Wendy Williams rushed to hospital after shocking 'Help' note
What's the story
Former daytime talk show host Wendy Williams (60) was taken to a New York hospital on Monday after a concerning incident at her assisted living facility. Williams, who has been residing at the facility's memory ward amid her fight with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia, reportedly tossed a handwritten note from her window reading "Help! Wendy!!" The note led to an urgent police welfare check and ambulance transport for "evaluation."
Distress signal
Williams's plea for help and welfare check
Per reports, Williams's note was thrown from her window around 11:15am. Eyewitnesses saw her at the window waving her arms and speaking on the phone. She was later escorted out of the facility by police officers and transported to a hospital for a welfare check. This incident happened just days before Williams was set to make her first daytime TV appearance in years on ABC's The View.
Legal battle
Williams's ongoing struggle with guardianship
Notably, Williams has been under court-ordered guardianship since May 2022. Her guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, had previously described Williams as "cognitively impaired, permanently disabled, and legally incapacitated" owing to her dementia. However, Williams has maintained that she is mentally sound. In the February documentary Saving Wendy Williams, she revealed that she doesn't recall her last medical check-up following her 2023 dementia diagnosis.
Medical evaluation
Psychiatrist's assessment and potential breakthrough in guardianship case
After her transfer to the hospital, a psychiatrist reportedly claimed that Williams's mind was intact. At Lennox Hill, she was subjected to a "capacity test," a psychological examination, scoring a "10 out of 10." The results of this test are expected to be submitted to the judge in Williams's guardianship case. Last month, Morrissey informed a judge she would consider a new medical evaluation, offering a potential breakthrough in Williams's long-drawn battle to end her guardianship.
Living conditions
Williams's controversial remarks about her living conditions
In January, Williams had expressed her unhappiness about her living conditions, stating, "I am not cognitively impaired but I feel like I am in prison. I'm in this place with people who are in their 90s and their 80s and their 70s." She also alleged that the elevators in the facility are locked and visitors are restricted, keeping her from coming and going as she pleases.