NEW YORK – As news broke Thursday that longtime talk show host Wendy Williams has been diagnosed with progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, her niece and goddaughter, Local 10 News anchor and reporter Alex Finnie, appeared on ABC’s “The View” to talk about an explosive documentary centering around her aunt.
For 12 seasons, Williams reigned supreme on her unapologetic daytime gossip fest, “The Wendy Williams Show,” with the signature greeting “how you doin’?” and her famous Hot Topics segment.
But now, the 59-year-old self-proclaimed “Queen of All Media” is, herself, the hot topic in a jarring new Lifetime documentary, “Where is Wendy Williams?”
From the start, we witness an erratic and shockingly thin Wendy. Lifetime producers show low moments with excessive drinking and fits of anger.
Finnie, who joined the Local 10 News team in 2018, told the women on “The View” Thursday morning that she’s been holding onto family secrets for a very long time.
“I would love it if my aunt could be here today to tell her story,” she said. “But unfortunately, she’s not. So I’m doing the best I can.”
Williams’ story took a dramatic turn on Halloween of 2017 when she collapsed on her show.
Some were wondering whether Williams, who has openly talked about her health struggles and battle with alcohol and substance abuse, was in trouble.
“People are going to see that throughout the documentary. I think people are going to walk away saying, ‘This is more than what we realized in terms of what we’ve read,’ whether it’s things they might have seen on her show throughout the years that seemed a little off,” Finnie said. “People are going to walk away with that and say, ‘What is really going on here with her medically?’”
Her show went on. Two years later, a messy divorce, bizarre behavior and long absences from the set followed.
In early 2022, “The Wendy Williams Show” was cancelled.
Months later, she invited documentary cameras in as she hoped to reveal a career reboot.
But that’s not what producers found. They discovered a lonely, agitated woman.
A New York judge appointed a guardian to manage her finances and her life. The action came after her bank, Wells Fargo, claimed in 2022 court documents that Williams was a “victim of undue influence and financial exploitation.”
“The court is going to look at the best interests of the individual,” ABC News contributor Brian Buckmeier said. “It will be based on the evidence presented as to how the family was helping Wendy Williams at the time.”
Overnight, a Wells Fargo spokesperson told ABC News, “This matter was conducted under seal. Any claims against Wells Fargo have been dismissed.”
Family members insist their biggest concern is Williams’ well-being after noticing her apparent cognitive decline.
“There’s some people who will see this docuseries and think that Wendy has been exploited and that her family, you guys want to make some money off of her. So how do you respond to that?” “View” co-host Joy Behar asked Finnie.
“Well, you know, I respond to it by saying I was not paid. Sitting here today, I haven’t taken a dime. I’m not getting paid off of this. This is literally just a labor of love and fighting for your family,” Finnie said. “We’re fighting for our family and I know that to the rest of the world she’s Wendy Williams, but to me, she’s my aunt. She’s my godmother. She’s family. Just like how I’m doing the same thing for my aunt Wendy, I would do it for my mother, Wanda, I would do it for my my grandfather, Thomas.”
Finnie concluded, “It’s family at the end of the day.”
Williams’ diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia is the same condition actor Bruce Willis is living with.
According to CNN, Williams’ representatives shared the news Thursday in order to “correct inaccurate and hurtful rumors about her health.”