Feb 22
Wendy Williams Given 'Frontotemporal Dementia and Aphasia' Diagnosis
Emell Adolphus READ TIME: 2 MIN.
After months and months of speculation over the cause of former talk show host Wendy Williams' failing health, it seems her doctors and family finally have an answer.
As reported by NBC, Williams has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, her caregiving team released in a statement Thursday. It is the same prognosis that was given to actor Bruce Willis in 2022, and according to Williams' team she was diagnosed last year after several medical tests.
"Wendy would not have received confirmation of these diagnoses were it not for the diligence of her current care team, who she chose, and the extraordinary work of the specialists at Weill Cornell Medicine. Receiving a diagnosis has enabled Wendy to receive the medical care she requires," Williams' team said in a news release.
According to the statement, her deteriorating condition "presented significant hurdles in Wendy's life." But many of those hurdles were played out publicly. After battling issues of substance abuse, a cheating husband and losing her mother and her talk show within months, Williams' health seemed to quickly decline in a matter of months.
Williams was also battling lymphedema and shared her struggles with Graves' disease for years.
"Primary progressive aphasia is a nervous system syndrome that affects a person's ability to communicate, according to the Mayo Clinic," NBC reports. "People who have it often have trouble expressing their thoughts and can lose their ability to speak and write. Symptoms typically begin before the age of 65."
According to her team, Williams is still able to "do many things for herself" and is receiving treatment.
"Most importantly she maintains her trademark sense of humor and is receiving the care she requires to make sure she is protected and that her needs are addressed," her team shared in the release stated. "She is appreciative of the many kind thoughts and good wishes being sent her way."
Fans and audiences around the country will reportedly get an inside look at Williams' struggles in a two-part documentary about her physical and mental health called, "Where is Wendy Williams?" The doc will air Feb. 24 and Feb. 25 on Lifetime.
