Wendy Williams’ former publicist Shawn Zanotti — who appeared in “Where Is Wendy Williams?” — is speaking out against the series, claiming her ex-client would be “mortified” over what made it on the air.
“I felt that [Williams] was being exploited,” Zanotti told NBC News of the two-part documentary Wednesday.
The publicist, who no longer works with Williams, then explained that the renowned talk show host, 59, allegedly had a different idea of what the show would be when she agreed to do it.
Explore More
Wendy Williams showing ‘substantial amount of improvement’ in treatment facility, brother says
Wendy Williams’ former DJ claims talk show staff didn’t know ‘extent’ of host’s illnesses — years after saying they were too ‘afraid’ to speak up
Wendy Williams’ immediate family: Meet her parents, brother, son and more
“She thought we were focusing on the comeback of her career,” Zanotti said. “She would be mortified.
“There’s no way you can convince me that she would be OK with looking and seeing herself in that way.”
The Exact Publicity founder said producers at Creature Films and eOne Television approached her and Williams to do the docuseries in 2022 and that the former radio DJ jumped at the opportunity, saying she would “love to do it” to “get [her] story out there.”
“That is not the project that [Williams] signed up for,” Zanotti concluded following the airing of “Where Is Wendy Williams?” this past weekend on Lifetime.
“That’s not the project [the producers] brought to me. That’s not what I told her this was going to be about. There were a lot of good moments. None of those good moments were shown.”
Williams’ reps did not immediately return Pvnew’s requests for comment. We also reached out to Lifetime for a response to Zanotti’s comments and confirmation as to whether Williams was able to review the final version of the series before it aired but did not hear back.
An insider with knowledge of the situation confirms to Pvnew exclusively, however, that Williams did not watch and approve the docuseries footage.
“Where Is Wendy Williams?,” which chronicled Williams’ cognitive and behavioral issues ahead of her aphasia and frontotemporal dementia diagnoses, divided viewers online and those close to the star.
Zanotti herself received lots of backlash on social media for saying in the docuseries that she did not believe Williams had a substance abuse problem — despite several scenes showcasing otherwise.
“The fact that Wendy’s publicist, Shawn doesn’t see a problem with an alcoholic having a drink says a lot about her,” one person tweeted.
Another wrote via X, “I need to see Shawn’s resume and client list.
“There is no way any crisis PR person would let their client, who is assumed to be an alcoholic, drink on camera for something that was supposed to be PR doc!”
Zanotti has not responded to the criticism but told NBC News she felt misrepresented in the doc.
The “Embracing the Rock in Your Journey” author is not the only member of Williams’ inner circle to speak out against the series, though.
The former “Wendy Williams Show” host’s legal guardian, who has managed her finances and medical decisions since 2022, filed a sealed lawsuit against A&E Television Networks, Lifetime’s parent company.
Although the contents of Sabrina Morrissey’s filing were not fully known, it appeared she was attempting to halt the televised release of the documentary. A judge dismissed the case, citing the First Amendment.
For more Pvnew you love...
- Listen to our weekly “We Hear” podcast
- Shop our exclusive merch
Zanotti told NBC News she flagged her concerns to Morrissey while production was still taking place.
“I made it very clear to the guardian,” the publicist said. “The production company was aware of that. I didn’t — I didn’t agree with the way this was moving and shaking. And instead of them dealing with it with me, they decided to ignore me. They ignored me from that moment, and I never heard from them again.”
Despite Zanotti or Morrissey’s feelings about the doc, Williams’ family members have seemingly backed it.
The former shock jock’s niece, Alex Finnie, told ABC News last week that her famous aunt told her relatives “now is the perfect time” to do the series because she wanted to take “ownership” of her story.
However, when asked if Williams had the mental “capacity” to make such a decision, Finnie responded, “I think that it comes in waves … that conversation [about her wanting to do the doc] was crystal clear.”
The family has also been vocal about the fact that they’ve wanted to spotlight issues surrounding Williams’ controversial guardianship, which they have said has left them feeling pushed out of the TV star’s life.
“Family was shut out,” Finnie told ABC News. “Her guardian has not released that information [pertaining to where Williams is] to us. I haven’t seen her in about nine months.”
Although Williams’ exact whereabouts remain unknown to her relatives, the family is reportedly able to stay in touch with her when she calls them.
Williams’ brother, Tommy Williams Jr., recently provided an update, stating the media mogul has shown a “substantial amount of improvement” after being admitted to a treatment facility.
