Wendy Williams Reportedly Has No Desire To Return To TV Hosting, Looking Into Speaking Tour To Expose ‘Horrific Guardianship System

Former talk show host Wendy Williams allegedly has no plans to return to television, but that doesn’t mean she won’t be using her voice in oher ways.

via: Daily Mail

A source has told Page Six that Williams, 61, has thought about going on a speaking tour to advocate for guardianship protections - and has no desire to return to her former job as a TV host. 

Williams rose to fame as a disc jockey before landing her own TV show focused on pop culture, but is now reportedly seeking to shift her focus towards assisting those who may be facing struggles in their own guardianships.  

The former daytime TV queen has been living at a luxury assisted-living facility in New York since being placed under court-ordered guardianship under Sabrina Morrissey in 2022.

'It’s just an idea, but she thinks it’s important. She wants to maybe do panels, and help facilitate it and [talk about how] to protect families from guardianships. She wants to talk about how to get out of it, and all of the red flags,' the source told Page Six, adding, 'She wants to bring this issue to the stage.'

Williams' lawyer Joe Tacopina also recently said his client was aware of the advantages her celebrity could bring to the cause.

'Here's the great thing about Wendy Williams - what she said to me once, more than once actually, is "Joe I wish I weren't in this situation,' he told Extra. 'I really do. But if someone were going to be in this situation, better to be me with a platform so I can expose this system than some individual who gets caught in a vortex of a horrific guardianship situation where you can't get out,' he said.

'Wendy has a platform... Celebrities have gone to see her... people care about her....' he continued.

'We are approaching three years now with her, where she's not able to do what she wants. She can't live her life, go on vacation, forget it,' he said.

'She said that if it was going to be somebody, she's happy it is her, because hopefully it will put an end to this type of, well she calls it, abuse.'

Tacopina also offered an update on his client, saying she was 'doing great' - while slamming the guardianship.

'It’s just so unjust and so, quite frankly, despicable,' Tacoima told Extra of her legal situation. 'She is personally doing great. As a human being, she is as lucid as they come,' he said.

Tacopina also addressed the results of a recent dementia test, with sources claiming the exams confirmed Williams has frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and aphasia.

'People have been tippy-toeing around it. They won't say it. First of all, there is a HIPPA violation in place there. You can't release and discuss someone's medical records in public without their consent,' Tacopina said.

'No one has seen this report yet,' he said, adding 'Not even Wendy. Not Wendy, not us, not her guardianship lawyers.'

Tacopina said they intend on seeking the help of a 'neutral physician' who can complete the diagnosis.

'Next steps for her is to complete the medical diagnosis by the neutral physician,' he said. 'Then, hopefully, the guardianship attorney will push this judge to make a ruling and if it's the right ruling, then game, set and match.

'And if it's the wrong ruling, I'll get involved in a big way because we are going to need a jury to resolve this,' he added.

Daily Mail has contacted Williams' guardian Morrissey for comment about the Page Six report and Tacopina's Extra interview but have not yet heard back.

Williams' guardianship, which gave control of her personal and financial affairs to a court-appointed guardian, came after her bank flagged concerns about her mental health and potential financial exploitation.

Williams was diagnosed in 2023 with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia, but she insists she’s not incapacitated and wants out of the guardianship, claiming she’s being controlled against her will.

Results from her new medical evaluation — described as involving 'a significant number of tests, both medical and neuropsychological, and scans including brain imaging' — prompted doctors to issue an opinion regarding Williams’ neurological condition and diagnosis, according to legal documents obtained by People on Tuesday.

While the paperwork itself does not explicitly list her condition, sources claimed the exams confirmed Williams has frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and aphasia.

Williams subsequently issued a retort to the allegation while out in New York, telling Page Six that her attorneys were 'highly upset' about the recent coverage surrounding her present state of health.

Williams was also asked if she wanted to say anything to her guardian Sabrina Morrissey, but replied only that 'I want to say hi to my attorneys, Allan Diamond and Joe Tacopina. And I will get out of guardianship.'

She made the remarks while arriving for dinner at the New York restaurant Tucci's, arm in arm with the eatery's owner Max Tucci.

In the documents obtained by People, an attorney representing Morrissey requested that the court extend the guardianship for an additional three months, setting a proposed end date of November 5.

The attorney also noted that 'complications have arisen' because various parties — including counsel for certain family members, Williams’ ex-husband, and others — have indicated plans to challenge both the guardianship itself and Ms. Morrissey’s role as guardian.

The news came almost a month after Williams and powerhouse attorney Tacopina were spotted outside Scott’s restaurant in NYC, where they confirmed a lawsuit is coming.

'Those responsible for her status, her, basically, incarceration, will be held accountable,' Tacopina told TMZ. 'There’s no question about that.'

He didn’t hold back, adding: 'This guardian process is scary. She was misdiagnosed.'

‘What’s next is hopefully justice,’ Tacopina continued. ‘This process has been so long, it’s really despicably slow.’

Then, gesturing toward Williams, he added, ‘This is Wendy, the same Wendy, we’ve had conversation over six months, she’s the same Wendy Williams that you know from TV. She belongs in a facility like I belong in a facility.’

‘She is a person in control of her faculties and is a great human being… and it sickens me… this isn’t a case for me, it’s a cause…’

Williams jumped in with a laugh, saying, ‘I just had a birthday and I’m still in a guardianship. If that doesn’t say enough, I don’t know what does.’

Tacopina wrapped it up with a clear mission: ‘My goal for now and the priority is to get her back home.’

He added, ‘Wherever home is… where she can come and go as she pleases.’

Williams was placed under the guardianship of Morrissey in 2022—and in a bombshell court filing last November, Morrissey claimed Williams was ‘permanently incapacitated’ due to her dementia battle.

In March, Wendy made a bold move by retaining a new legal team to fight for her freedom and challenge the court-ordered arrangement.

The star hired Tacopina - who recently represented A$AP Rocky - to help secure her freedom from her three-year conservatorship.

Since then, a #FreeWendy movement has gained momentum.

In a dramatic moment caught on camera in early April, Williams was seen banging on her facility window while supporters rallied in the street below, demanding she be released.