Wendy Williams’ guardian has been accused of “exceeding his authority” by trying to change and redact a documentary about the former chat show host in a new lawsuit filed by A&E Networks after it was revealed she was left “permanently incapacitated.” ” for his battle with dementia.
The American multinational broadcaster has filed a countersuit to the attempt by Wendy’s guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, 60, to obtain the documentary titled Where is Wendy Williams? – were issued in February and closed according to TMZ On Wednesday.
A&E claims that Sabrina is exceeding her authority by trying to change and redact parts of the documentary, since Wendy had signed a talent agreement before becoming “mentally incapacitated,” as the guardian claimed.
DailyMail.com has contacted Wendy’s representatives and has yet to receive a response.
The popular network also claims that there is no law against making a documentary about a subject with dementia so, in effect, even if a talent agreement were not signed, nothing they had done would be considered wrong.
The broadcasting company is suing Sabrina for attempting to infringe on A&E’s First Amendment rights, giving the example of Sabrina’s original lawsuit filed in February in which she tried to get a judge to stop the release of the original documentary.
Wendy Williams’ guardian has been accused of “exceeding his authority” by attempting to change and redact a documentary about the former chat show host in a new lawsuit filed by A&E Networks according to TMZ; the star is seen in Hollywood back in October 2019
A&E claims that Sabrina had forced her production company to defend itself against the documentary’s “baseless claims.”
TMZ also claims that A&E says in the countersuit that Sabrina is trying to deny Wendy: “One of her last opportunities to exercise her autonomy and honestly reach her fans in exactly the frank, unfiltered manner that was the hallmark of her career.” “.
This comes as Sabrina had claimed Wendy was left “permanently incapacitated” by her battle with dementia, her guardian claimed in the latest legal dispute over the star’s tell-all documentary.
Host Williams was diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in May 2023. The diagnosis came a year after Wendy was placed under court-ordered legal guardianship that oversees both her finances and health.
Where’s Wendy Williams?, which aired in February, was intended to explore Williams’ life as she prepared to launch a new podcast, but featured shocking scenes showing the former host drinking vodka in bed and suffering panic attacks. , which sparked a fan backlash against Lifetime. .
His guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, is now embroiled in a legal battle with the network over the documentary.
In a presentation obtained by The US SunMorrissey’s lawyers called Williams “an acclaimed artist who, tragically, has been affected by early-onset dementia and, as a result, has been left cognitively impaired and permanently disabled.”
‘In January 2022, after becoming aware of a pattern of disturbing events related to (Wendy’s) well-being and finances, Wells Fargo took the highly unusual step of initiating suo motu conservatorship proceedings in the Supreme Court of New York, New York County (the ‘Guardianship Proceeding’), to seek court appointment of an independent guardian for (Wendy’s) financial affairs.
Wendy was left “permanently incapacitated” by her battle with dementia, her guardian previously claimed
The filing also requests parts of the case about Williams. “Health, family relationships and finances” will be redacted to protect your privacy.
‘We respectfully request that the Court grant Plaintiff’s motion for limited redactions to protect non-public information from the Guardianship Proceeding that has been sealed by the court overseeing that proceeding.
New York attorney Morrissey was appointed as her conservator after Wells Fargo froze her accounts in 2022, as a result of her financial advisor at the time claiming she was “of sound mind.”
In March, it was reported that Wendy was allegedly paid $100,000 per episode for her participation in the four-part documentary series titled Where’s Wendy Williams?
At the same time, it was revealed that Wendy’s guardian had filed a lawsuit against Lifetime’s parent company, A&E Television Networks, with accusations of “blatant exploitation” in a “disgusting” manner.
The guardian, Sabrina, filed the lawsuit under time seal (which keeps details of the case protected from the public) last month, but the documents were unsealed and reviewed by The Hollywood Reporterrevealing explosive allegations in the case.
“This blatant exploitation of a vulnerable woman with a serious medical condition and loved by millions inside and outside the black community is repugnant and cannot be allowed,” the legal team for Williams’ guardian told the court.
Sabrina told the court that the talk show host “did not have the capacity to consent,” according to THR, and the producers did not obtain her consent, as her court-appointed guardian, to produce it.
Where’s Wendy Williams?, which aired in February, was intended to explore Williams’ life as she prepared to launch a new podcast, but featured shocking scenes showing the former host drinking vodka in bed and suffering panic attacks. , which sparked a fan backlash against Lifetime.
In a filing obtained by The US Sun, attorneys for conservator Sabrina Morrissey called Williams “an acclaimed artist who, tragically, has been affected by early-onset dementia and, as a result, has been left cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated.”
The producers misled Williams into thinking the documentary would be a “positive and beneficial” project for his public image and reputation, according to the lawsuit.
Williams’ publicist also criticized the Lifetime documentary for which he hired his famous television client. Shawn Zanotti blamed the series’ producers, claiming the TV icon believed he was filming a show about his comeback, only for filmmakers to capture “a circus to his downfall.”
Zanotti, who has worked as Williams’ publicist since 2021, spoke with NBC News about his complaints with the making of Where’s Wendy Williams?, a four-part documentary now airing on Lifetime.
In an interview with the outlet, Zanotti stated, “I felt like (Williams) was being exploited.”
In August, Williams was seen in public for the first time in more than a year at an herbal supplement store in Newark, New Jersey.
‘She thought we were focusing on her career comeback. …She would be mortified. There’s no way you can convince me that she would be okay with looking and seeing herself that way.
she also said PEOPLE that she felt “lied” about it.
Despite having encouraged his client to sign up for the show, Zanotti now says, “I would never let Wendy put her name and brand on the line like that. She’s an icon. It’s not the story we signed up for and “I feel lied to.” to.’
Adding: ‘It’s very difficult for me to even watch. Wendy would be mortified.