Wendy Williams got only $82K for Lifetime documentary that showed her decline, claims guardian in lawsuit
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Wendy Williams’ representative has reportedly accused the makers of an infamous documentary of “viciously and shamelessly” exploiting the talk show host while paying her a minimal amount of money.
The four-part docuseries in question is Lifetime's special ‘Where Is Wendy Williams?’ which aired earlier this year, showcasing her physical and mental decline following her aphasia and frontotemporal dementia diagnosis.
On Monday, September 16, Williams' legal guardian Sabrina Morrissey filed a 75-page complaint in the New York Supreme Court while demanding profits from the show for the 60-year-old TV host’s medical care, as per People.
Wendy Williams’ legal guardian alleges docuseries ‘took advantage of her'
The complaint alleged that “by willfully taking advantage of a severely impaired, incapacitated person, Defendants have made millions on W.W.H.’s back, while W.W.H. has received a paltry $82,000".
The suit further claimed that Lifetime's parent company, A&E Television Networks, Lifetime Entertainment Services, EOne Productions, Creature Films, and its executive producer Mark Ford “took advantage of W.W.H in the cruelest, most obscene way possible for their own financial gain, in a manner that truly shocks the conscience.”
Sabrina Morrissey also mentioned in the amended complaint that the mini-series presented the former TV host as a “laughingstock and drunkard, implicitly responsible for her own continued suffering”.
“This case arises from the brutally calculated, deliberate actions of powerful and cravenly opportunistic media companies working together with a producer to knowingly exploit W.W.H," the 75-page suit asserted, before adding, “In all events, W.W.H. was incapacitated and unable to consent at the time the Contract or its amendments were executed, even if she had signed it (which she did not).”
Kaplan Martin LLP and Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, attorneys for Williams’ guardian told the outlet, “As our complaint shows in painful and excruciating detail, A&E, Lifetime and Mark Ford viciously and shamelessly exploited Wendy Williams for their own profit while she was obviously incapacitated and suffering from dementia."
“Their behavior truly shocks the conscience, and they should not be permitted to profit from her suffering. We are proud to represent her guardian in holding them accountable.”
Documentary creators claim to not know about Wendy Williams’ dementia diagnosis
In February, 'Where is Wendy Williams?' documentary executive producer and showrunner Erica Hanson claimed they found out about Wendy William's primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia diagnosis just about the same time as her care team announced it publicly.
Hanson said, as per People, “We had no idea that she had dementia when we started filming [in August 2022], or we wouldn't have filmed. I think the documentary really illustrates our journey of trying to understand what was happening.”
“It sheds light on that period of time in Wendy's life where she was under the care of a guardianship and living a very isolated life in New York, in that apartment. We all really did have concerns for her,” she stated.
Hanson added at the time, “We've often thought: 'What would've happened if we weren't there?' It's interesting to see the reaction from fans and viewers since the documentary aired, and especially understanding why we stayed. A lot of it was out of concern.”
