Dementia and aphasia: TV star Wendy Williams' diagnoses

Wendy Williams’ care team announced in a press release that the popular daytime TV talk show host has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

The statement says the announcement comes to correct “inaccurate and hurtful rumors about her 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,” it reads.

The statement said she got the serious diagnoses in 2023, and that they also decided to share the news to raise awareness about the diseases. “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."

Aphasia is a disorder that affects communication, often speech and the way you write and understand words, according to the Mayo Clinic. It usually happens after a stroke or head injury, but can also come on gradually from a degenerative disease or a brain tumor.

This is a term to describe brain diseases that mainly affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, which are associated with personality, behavior, and language. In FTD, parts of the lobes shrink. It tends to occur at a younger age than Alzehimers, often beginning around 40-65, according to the Mayo Clinic.

The ‘Diehard’ actor is coping with the same diagnosis. He was diagnosed with aphasia in 2022 and then received the FTD diagnosis in 2023. Willis is 67 and Willis is 59 years old. The association AFTD estimates that between 50,000 and 60,000 people in the U.S. have FTD. Unfortunately, there is no cure and the disease gets progressively worse.

Her latest diagnosis has not been her only health struggle. She has been open about her battle with the autoimmune disorder Graves’ disease, as well as alcohol addiction. She filed for divorce in April 2019, after it emerged her husband’s alleged mistress was having a baby. They share one child together, currently in his 20s (shown).

From 2008 to 2021, she hosted the popular daytime TV talk show ‘The Wendy Williams Show. Before that, she gained notoriety for her humor and on-air spats with celebrities when she was an award-winning radio host. Her no-holds-barred style of hosting caused controversies but also attracted a passionate legion of fans.

In 2017, she fainted on her show from dehydration. Her health issues with Graves’ disease and other issues like a fractured shoulder also forced her to have to take several hiatuses from hosting her show, including three weeks in 2018 and six weeks in 2019. Her alcohol abuse was also frightening to those around her in recent years, People magazine reported the day before her diagnosis was made public.

Williams is under a court-ordered guardianship, and, according to People magazine, her guardians filed a lawsuit against A&E Television Networks to stop a documentary from coming out. ‘Where is Wendy Williams?’ began filming in 2022, shortly before her diagnosis. The lawsuit didn't work and the doc, which Variety described as "unsettling and exploitative," aired just a few days after her diagnosis was made public.

The same week that all of the news came out, family members raised concerns about the restrictive guardianship with People. They said she were put under a guardianship without their input in 2022 and not considered as potential caregivers. "How is that system better than the system the family could put in place? I don't know," her sister Wanda said.

According to the press release, Wendy is still quite independent. “Most importantly she maintains her trademark sense of humor and is receiving the care she requires to make sure she is protected and that her needs are addressed. She is appreciative of the many kind thoughts and good wishes being sent her way,” the statement, written by her team of guardians, concludes.