OWendy Williams’ brother, Tommy Williams has alleged that the former talk show host is ‘stuck’ in a treatment facility and wants her released.
The TV personality, 59, is currently receiving treatment for frontotemporal dementia, which her son claims is ‘alcohol-induced’, and aphasia in an undisclosed facility in New York, where she’s reportedly been since April 2023.
‘I know that she is stuck and we are trying to unstick her. Her family is here and she doesn’t need a facility. We are here to take care of her,’ he told Us Weekly.
‘All I want for her is freedom. We have a father who would love to see her,’ he added.
He also expressed his frustration with not being able to see her, telling the publication: ‘We’re dealing with unknowns. We just want to be able to check in with her. I would fly up there [to New York], but where do I go? No one knows anything.’
Tommy added that communication between the TV host and her family has been difficult.
‘We can’t communicate unless someone patches us through,’ he revealed.
‘We wait for calls. I wait for calls from Wendy or my sister or whoever she can get to first and we can all hop on. When she makes that phone call [to us], we’re committed to listening and sharing for the moment.’
Tommy added that it ‘seems like forever’ since he’s seen his sister.
‘It’s because of the people who she is around. You can’t leave. You’re there as part of a program.’
‘It’s the one thing that is holding her and keeping her from communicating, traveling and doing all the things she likes to do.’
The care team for the star announced her diagnosis of Aphasia and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) in a press release on Thursday. They said Williams had undergone ‘a battery of medical tests’ before arriving at the diagnosis.
The statement noted that Williams had been diagnosed back in 2023. The talk show host has reportedly been living in a treatment facility since April 2023.
The update came ahead of the February 24 premiere of a Lifetime documentary Where Is Wendy Williams? which details her struggles with alcohol abuse and mental health in recent years.
