Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of substance abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
Wendy Williams’ guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, assists the former TV show host in financial decision-making after Wells Fargo deemed her “incapacitated.” In May 2022, while Williams struggled with her deteriorating health, the bank sought to place her under temporary financial guardianship. Per The Hollywood Reporter, they claimed she was a “victim of undue influence and financial exploitation.”
People Magazine reported that Wells Fargo froze Williams’ accounts and argued that she was of “unsound mind.” The financial institution successfully petitioned for guardianship, and a court assigned Sabrina Morrissey, a New York lawyer, to be Williams’ guardian. The guardian’s identity had remained a secret until earlier this year when Morrissey filed a lawsuit against Lifetime and the network’s parent company, A&E Television Networks.
As Wendy Williams’ guardian, Sabrina Morrissey filed the lawsuit against the network before the premiere of Where Is Wendy Williams?. The documentary covers Williams’ life between 2022 and 2023 when her health declined. Then, in 2023, medical experts diagnosed the former host with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia. Her care team only released the news of the diagnosis days before the documentary’s premiere in February 2024.
Recently, Morrissey was involved in the sale of Williams’ Manhattan penthouse, per the New York Post.
Why was Wendy Williams’ guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, against the Lifetime documentary?
Wendy Williams’ guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, who has not been named in Lifetime’s documentary, filed a lawsuit against the network. According to People Magazine, Morrissey filed the lawsuit on February 20, after watching the trailer, which she claimed “horrified” her. She claimed Lifetime and its parent network A&E “shamelessly exploits [Williams] and portrays her in an extremely demeaning and undignified manner.”
The filings stated that the Where Is Wendy Williams? documentary “incorrectly states that she [Williams] is ‘broke.’” She claimed it further “cruelly implies that her disoriented demeanor is due to substance abuse and intoxication.” The New York lawyer also argued that the former TV show host is “not capable of consenting” to any terms concerning the documentary.
Wendy Williams’ guardian claimed that she only allowed the project to proceed because they believed they would get a “review and final approval of the Guardian and the court, who are responsible for [Williams’] wellbeing.” However, she alleged the network did not acquire any “such approval” from her or the star’s guardianship beforehand.
Per the outlet, Sabrina Morrissey’s lawsuit filing stated that the “documentary would even further portray [Williams] in a humiliating and demeaning manner.” It further read that the project “unconscionably” exploits the former host’s condition. Additionally, the lawsuit mentioned that the documentary discloses personal and private medical diagnoses for “entertainment value.” Morrissey called it a “blatant exploitation of a vulnerable woman with a serious medical condition,” condemning the work.
Morrissey then requested a temporary restraining order on Where Is Wendy Williams?. A court later granted the restraining order but a superior court overturned it on appeal on February 23. According to Variety, an appellate judge ruled it was “impermissible prior restraint on speech” citing the First Amendment. The judge, however, did not dismiss the lawsuit, per NBC News.
People Magazine stated that the documentary’s executive producer, Mark Ford, released a statement defending their work. Ford’s statement also countered Wendy Williams’ guardian Sabrina Morrissey’s lawsuit. He stated that “Wendy, her management, her attorneys, the guardianship” had signed off on the documentary and “were aware of the filming.” The filming for the documentary began in 2022 and concluded the following year.
Ford added that they did everything “by the book,” which included getting “all the permissions” they needed. He said, “We went into this film thinking it was one thing” and only learned about Williams’ diagnosis later. “Once we started seeing the truth of the situation, we couldn’t ignore it. And the film had to go in the direction of the truth,” he said.
On February 23, the same day Sabrina Morrissey filed the lawsuit, Wendy Williams’ care team released the news of her diagnosis. In a press release two days before the documentary premiere, her team shared that Weill Cornell Medicine had diagnosed the star with progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia.
Per CNN, the statement read that there have been “questions” and speculation “about Wendy’s ability to process information.” People Magazine reportedly raised these questions and concerns after “she began to lose words.” The release stated that she also acted “erratically at times” and had “difficulty understanding financial transactions.”
Williams’ team claimed, “The decision to share this news was difficult and made after careful consideration.” Their intention was “to advocate for understanding and compassion” for the star. The care team further claimed they also wanted to raise “awareness about aphasia and frontotemporal dementia.”
People Magazine stated, per the release, that Wendy Williams’ condition has “already presented significant hurdles” in her life. However, it mentioned that she is “still able to do many things for herself” and “maintains her trademark sense of humor.” Her team also said she “is receiving the care she requires.”
Lifetime’s Where Is Wendy Williams? premiered on February 24 and February 25. The documentary series is now streaming on the network.