Why Wendy Williams Reps Want Lifetime To Pay Her

Wendy Williams’ representatives want Lifetime to pay her. The disappearance of Wendy Williams has led to much controversy. So why do her representatives believe she is entitled to compensation?

Wake Up With Wendy Williams

Wendy Williams is an American former broadcaster, media personality, and writer who is best known for her talk show, The Wendy Williams Show. The series aired from 2008-2021.

The 60-year-old has been married twice. First, she was married to Bert Birigorie for a short period, 1994-1995. Then, she was married to her most recent husband for quite some time. This was Kevin Hunter, a TV producer, and they were married from 1999-2020. The two have a son together, Kevin Hunter Jr.

The former broadcaster disappeared from the media world which raised some questions. It was revealed that she retired in 2023 due to her diagnosis of aphasia and frontotemporal dementia.

Lifetime Monopolizing Life

The network Lifetime decided to make a very personal documentary showcasing Williams in the harshest stages of her illness. The network reportedly had cameras tracking the media personality’s every move and recording her fall into illness. The documentary had two parts and was titled, Where Is Wendy Williams?

Revealing the truth of falling into dementia, the documentary which was four and a half hours long showed one of, if not the most personal period in her life. Despite how much was taken from the broadcaster for the special, she received just $82,000.

Though seemingly like a lot, as noted by Wendy Williams representatives, “This is a paltry sum for the use of highly invasive, humiliating footage that portrayed her in the confusing throes of dementia, while Defendants, who have profited on the streaming of the Program have likely already earned millions.”

Additionally, her attorneys attempted to stop the project from airing as they didn’t believe she was in the right mindset of giving her consent. Thus, stating, “No person who witnessed (Williams) in these circumstances could possibly have believed that she was capable of consenting to an agreement to film.”

A Criminal Portrayal

Furthermore, the attorney pointed out that it painted a horrible picture of the host. It showed her as a “laughingstock and drunkard, implicitly responsible for her own continued suffering.” Additionally, a representative from Williams’ team, Roberta Kaplan, argued that the network “viciously and shamelessly exploited Wendy Williams for their own profit while she was obviously incapacitated and suffering from dementia.”

Specifically, the video showcased her struggles until she was treated in a facility. It was released in February and received more than 1 million reviews for the two-day debut. For the network, it was their biggest debut for a non-fiction piece of media since two years prior.

Strangely enough, her son, manager Selby, and Williams are considered executive producers for the project. Did Hunter Jr. sign off on this portrayal of his mother? Did her manger also agree?

Do you think Wendy Williams deserves more payment from Lifetime? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more news at TVShowsAce.