Wendy Williams’ family is speaking out on the famed talk show host’s alcoholism that contributed to her downward spiral.
“We’ve all seen the images over the last few months — and, really, few years — of what has seemed like a spiral for my aunt,” the former “Wendy Williams Show” host’s niece Alex Finnie told People magazine in this week’s cover story, published Wednesday.
“It was shocking and heartbreaking to see her in this state.”
Finnie will appear alongside Williams, 59, and other family members in the forthcoming Lifetime documentary “Where Is Wendy Williams?,” which details how the media personality’s substance abuse issues led her to be placed under the control of a court-ordered guardian.
Williams’ manager, Will Selby, reveals in the doc that the “How You Doin’?” host entered a treatment facility for “cognitive issues” stemming from her alcohol abuse in April 2023 — but remains there to this day without access to any of her family or friends.
“The people who love her cannot see her,” Wendy’s sister and Finnie’s mom, Wanda, told the publication. “I think the big is: How the hell did we get here?”
In the documentary, Wendy’s’ longtime driver reveals his client would forget about activities they had only just finished.
“I don’t know what the hell is going on,” her driver says, according to the magazine. “I think she’s losing memory. She doesn’t know who I am sometimes.”
While Wendy hasn’t been seen out in public in more than 200 days, she claims in the documentary that her guardian has stolen money from her.
However, even her own son, Kevin Hunter Jr., has come under fire for seemingly exploiting her.
“I’ve never taken [money] without her consent,” he says in the project.
Kevin Jr. declined to comment on People’s story, while Wanda said he is still financially supported by his mother.
Wells Fargo, Wendy’s bank, didn’t return the publication’s request for comment.
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The former shock jock has been in and out of rehab facilities for years, but in 2022, her health appeared to improve while she spent time in Miami with her son, who forced her to stop drinking and had her following a vegan diet.
Showrunners, however, wanted Wendy to return to New York to resume taping her eponymous show.
“I said [to the producers], ‘No, she’s not coming back up because she needs to get better,’” Kevin Jr. says in the documentary. “I made sure that business was always on the back burner and that health was the number one priority.”
Production canceled “The Wendy Williams Show” in June 2022.
“Wendy loved doing the show,” shared a production source. “Losing it just broke her.”
Not long after Sherri Shepherd took over Wendy’s time slot, the former radio host announced a podcast, but the project quickly fizzled when her health began declining.
“Where Is Wendy Williams?” airs Saturday, Feb. 24, and Sunday, Feb. 25, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Lifetime.
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