Wendy Williams’ Guardian Sues A+E Networks For ‘Cruel’ Doc
Wendy Williams’ guardian Sabrina Morrissey has filed a lawsuit against A+E Networks for exploiting the former daytime talk show host when creating the Where Is Wendy Williams? docuseries. New unsealed court documents show that Morrissey is accusing the network of humiliating Wendy and filming her in an obviously poor state. She also says producers lied to Wendy about what the documentary would be about. Continue reading for details on the lawsuit and what’s next for Wendy Williams.
Court-Appointed Guardian Calls Out A+E Networks For Exploitation
Sabrina Morrissey, Wendy Williams’ court-appointed guardian, is accusing A+E Networks of “humiliating” the daytime TV icon. She alleges that producers filmed her in an “obviously disabled state.” Furthermore, the docuseries “cruelly implies” that the way she is acting is due to substance and alcohol abuse. Wendy was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and progressive aphasia in May of 2023.
Additionally, Morrissey alleges that Wendy was told that the Lifetime docuseries would show her in a positive light. Producers told her it would be like “a phoenix rising from the ashes.”
Morrissey also claims that when the network released the trailer for the doc in early February they exploited Wendy’s condition for their own benefit. The documents continue, stating that they believe the network used “her personal and private medical diagnosis, for perceived entertainment value and the prurient interest of television viewers.”
The document read, “This blatant exploitation of a vulnerable woman with a serious medical condition who is beloved by millions within and outside of the African American community is disgusting, and it cannot be allowed.”
Who Approved The Wendy Williams Documentary?
This lawsuit was initially filed on February 20 in the state of New York before the docuseries was aired on Lifetime. At the time, Morrissey was making an attempt to halt the release. However, the judge did not issue the temporary restraining order against the release of the documentary and it premiered on Lifetime, as scheduled.
According to A+E Networks, producers only started filming after a contract was signed by Wendy Williams and her team in January 2023. Sabrina Morrissey says that doesn’t matter though. Wendy had diminished capacity at the time the contract was signed. On top of that, she was under the impression that the documentary would tell her comeback story following the end of The Wendy Williams Show.
Apparently, Wendy Williams doesn’t agree with how the doc was filmed or how she was portrayed in the series. It is also questionable as to who signed off on the final product. Her manager for the documentary, Will Selby, has said that he did not review the trailer or the documentary before its release.
A source close to Wendy was disgusted with A+E Networks for moving forward with the series, despite Wendy’s declining condition. “Anyone with eyes could see that something was very wrong with Wendy,” the source told Page Six. “The producers knew or should have known that Wendy was suffering from dementia during filming. They certainly knew that she suffered from dementia before they aired the docuseries because it was announced by press release.”
What do you think of the Wendy Williams documentary? Let us know in the comments below.
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