Daytime television icon Wendy Williams, who has been out of the limelight since her talk show ended in 2022, has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and dementia.
via: Today Show
As rumors about Wendy Williams’ health continue to swirl, her care team revealed that she’s been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia. A press release from Feb. 22, 2024 confirmed that “after undergoing a battery of medical tests,” Williams was diagnosed with both conditions in 2023.
Aphasia is a disorder that impacts communication, including speech, writing and the ability to understand language. Frontotemporal dementia, also known as FTD, is a progressive condition that effects cognitive function and tends to result in changes in behavior, speech and disposition. Both conditions, her team said, have “presented significant hurdles” in the star’s’ life, acknowledging the ongoing speculation about Williams’ 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,” the release stated. It added that the decision to share this news was difficult, but in doing so, Williams and her team are hoping to raise awareness about aphasia and FTD.
“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,” the statement said.
This announcement comes just two days before Williams’ return to television. Two years after canceling her hit talk show, the former “The Wendy Williams Show” host and her family will address the speculation regarding Williams’ health and cognitive abilities in a new Lifetime documentary, “Where Is Wendy Williams?” coming out Feb. 24, 2024.
In 2022, a film crew set out to chronicle the next stage of Williams’ career and her plans to release a new podcast, but the two-part documentary’s tone shifts as Williams’ health takes a lead role, according to People.
By 2023, documentary production was forced to stop and pivot when Williams entered a treatment facility for “cognitive issues” and her family lost contact with her, People reported.
“My mom has done a great job making it seem like everything is OK always,” Williams’ son, Kevin Hunter Jr., said in the film’s trailer. “But, in reality, there’s something wrong going on.” At one point in the documentary, Williams’ driver wonders if her’ memory is faltering, according to People.
Since canceling her daytime talk show, Williams, 59, has kept relatively quiet about her wellbeing despite mounting rumors. But come Saturday, viewers will get updates on her health and how she got here.
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