Wendy Williams’ niece, Alex Finnie, explained that her aunt can still hold “full conversations” despite being diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia.
When asked how the media personality was doing these days on Thursday’s episode of “The View,” Finnie told them that she “sounds really good.”
“I haven’t seen her, but we were able to have full conversations,” she continued, though it’s unclear if she was specifically talking about the most recent diagnosis as news of it broke halfway through the show. It’s also unclear if Finnie knew about the diagnosis at the time of her appearance on the show.
However, Finnie — who like the rest of her family has been shunned from seeing Williams amid her legal guardianship — didn’t specify when the last time she talked to her aunt was. She also claimed that Williams is the only one who can initiate communication with the family.
“For instance, yesterday I was out, I was having dinner, and I missed a call, and I ran to the bathroom, I came back, and I realized that it was my aunt, but I can’t call her back; so therefore, I haven’t talked to her,” she recalled.
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She also admitted during the interview that “as a family, we know there’s more” about Williams’ health that they might not know about.
The 59-year-old has previously been diagnosed with Graves’ disease and lymphedema. She has also been very open about her struggles with drug addiction.
Nonetheless, Finnie, who is also an anchor at WPLG Local 10 News in Miami, pointed out that Williams “is excited about her future.”
“You know, she talks about the possibility of getting back to work, but like I always remind her, first and foremost is your health,” she said.
Neither Finnie nor the women of “The View” addressed the news until the end of the episode.
Midway through the show, Williams’ team announced that she had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia in 2023 after her memory started to fail and she began to “lose words” and “act erratically.”
“Receiving a diagnosis has enabled Wendy to receive the medical care she requires,” they said in a statement.
They also supported Finnie’s assessment of her capacities and claimed she can still “do many things for herself” and has kept her “trademark sense of humor.”
Williams, who is currently living in an undisclosed treatment center, has been receiving the care she needs to make sure she is “protected,” the statement read.
Williams’ team shared her health update just days before her documentary “Where Is Wendy Williams?” will premiere on Lifetime.
The documentary –– which Williams really wanted to do –– will touch on several of her struggles over the years, including her financial issues, battles with substance abuse and guardianship.
Williams hasn’t been seen in public for nearly a year, but Pvnew previously reported that she’s been staying at a treatment center amid her battle with alcohol abuse since June 2023.
