Wendy Williams’ guardian claimed A+E Networks “shamelessly exploits” the former talk show host in Lifetime’s “Where Is Wendy Williams?” documentary.
Newly unsealed court documents obtained by reveal Williams’ appointed guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, accused A+E Networks of “humiliating” the media personality by filming her “in an obviously disabled state,” which “cruelly implies” that her “disoriented demeanor is due to substance abuse and intoxication.”
Morrissey alleged that Williams, 59, who was diagnosed with frontotemporal lobe dementia and aphasia in May 2023, was told the two-part series, which aired Feb. 24 and Feb. 25, would paint her “in a positive manner like a phoenix rising from the ashes.”
She further claimed that when A+E Networks released the trailer for the documentary on Feb. 2 they benefitted from “unconscionably exploiting [William’s] condition, and perhaps even disclosing her personal and private medical diagnosis, for perceived entertainment value and the prurient interest of television viewers,” per the documents.
“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,” the filing read.
Morrissey’s lawsuit was originally filed in the New York County Supreme Court on Feb. 20 — after the trailer was dropped — in an attempt to get a judge to order a temporary restraining order against the release of the documentary.
According to the documents, A+E Networks started filming Williams following a signed contract in January 2023.
However, Morrissey argued that Williams lacked the capacity to enter the agreement and sign on to the documentary as an executive producer due to her condition.
She then referenced Williams’ court-ordered guardianship, which she entered in February 2022,…
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