Following the news that his mother Wendy Williams has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, Kevin Hunter Jr. revealed the main cause of her illness.
During the two-part Lifetime documentary Where Is Wendy Williams? Hunter Jr. revealed that her alcoholism caused the illnesses.
“I was able to really learn more about things going on with my mother internally,” he explained. “[Doctors] basically said that because she was drinking so much, it was starting to affect her headspace and her brain. So, I think they said it was alcohol-induced dementia.”
Williams found out she had brain damage in 2019 when she went to rehab. However, she didn’t receive the official dementia and aphasia diagnosis until last year. Her niece Alex Finnie said she learned about the brain damage in 2022. But Finnie knew something was wrong when Williams continued to forget memories and facts.
“But after seeing my aunt and really spending time with her in a state where she’s in right now, I quickly realized that things were just not normal,” Finnie explained in the documentary. “It’s heartbreaking.”
Finnie further pointed out that various factors played a key role in worsening her aunt’s condition. Among the factors were the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams’ mother’s death, and her divorce from Kevin Hunter Sr.
Wendy Williams’ Former Attorney Casts Doubt on Her Diagnoses, Blames Court-Ordered Guardianship
Just before the documentary aired, Wendy Williams’ former attorney, LaShawn Thomas, spoke out about the diagnoses by posting an old video of Williams healthy while laying in a bed. He blames a court-ordered guardianship situation for her health woes.
“You can clearly see the difference between Wendy’s well-being during her time here in Florida with her son caring for her and her lack thereof in New York under this ‘guardianship,’” Thomas wrote.
“These Wendys are not the same. How did her health deteriorate so quickly, and why isn’t her only child allowed to be by her side. She wasn’t like that when he cared for [her].”
Thomas also revealed she filmed Wendy Williams two weeks prior to her being ordered by the court to move back to New York. She was then placed in the guardianship.
“My mother passed away on October 1, 2022 from complications related to her ALS diagnosis and I feel so blessed and grateful that I was able to spend every second that I could with her before she left this earth,” Thomas continued.
“If Wendy’s diagnosis is true, now more than ever, her son should be allowed that same grace. He deserves it … and most importantly, Wendy deserves it.”