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Last week, iconic DJ and former talk show host Wendy Williams managed to do an interview with Charlamagne Tha God on The Breakfast Club, renewing concerns over her controversial conservatorship.
As we’ve recently reported, Wendy abruptly vanished from the public eye toward the end of the pandemic — during a period of time when many people still avoided crowds and public spaces.
In May 2022, The Hollywood Reporter indicated that Wendy was then-currently under the care of a court-appointed conservator, in a situation much like the one previously associated with Britney Spears.
There was, however, at least one meaningful difference between the two situations — while Britney’s conservatorship was famously instigated by her father, Jamie Spears, Wendy’s was initiated by her bank, Wells Fargo.
According to THR, Wendy made a simple request for documents from Wells Fargo, prompting the bank to file a petition calling for her to be placed under guardianship:
“Williams, suspecting misconduct by her financial advisor, wanted to switch banks and needed her most recent statements to do so.
“When Wells Fargo refused, it claimed in a petition for guardianship that Williams is an ‘incapacitated person.’ The bank argued that she’s the ‘victim of undue influence and financial exploitation.'”
Between that article and early 2024, Wendy was nowhere to be found.
Ultimately, Lifetime released a two-part docuseries, entitled Where Is Wendy Williams?, which was released in February 2024.
Sabrina Morrissey, Wendy’s court-appointed conservator, sought to block its release, and when the attempt failed, she issued a press release claiming her ward was “officially diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD)” in 2023.
Under the terms of her conservatorship, Wendy’s contact with the world – and even her own family – is highly restricted, but she was spied attending her son Kevin, Jr.’s college graduation in December.
Not long after that, the podcast We In Miami caught up with Wendy in Florida, and they managed to record and release a video, one that depicted a seemingly lucid Wendy.
Both public appearances raised questions about Wendy’s conservatorship, and during her recent The Breakfast Club interview alongside her niece Alex Finnie, she seemed almost scared to say Sabrina Morrissey’s name.
Instead, Wendy chillingly referred to being detained against her will:
That person that you talk about who’s holding me hostage.
Wendy’s conservator has restricted her ability to speak to anyone, much less do interviews — but in addition to The Breakfast Club, she also sneaked in an interview with journalist Don Lemon on the same day.
Her family and friends are calling for a #FreeWendy movement, and the pair of interviews caught the attention of legal experts, as well as one New York State lawmaker.
Lawmakers, Legal Experts On Wendy’s Conservatorship
On Tuesday, January 21, TMZ spoke with New York State Senator Anthony Palumbo.
Palumbo told the outlet that he planned to re-introduce legislation he tried to get passed in 2022, a state bill called “Karilyn’s Law.”
Spurred by coverage of Wendy’s situation, Palumbo told TMZ he’d been following Wendy’s case “for years.”
The outlet reported:
“According to Palumbo, ‘Karilyn’s Law’ would allow families to visit loved ones by filing a motion with the court … the guardian would then have 10 days to show the court if the person intending to visit is displaying inappropriate conduct — and if not, they can visit.
“He says the law is designed to ensure family members have a legal path to visit a loved one under a guardianship, which he thinks is lacking under the existing framework.”
Palumbo further said that his office had heard from constituents specifically concerned about Wendy’s circumstances.
On Monday, The Sun spoke to a legal expert about possible recourse for Wendy’s family.
California attorney Goldie Schon spoke to the outlet, and she said in part:
If [Wendy Williams’] guardian is not providing information, is not allowing access to Wendy on a free basis, that’s a problem.
Goldie also said Wendy herself has a right to petition the court: “It’s not just the family who has the right to petition the court, Wendy has the right to petition the court and ask for modifications, request movement, termination, change of guardian, whatever the case may be, she has that right to do that.”
In our coverage of Wendy’s The Breakfast Club interview, we noted that a GoFundMe, “Support Wendy Williams’ Fight For Independence,” had been created on her behalf — at the time of publication, it had raised just under $33,000.
