Wendy Williams diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and apahasia: What to know about her health
A two-part Lifetime film offers updates on where the star has been and how she’s doing.
As rumors about Wendy Williams’ health continue to swirl, her care team revealed that she’s been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia. A press release from Feb. 22, 2024, confirmed that “after undergoing a battery of medical tests,” Williams received the diagnosis in 2023.
Frontotemporal dementia, also known as FTD, is a progressive condition that effects cognitive function and tends to result in changes in behavior, speech and disposition. Primary progressive aphasia is a subtype of FTD impacting communication, including speech, writing and the ability to understand language.
The statement explained that Williams’ conditions have “presented significant hurdles” in the star’s’ life, acknowledging the ongoing speculation about Williams’ health.
“Over the past few years, questions have been raised at times about Wendy’s ability to process information and many have speculated about Wendy’s condition, particularly when she began to lose words, act erratically at times, and have difficulty understanding financial transactions,” the release stated. It added that the decision to share this news was difficult, but in doing so, Williams and her team are hoping to raise awareness about aphasia and FTD.
This announcement comes just two days before Williams’ return to television. Two years after canceling her hit talk show, the former “The Wendy Williams Show” host and her family will address the speculation regarding Williams’ health and cognitive abilities in a new Lifetime documentary, “Where Is Wendy Williams?” coming out Feb. 24, 2024.
Wendy Williams in the new Lifetime documentary, “Where is Wendy Williams?”YouTube
Since canceling her daytime talk show, Williams, 59, has kept relatively quiet about her wellbeing despite mounting rumors. But come Saturday, viewers will get updates on her health and how she got here. Until then, here’s what to know about Williams’ health:
Williams was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia in 2023
Williams was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in 2023, according to the Feb. 22 statement. “Receiving a diagnosis has enabled Wendy to receive the medical care she requires,” the statement added.
Primary progressive aphasia is a type of FTD that usually results in no longer being able to speak, read, write or understand what people are saying, according to the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration.
FTD is caused by shrinking in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, which control personality, behavior and language. Depending on which parts of the brain are affected, someone might experience personality changes, such as behaving erratically, inappropriately, or becoming distant, according to Mayo Clinic.
FTD is sometimes misdiagnosed as a mental health condition or Alzheimer’s disease, but it typically occurs at a younger age, between 40 and 65, than other types of dementia.
“Most people, when they think of the word dementia, they think problems with memory and Alzheimer’s disease, but FTD doesn’t really show up as problems with memory. … It affects how people behave, how they interact with others and how they speak,” Dr. Sami Barmada, director of Michigan Brain Bank and associate professor of neurology at University of Michigan Medicine, previously told TODAY.com about Bruce Willis, who was diagnosed with the same conditions.
The same year that Williams was diagnosed with aphasia and FTD, the crew of “Where Is Wendy Williams?” had to stop filming because she entered a treatment facility for “cognitive issues,” People reported.
There were questions around her cognitive state
Prior to Williams revealing her FTD diagnosis, many people were speculating that the star was having cognitive issues.
“Her care team is sharing this very personal update with her cherished fans, friends, and supporters to correct inaccurate and hurtful rumors about her health,” the statement explained.
“Unfortunately, many individuals diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia face stigma and misunderstanding, particularly when they begin to exhibit behavioral changes but have not yet received a diagnosis.”
Williams currently has a court-appointed legal guardian who oversees her money and her health to avoid the potential for her to be exploited due to her cognitive issues, according to People.
Williams’ sister, Wanda Finnie, also told People in a story published Feb. 21, 2024, that the star is now in a wellness facility that specializes in treating cognitive issues.
Williams revealed she was diagnosed with Graves’ disease in 2018
In February 2018, the talk show host announced she’d be taking a three-week break from “The Wendy Williams Show” because she had been diagnosed with Graves’ disease. About a week before, she’d canceled several shows due to experiencing flu-like symptoms. At the time, a rep for her show told TODAY.com in a statement that she’d had Graves’ disease for “many years.”
“Graves’ disease is an autoimmune condition that stimulates the receptors on the thyroid gland to make more thyroid hormones,” Dr. Deena Gupta-Adimoolam, a specialist in endocrinology and primary care prevention, tells TODAY.com. This overproduction of thyroid hormones, or hyperthyroidism, can lead to an increased heart rate, sweating, weight loss, anxiety, hair loss, difficulty sleeping and bulging eyes, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Williams noted that her fans had pointed out changes in her eyes when she revealed her diagnosis. “Graves’ disease squeezes the muscles behind the eyeballs,” she explained, adding that it’s caused her eyeballs to twitch.
Williams returned to her show, but she had to take time off in 2019 and again in 2020 to cope with her illness.
“If hyperthyroidism is untreated, it can be life-threatening,” Adimoolam says. While there are treatments, such as medication, surgery and therapy, Graves’ disease looks different for every person, she adds. Even with treatment, it might remain debilitating for some.
Williams fainted on live TV in 2017
In October 2017, Williams passed out during the Halloween episode of her talk show. Dressed as the Statue of Liberty, she was talking to the camera and then started to shake and struggle to speak before falling on the ground. The show cut to a commercial, and when it returned, she told viewers, “That was not a stunt. I overheated in my costume. I passed out.”
The next day, she explained that prior to fainting, she felt “hot and a little dizzy.” She said the paramedics later told her she was low on electrolytes.
“It was scary,” she recalled. “It was really scary. It was so scary, all I could think of in the middle of the scare was, ‘Don’t pull the podium over on you, because that’ll make it worse.’”
Williams has struggled with alcohol and cocaine use
In 2013, Williams told NPR she used be a “real fiend” when it came to drugs. “I was addicted to cocaine,” she said. “Crack cocaine — cooking it, getting it up in the Bronx. … Thank God I never got stopped by the cops to shame my family and myself and lose my job.”
In 2019, Williams revealed she was living in a sober house. “You know I’ve had a struggle with cocaine in my past, and I never went to a place to get the treatment,” Williams said during an episode of her show.
The trailer for her documentary and a recent People cover story also reference her alcohol use. In the trailer, someone close to her holds up an empty bottle of vodka and asks her if she drank it in one day. The documentary’s executive producer Mark Ford told People: “She was already battling so much physically, and then it became clear that there were mental and addiction issues she was also battling.”
She fractured her shoulder in 2018
In 2019, Variety reported that Williams fractured her shoulder in December of 2018, delaying her return to the show following the holidays. Williams was originally scheduled to return to the show on Jan. 7 but had to delay her return by a week to focus on recovery.
She revealed she has lymphedema in 2022
During a 2022 segment with TMZ Live, Williams held up a swollen foot and she explained she has lymphedema. The condition is caused by an accumulation of fluid that builds up when the lymphatic system doesn’t properly drain fluid from various parts of the body, according to the Mayo Clinic.
“I can only feel maybe 5% of my feet. Do you understand?” she asked. “Normally I would be in a wheelchair.”
Wendy WilliamsCalvin Gayle / Lifetime
What is Wendy Williams doing today?
Williams is staying in a wellness facility, her sister and niece told People. They said that because of her court-appointed guardian, they cannot contact Williams, but Williams can reach out to them.
“I spoke with her yesterday, and I speak with her very regularly when she reaches out to me. She is, from what I understand, in a wellness, healing type of environment,” Wanda Finnie said.
“She is in a healing place emotionally,” Finnie added. “She’s not the person that you see in (the documentary).”
How to watch “Where is Wendy Williams?” documentary
The 2024 documentary “Where is Wendy Williams?” will air on Lifetime at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Feb. 24 and 25. You can stream it with any service that has live cable, and it will be available to stream the next day at MyLifetime.com.
