“Where Is Wendy Williams?” Shocking Doc Reveals Star's Struggles with Money Woes, Health Issues and Alcohol
After several volatile years, the controversial media figure and her family speak out in Lifetime's new documentary, with the first trailer shedding light on her seemingly unstable present
Wendy Williams is breaking her silence on the personal, physical and financial battles that led to her abrupt exit from television.
In a trailer for Lifetime's new two-part documentary, Where is Wendy Williams?, the former talk show host is seen for the first time since leaving The Wendy Williams Show amid her health and legal battles in July 2021.
"Since I was six years old, all I wanted was to be famous," Williams admits in a voiceover as chants from adoring fans and behind-the-scenes footage of her talk show are shown.
The trailer continues to feature highlights from her career including Williams receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and entertaining viewers in "their living rooms every single day for 12 years."
Related: Wendy Williams Reveals What's Next for Her Following Eponymous Talk Show's End After 13 Years
Despite being at "the peak of her career," a voiceover recalls how she left the limelight and disappeared. Prepping for her first appearance on camera in three years, the television personality looks up with wide eyes before asking the crew, "Are we ready?"
"All I know is how to be famous," she says in a radio interview before the scene transitions to a clip of Williams needing to walk with assistance. In another conversation with her son, Kevin Hunter Jr., she reveals, "I want to be back on television."
"My mom has done a great job making it seem like everything is OK always, but in reality there's something wrong going on," Hunter admits.
When a producer asks if Williams has "seen a neurologist," she replies, "To find out if I'm crazy? Mhmm."
Related: Inside Wendy Williams' Decades-Long Journey to Sobriety — and Work to Help Other Addicts
After Williams is shown needing breaks on set to sit down and help to stand, a family member says that "she was put in front of a judge and given a guardian" when her personal ailments became too much.
"That was when they took her away from us," he adds.
Elsewhere in the trailer, Williams reflects on the aftermath of her condition. "I have no money, " she declares before addressing fans, "And let me tell you something, if it happens to me, it can happen to you."
While her family members recall their attempts to help Williams as she "cried for help," the TV star sits back into her chair during a confessional and cries as she tightly grabs a throw pillow.
William's struggles with alcoholism are also addressed. At one point, one of her loved ones finds a bottle of vodka amongst her things and asks, "Did you drink this whole thing today?" Williams snaps back and instructs him to "keep the bottle there" while recovering in bed.
"My mom, she always talks about how she wants to work, but I feel as though she's worked enough," Hunter says. "She has people around her that are 'yes people' and allowing this to continue."
Related: Wendy Williams Reveals What's Next for Her Following Eponymous Talk Show's End After 13 Years
In another scene, Williams gets aggressive in the backseat of a car as she instructs the driver to "go!" As she drives around her hometown of New York City, she admits she's unaware of her surroundings and "this doesn't look like anything familiar."
One family member theorizes that she may be "losing memory" and another observes, "Anyone can look at her and tell this is not just alcohol, there's something more going on."
Amid struggles and tearful confessions about missing her family, her loved ones say they're trying to support her and remind viewers that "she's still a person."
"I feel like the guardian has not done a good job of protecting my mom," Hunter adds before a scene where Williams confesses she is unaware of the people in her life that love her.
"I love being famous," Williams says. "But family is everything. Everything."
Related: Wendy Williams' Ex Says 'It's a Travesty' for Talk Show to Not Include Host in Series Finale
In June 2022, PEOPLE confirmed that Williams was officially ending her talk show. Her last season featured multiple guest hosts after she tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19 as well as her ongoing health issues tied to Graves' disease.
Williams previously went on hiatus from the show in March 2018 and again in May 2020, due to complications with her Graves' disease and hyperthyroidism. She also took a six-week break in early 2019 after fracturing her shoulder. She later revealed that she was also quietly focusing on her sobriety during the leave of absence as well.
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Where is Wendy Williams? premieres on Lifetime Feb. 24 with part two airing the next day.
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