The View cohost and legal correspondent Sunny Hostin is sharing her thoughts on Wendy Williams’ guardianship and health battles in the wake of Williams’ controversial Lifetime docuseries.
“I had the pleasure of being Wendy’s legal eagle on her radio show, so we’ve known each other for a really long time,” Hostin, 55, shared on the Tuesday, February 27, episode of The View. “I had the pleasure of getting to know her personally and also professionally, so [the docuseries] was very painful for me to watch.”
Lifetime’s Where is Wendy Williams? aired on Saturday, February 24, and Sunday, February 25, and the four-episode docuseries chronicles the 59-year-old media personality’s life following the end of her talk show, and then being placed under a financial guardianship.
Hostin said she watched the entirety of the documentary with Williams’ niece, Alex Finnie, “because I wanted to understand what had happened to my friend.” Finnie joined The View cohosts last week, discussing the docuseries prior to its release during the February 22 episode of the talk show.
“I think that if anything good comes of [the docuseries], what people should know is that she signed this deal to do these three documentaries before she was incapacitated,” Hostin said on February 27. “So this was something that she wanted to do, she wanted her family to be involved and it was supposed to be a show about her comeback, but she was in the throes of addiction.”
Hostin continued: “I think we also need to remember that the pandemic happened, that her husband had an affair and had a baby with another woman and they got divorced, and we also have to remember that she lost her mother, who was her best friend. So we’re seeing a confluence that I think would take anyone out. But she’s still standing.”
Days before the release of the series, Williams’ team revealed that she was diagnosed with Aphasia and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) in addition to her ongoing struggles with Graves’ disease and addiction to alcohol.
Hostin shared her own personal experience with dementia, questioning the logic of Williams’ guardianship, which doesn’t allow Williams to see her family. “I have two people in my family [with dementia], one who is presently in a facility and another person who has passed away, so I’m very familiar with dementia,” Hostin said. “Being around family members can actually be quite helpful. It brings back memories.”
In May 2022, Wells Fargo placed Williams under financial guardianship, alleging that the talk show host was the victim of financial exploitation. Since then, Williams’ family has spoken out about their lack of involvement in the guardianship and their concern for her.
“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,” Tommy Williams, Wendy’s brother, exclusively told Us Weekly. “All I want for her is freedom. We have a father who would love to see her.”
Hostin also expressed her concern over the guardianship. “If you watch the documentary, please take note of the woman [who] is an expert in guardianship, [Diane Diamond]. … She says that 90% of people in guardianships do not get out of them,” she said. “That’s a system that may be broken, and that’s a system we may need to look at a little bit more.”
At the end of the day, though, Hostin just wants to see Wendy safe and healthy again.
“I just wish all the best for her,” Hostin said. “I hope I get to see my friend again.”
