Everything We Know About Wendy Williams' Health and Battle With Graves' Disease
Wendy Williams
Wendy Williams' health has suffered in the past several years, and its largely taken her career with it.
Williams' first health struggles were quite public, no more so than when she fainted on a live broadcast of her self-titled talk show in 2017. Two years later, Williams, who at times had on-air mishaps and linguistic flubs, checked into rehab amid an acrimonious divorce after her husband Kevin Hunter fathered a child with another woman. Making matters worse, Williams' mother, one of biggest pillars of support, died in 2020.
Largely as a result of her personal, physical and mental duress, Williams had to take significant time away from TV, and she lost her beloved talk show in February 2022, being replaced with Sherri Shepherd.
The Wendy Williams Show producers said in a statement at the time, "This is ... a bittersweet moment for us and our partners at FOX. We all have great love and affinity for Wendy, who grew into a true icon during her 12 incredible seasons as the solo host of a live, daily talk show."
To learn more, here’s what we know about Wendy Williams’ health issues.
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What's happened to Wendy Williams?
Williams took a break from her show in late 2018 due to a shoulder injury and was hospitalized in early 2019 for Grave's disease-related issues and checked into rehab for substance abuse issues. In 2020, Williams announced yet another break due to fatigue from Graves' disease. By 2022, Williams had been away from her show for so long that it was canceled, with Shepherd's show taking the time slot.
In early 2022, it was revealed that Wells Fargo froze Williams' accounts after her financial adviser claimed the talk show host wasn't of "sound mind" at the time, PEOPLE reported. The bank appointed a financial guardian to control her accounts because they were concerned about her alleged cognitive issues making her susceptible to exploitation. In the documentary Where Is Wendy Williams?, Williams alleged that her financial guardian, whose identity remains undisclosed, stole money from her.
PEOPLE reports that as 2023, Williams is living in a facility to treat her unspecified cognitive issues, which her son Kevin Hunter Jr. says doctors believe is linked to her prior alcohol abuse. Williams' sister, Wanda, and her son claim that the guardianship system is broken and that they're often unable to see or get through to speak to Williams to care for her.
On Feb. 22, 2024, Williams' representatives announced that she was diagnosed with dementia and aphasia, the latter of which is the same condition Bruce Willis was diagnosed with in 2022.
The statement (via Page Six) revealed that Williams was diagnosed after a long series of tests she underwent in 2023 after her memory loss became evident, noting that she started to "act erratically" and "lose words."
“Receiving a diagnosis has enabled Wendy to receive the medical care she requires,” the statement said in part. “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.”
Williams' sister Wanda and niece Alex Finnie said that her treatment program seems to be working.
"She sounds really great. To hear my aunt now in terms of just how clear she is, just how focused she is on the importance of family and the reality in terms of facing and understanding where she's at physically and mentally and emotionally, it is like a 180," Alex told PEOPLE.
Wanda added, "I don't know what is working, but I do know that when she did reach out to me, it was a person who is remarkably different than what we see in that documentary."
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What condition does Wendy have?
Williams has Graves' disease and lymphedema. She may also have cognitive issues related to her prior substance abuse, according to PEOPLE.
Her son Kevin Hunter, Jr., told The Sun that Williams has issues with drinking and that alcohol affects her health more severely than it would the average person.
"We’ve spoken about it. I’ve said, ‘This is one thing where you don’t know how to approach it normally, and that’s fine,’" he recalled in June 2022. "And it’s gotten to a point where, yes, it could have that effect that it might be fatal because it affects her way worse than a normal person since it stays in her system."
Williams reportedly also has dementia and aphasia.
Related: What Is Aphasia?
Does Wendy Williams have dementia?
Williams' representatives announced on Feb. 22, 2024, that she was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia after a series of tests in 2023.
Her team said in a statement that Williams is “still able to do many things for herself” and still has her “trademark sense of humor.”
Related: How Your Personality Impacts Your Likelihood of Dementia, According to Experts
Does Wendy Williams have Graves' disease?
In 2018, Williams announced publicly that she had Graves' disease. At the time, she also said she’d be taking three weeks off from her show to focus on her health. She noted that she was simultaneously dealing with menopause and college visits for her son, Kevin Hunter Jr. "As women, we always put everything before us," she told her audience. "Stop putting everyone first." She also urged viewers to have their own health checked out and noted that her diagnosis was why she sometimes appeared to have bulging eyes.
Other symptoms of Graves' disease can include lower heat tolerance (which can explain her fainting in 2017), sweating, irregular heartbeat, increased appetite, weight loss, muscle weakness, trembling hands, enlarged thyroid, diarrhea and frequent bowel movements, amenorrhea (stopping menstruation), lower sex drive, brittle hair, hair loss, mood changes, pressure or pain behind the eyes, irritated eyes, puffy eyes, light sensitivity, blurred vision, double vision, fatigue, trouble sleeping and thickening and reddening of skin on the shins.
Williams said in a taped address to the Graves' Disease and Thyroid Foundation Patients and Family Conference that she noticed some symptoms of the illness for a while before she was diagnosed, but that she initially dismissed them as part of aging or a reaction to a thyroid medication she was taking at the time.
“I had the radioactive iodine [medication], taking my pill a day, minding my own business,” she said. She also admitted to feeling “weird in the head,” but thought it was just menopause or other life issues. ”So, it wasn’t until I passed out on my own show [in October] that … Anyway, life has completely changed.” She went on to say that “the doctors tell me it’s going to take at least six months—maybe a year—to level off my medication, which is why I always wear flats. I’m not wearing heels and falling and tripping,” admitting that her condition can sometimes make her feel off-balance.
Related: Missy Elliott's Graves' Disease Battle
What disease does Wendy have in her legs?
Williams has lymphedema, which causes swelling of the arms and legs and significant difficulty walking, according to the star. In 2019, she bought a special machine to help reduce her swelling symptoms; in 2022, Williams revealed to TMZ that due to the condition she can only feel "about 5%" of her feet. While lymphedema can be treated, there is currently no cure for the condition.
"[My feet] are discolored. They're hardened. I can't wear boots," she explained on the air in March 2021 (via The Sun). "I can't believe in our comment section people say, why does she walk like that… if you see me in an airport, you'll be like, is that Wendy in a wheelchair? Yup. I can't even walk two city blocks. You know you got the numbness and whatnot."
Did Wendy Williams have COVID-19?
The Wendy Williams Show Season 13 was originally scheduled to premiere on Sept. 20, 2021, but was delayed because Williams was diagnosed with COVID-19. "While continuing her health evaluations, Wendy has tested positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19," a statement on the show’s now-defunct Instagram account read. The statement noted that to give Williams time to quarantine safely and abide by SAG-AFTRA and DGA COVID-19 restrictions, the show would be bumped to Oct. 4, 2021.
It was later announced that the premiere would be further delayed because of Williams' non-COVID-related health issues.
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Is Wendy Williams still working?
Williams was developing her own podcast, The Wendy Williams Experience, in 2022. The project was and remains delayed amid her health woes and it's unclear if it'll ever get off the ground.
Her son Hunter Jr. said in the documentary Where Is Wendy Williams? (via PEOPLE), "My mom, she always talks about how she wants to work, but I feel as though she's worked enough. She has people around her that are 'yes people' and allowing this to continue."
Her niece, Alex Finnie, told PEOPLE, "I know in talking with her, she does hope to resume a career, and my hope to her is that she does whatever she wants to do that makes her happy. And that stays in the bounds of keeping her healthy."
How old is Wendy Williams now?
Williams is 59 years old. Her birthday is July 18, 1964.
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