on,” Kevin added. “I’ve always wanted the best for my mom … I just stay strong. I just understand nobody’s perfect. No matter how many times somebody may fall down, you’ve got to lift them back up.”
“But I feel like the situation that she’s in right now isn’t really the best situation for her journey of trying to heal.”
The first two hours of the documentary contained a number of revelations. Her friend Regina Shell revealed that Williams began drinking heavily in 2018 as her marriage to Kevin Hunter ended due to his infidelity, and that her family admitted her to rehab in 2019. She was also sent to a facility for two months while the documentary was being made — and she continued to sneak alcohol during the production of the documentary.
It also becomes clear that Williams didn’t know her show had been cancelled. Her niece Alex Finnie said, “I said to her, ‘Sit down. The show is no more. The show’s done. It’s now Sherri [Shepherd] who is in your time slot. ‘The Wendy Williams Show’ as you know it, it’s done.’”
Watch the extended scene from “Where Is Wendy Williams?” in the video above.
