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Wendy Williams hadn’t been publicly spotted in a year.
Wendy Williams was photographed out in public for the first time in more than a year.
In August 2024, the reclusive “Dancing With the Stars” season 12 alum was photographed while out shopping with her son, Kevin Hunter, Jr., in Newark, New Jersey, Page Six reported.
The rare sighting comes six months after a rep for Williams issued a statement to PR Newswire to reveal that the former talk show host was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Williams was previously diagnosed with Graves’ disease and Lymphedema.
Wendy Williams Was Reportedly ‘Upbeat’ & ‘Bubbly’ in August 2024
Williams, 60, was photographed while visiting the holistic store Bolingo Balance with her son on August 19. An employee for the store told Page Six that the former “Wendy Williams Show” show host appeared to be “sharp, upbeat and aware” and “very bubbly” during her visit and asked about products for improving her circulation.
Williams posed with store owner Victor Bowman, as seen in photos posted to Bowman’s Facebook page. Williams was smiling as she posed wearing a short blue dress and white boots. The former talk show host wore her hair long and with bangs and held a shopping bag and a big bouquet of flowers.
Before leaving, Williams also reportedly told the storeowner she would be back to his shop soon.
The outing marks Williams’ first public sighting since early 2023, the outlet noted. In February 2023, TMZ posted photos of the star decked out for dinner at Fresco by Scotto in New York City, where she announced her weight was down to 138 lbs.
In March 2023, The Daily Mail.com posted paparazzi photos of Williams walking home to her apartment in New York City. The talk show host wore a black track suit as she made her way down a city street.
Wendy Williams’ Recent Financial Troubles Have Been Heavily Documented
Williams helmed her popular talk show for 13 seasons and amassed a multimillion-dollar fortune. But according to Celebrity Net Worth, as of 2024, her net worth was only $500,000.
According to The U.S. Sun, Williams began to experience financial problems amid her exit from her talk show in October 2021. At the time, she was dealing with several medical issues and disappeared suddenly.
In early 2022, Wells Fargo put a freeze on Williams’ bank accounts, alleging that she was not of “sound mind” and required guardianship, per Entertainment Tonight. She later claimed she had no access to her money.
In May 2022, Williams was interviewed by rapper Fat Joe on Instagram Live. In a video posted by ET, the veteran television personality claimed she only had a couple of dollars to her name. “I only have two dollars and nothing else… Everything is frozen some people are involved with this,” she said.
Williams also talked about her financial issues in the 2024 Lifetime documentary “Where Is Wendy Williams?”. “I have no money,” she said in a shocking confessional interview. She warned viewers that the same thing could happen to them.
In the documentary, Williams’ family alleged that her team took advantage of her guardianship. Her sister, Wanda Finnie, questioned why she wasn’t appointed to care for her sister. In 2022, Sabrina Morrissey became the court-ordered guardian in charge of Williams’ healthcare and finances.
Aside from her son, much of Williams’ family has been unable to contact her. In July 2024, a source told People magazine that ever since the court-ordered guardianship began, her family members have not had access to her. “Wendy Williams’ family is unable to speak on her current condition and location due to ongoing litigation and the fact that they have largely been denied contact,” a source told People ahead of Williams’ 60th birthday in July.