Days after the revelation that Wendy Williams has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, the producers of her Lifetime docuseries are opening up about their decision to keep cameras rolling.
Responding to backlash about the project being “exploitative,” producers Mark Ford, Erica Hanson and Brie Miranda Bryant explained their approach to telling Williams’ story.
“Ultimately, we stuck to the truth of our journey as filmmakers. And when you watch the film, it’s almost like you’re on the journey of discovery with us,” Ford told The Hollywood Reporter. “And look, our responsibility as filmmakers, one, is to make sure our subject is safe and ends up in a safe place. But beyond that, it’s the truth. We have to show the truth, even when that truth is painful to watch.”
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Ford continued, “We wanted people to understand the journey of the filmmakers and how upsetting it was for all of us in certain instances and also how outrageous in some ways the situations were. Like, Wendy would be left alone without food, completely on her own in that apartment with stairs that she could easily fall down. There was no one there 24/7. So, these are just all the questions we had throughout.”
He concluded, “But, of course, if we had known that Wendy had dementia going into it, no one would’ve rolled a camera.
The Where Is Wendy Williams? docuseries filmed between August 2022 and April 2023 and captures a dark period in the former host’s life following the cancellation of her eponymous talk show. In addition to addressing issues of alcohol and substance abuse, the series sees her family members speculating about additional cognitive issues. Ahead of the project’s release, a spokesperson for Williams’ care team revealed her dementia and aphasia diagnosis.
To the filmmakers’ knowledge, Williams has not yet seen the film. The former talk show host is reportedly receiving treatment in an undisclosed facility under the purview of a court-appointed legal guardian who oversees her finances and health.
“We simply have had no way to get it to her to see it. No way to screen it with her, because she’s locked down in a facility and we haven’t been able to speak to her since we wrapped filming,” Ford explained. “The last day that you see us filming with her is the last time we spoke to Wendy. But we had many conversations behind the scenes with Wendy and [manager] Will [Selby] about what they wanted to film, and what they wouldn’t want to capture.”
Lifetime
Days before Where is Wendy Williams? debuted, Williams’ guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, filed a lawsuit against Lifetime’s parent company in an effort to block the network from airing the two-night documentary event. The request was dismissed by a judge, who cited the First Amendment.
“Nobody should have the power to quash Wendy’s voice, and her family’s voice,” Ford said of the case. “And thankfully the courts understood that that was the most important thing, and the free press won out here.”
As for their communications with Williams’ guardian, Ford said “There were many attempts before and during [filming]. Honestly, we either got a terse hang-up or a very brief, unpleasant exchange.”
Williams’ family has also expressed difficulty with personally contacting her, maintaining that she remains under the supervision of her court-appointed guardian. They have not seen her and do not know where she is living, but she is able to reach out to them and “sounds really great” in recent conversations.
Prior to its release, Williams’ niece Alex Finnie, who is also an executive producer on the doc, responded to criticism about the project “taking advantage” of Williams’ health condition.
“First and foremost, my aunt is the executive producer of this documentary,” Finnie told Good Morning America. “And she said, ‘Now is the perfect time, because I want to take ownership of my story.’”
Representatives for Williams did not immediately respond to EW’s request for comment.
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