The guardian of Wendy Williams has filed a sealed lawsuit against A&E Networks just days before her Lifetime subsidiary was set to release a documentary on the talk show host.
Williams’ representatives revealed Thursday that she has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia.
Earlier this month, Lifetime announced it would debut a 4 1/2-hour documentary over two nights, Where is Wendy Williams? It is scheduled to be broadcast on Saturday and Sunday.
The lawsuit was filed in New York Supreme Court on Thursday by Sabrina Morrissey, “as interim conservator of WWH.” Entertainment One Reality Productions is also named in the complaint.
The lawsuit sought injunctive relief, and records show A&E Networks filed an appeal this morning. Lawyers for Morrissey and A&E did not immediately respond to requests for comment. An A&E spokesperson also did not immediately comment. Deposits remain under seal.
When the documentary was announced, a statement to Lifetime said: “After Wendy Williams was placed under financial conservatorship and her talk show was unexpectedly cancelled, she was determined to return to her career. The cameras opened the doors to her private life like never before,” The cameras recorded her journey back to reclaim her life and legacy despite facing health problems and personal turmoil.With the unparalleled access granted by Wendy to film with her and her family for nearly two years, what was captured was not what anyone expected.
“The documentary presents the raw, honest, unfiltered truth of Wendy’s life after she was placed under financial conservatorship, and highlights the vulnerabilities that turned Wendy into a hot topic herself. Suffering from mental and physical problems, Wendy’s delicate mental state, her erratic behavior and declining health, Captured by cameras.
“I’ll tell you what, if it happened to me, it could happen to you,” Williams herself says in the documentary. She is also an executive producer on the project.
Lifetime also has plans to provide information about mental health and other resources, as well as messaging on social media. The website link is not active as of today, but Lifetime continues to promote the project and trailer on its website.
TMZ first reported the lawsuit.