Wendy Williams Guardian Accused Of Mishandling $400K In Lifetime Lawsuit Amid Dementia Disaster

The tragic saga of Wendy Williams, the enduring discuss present host turned cautionary story, has taken one other saddening flip.

On Tuesday (November 26), a report from The Solar revealed that William’s court-appointed guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, is embroiled in a authorized warfare with Lifetime, A&E and different manufacturing firms over the controversial documentary The place Is Wendy Williams? The documentary, which aired in February, painted a grim image of Williams’ post-career struggles, sparking accusations of exploitation and counterclaims of censorship.

Williams, 60, was identified with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in Might 2023, a 12 months after being positioned beneath a court-ordered guardianship to handle her funds and well being. The four-part Lifetime docuseries, initially marketed as a glimpse into Williams’ try at a profession comeback with a brand new podcast, as an alternative revealed surprising footage of her consuming vodka in mattress and affected by panic assaults.

Followers had been outraged, however the backlash didn’t cease there—Morrissey filed a lawsuit in opposition to Lifetime, A&E Tv Networks and manufacturing firms Leisure One and Creature Movies, claiming the sequence was a “blatant exploitation” of Williams’ weak state.

“This blatant exploitation of a weak girl with a critical medical situation is disgusting,” Morrissey’s authorized workforce declared in courtroom paperwork obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. They argued that Williams, who was deemed “completely incapacitated,” lacked the cognitive means to consent to the venture. Moreover, they claimed producers misled her into believing the sequence would have a good time her resilience and public picture.

Morrissey wasn’t alone in her outrage. Wendy’s longtime publicist, Shawn Zanotti, lambasted the documentary, calling it “a circus to her downfall.”

“She thought we had been specializing in the comeback of her profession,” Zanotti revealed whereas talking to NBC Information. “Wendy can be mortified if she noticed how she was portrayed.”

In a separate interview with Folks, Zanotti added, “I really feel lied to. This isn’t the story we signed up for.”

Nevertheless, Lifetime and its co-defendants fired again with counterclaims, accusing Morrissey of misusing her authority to dam the documentary’s launch in an try and deflect scrutiny of her personal actions as Williams’ guardian.

In accordance with courtroom filings obtained by the U.S. Solar, the community alleged that Morrissey tried to silence criticism of her “controversial and failed administration” of the guardianship. In addition they claimed that Morrissey’s actions had been pushed by private embarrassment, because the documentary uncovered her failure to adequately shield Williams, leaving the previous star remoted and weak.

The counterclaims went additional, asserting that The place Is Wendy Williams? supplied an “sincere and unfiltered window” into Williams’ struggles, permitting her to attach with followers within the candid method that outlined her profession. Leisure One argued that the sequence captured “how her authenticity nonetheless shined” regardless of her decline. In addition they defended their cost to Williams, revealing that she was paid roughly $400,000 for her participation—opposite to Morrissey’s declare of $82,000.

Lifetime attorneys pointed to the involvement of Wendy’s household, stating that they accredited the documentary’s content material earlier than its launch and even gave interviews to advertise. Moreover, an appellate choose overturned Morrissey’s try to dam the discharge of the sequence, ruling that it will violate Lifetime’s First Modification rights.

Regardless of Morrissey’s accusations, Leisure One accused her of prioritizing her status over Williams’ needs. “She denied Wendy maybe one in every of her final possibilities to actually attain her followers,” the corporate said. In the meantime, Mark Ford of Creature Movies downplayed the monetary success of the venture, denying that it generated “thousands and thousands” in earnings as alleged by Morrissey.

Because the authorized drama unfolds, either side are looking for damages and legal professional’s charges, with Lifetime and the manufacturing firms standing agency of their protection of the documentary. For Wendy Williams, as soon as hailed because the “Queen of Discuss,” the battle over her story is a painful reminder of her fall from grace, leaving followers divided over who is really performing in her greatest curiosity.