Former television talk show host Wendy Williams demanded her freedom during her first public appearance in six months while heading to lunch in New York.
The 62-year-old star, who was seen in public for the first time since February, was accompanied by a male companion as she walked in New York City.
When asked what she wanted people to know about what she is going through, Williams responded, "I want out!"
Williams wore a black top and hot pants during the rare outing with her mystery male companion.
The star appeared to be referencing the strict terms of her court-ordered guardianship, which she previously stated left her feeling like a prisoner during her stay at a luxury assisted-living facility in Manhattan. She has repeatedly insisted she is not incapacitated and is being controlled against her will.
Confinement and conditions inside the care facility
In February, Williams spoke to Nightline co-anchor Byron Pitts from the New York care facility where she had been living for several years following her medical diagnosis.
"How am I doing? I'm still in prison, so to speak," Williams told Pitts. "As I said, because it's a fact, this is the memory unit. That's what this floor is called, the memory unit. And it is true that these people who live here don't remember anything. Look, I don't belong here at all. This is ridiculous."
She added: "Frontotemporal dementia? Uh, how dare you. And I'm not saying you, because I've been accused of having that. And how do you prove it by keeping me locked here so that you can't… I can't see, look. I can't go out."
Four months after her interview with Pitts, Williams spoke with New York Post columnist Cindy Adams regarding her living situation.
"I’ve by now rested my case. It’s $25,000 a month here," Williams told Adams. "There’s grass, trees, two floors, no cars around. Can’t even do the elevator to go down. It, too, is locked. I once was a connoisseur of food and now sometimes I’ll just have meals in my room. And I don’t drink."
Williams, who noted she is 61, described the facility as having a locked floor and an in and out hospital. She explained that she travels with security and attends services at the Christian Cultural Center every Sunday at 10 a.m. with a personal aide.
"Best I can do is Monday and Friday I go to the gym," Williams said, adding, "Let me tell you something else, and that is that I don’t know exactly how, what, why but I have gone through a lot of s**t."
Guardianship restrictions and financial origin
Williams was placed in a legal guardianship in 2022 after her bank, Wells Fargo, allegedly discovered suspicious activities on her accounts. Wells Fargo is a major American banking and financial services company.
Under the terms of the guardianship, Williams cannot receive phone calls, accept visitors, or leave the Manhattan facility without obtaining prior permission from her court-appointed guardian, attorney Sabrina E. Morrissey.
In 2022, Morrissey claimed that Williams was permanently incapacitated due to her dementia battle. Williams has since contested this status in court, arguing that she has regained the capacity to function independently.
Representatives for Williams were contacted for comment by the Daily Mail but have not yet responded.
Contested dementia diagnosis and medical team statements
Williams was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in 2023, with her team publicly announcing the diagnosis in 2024. Primary progressive aphasia is a neurological condition affecting communication skills, while frontotemporal dementia is a progressive brain disorder affecting areas associated with personality, behavior, and language.
In 2024, her team stated: "As Wendy’s fans are aware, in the past she has been open with the public about her medical struggles with Graves’ Disease and Lymphedema as well as other significant challenges related to her health." Graves' disease is an autoimmune condition affecting the thyroid, and lymphedema is a condition causing tissue swelling.
Her team explained that doctors determined her condition following a battery of tests. "The decision to share this news was difficult and made after careful consideration, not only to advocate for understanding and compassion for Wendy, but to raise awareness about aphasia and frontotemporal dementia and support the thousands of others facing similar circumstances," the team stated.
However, a top neurologist reportedly disputed last year that the former talk show host has frontotemporal dementia and aphasia.
The doctor's conclusions were reportedly supported by several medical experts who spoke to TMZ. The experts noted that patients with frontotemporal dementia do not improve over time as Williams has, but rather deteriorate, which they claimed disproves the initial diagnosis.
Before her medical and legal challenges, Williams established a long career in broadcasting. She initially rose to fame as a radio DJ before hosting her syndicated television talk program, The Wendy Williams Show, which aired from 2008 to 2022.
New legal team and window protest
In March 2025, Williams took action to challenge the court arrangement by retaining a new legal team to fight for her freedom.
She hired defense attorney Joe Tacopina, who recently represented rapper A$AP Rocky, to assist in ending her three-year conservatorship.
Following the change in her legal representation, a public movement under the hashtag #FreeWendy has gained momentum online and among supporters.
In early April, cameras captured a dramatic moment as Williams banged on a window of her care facility while supporters gathered in the street below to demand her release from the guardianship.
