Wendy Williams’ publicist said on Wednesday that she believed the iconic talk show host, who is the subject of a new Lifetime documentary that captures her health struggles in intimate detail, was being taken advantage of by the production’s producers.
Publicist Shawn Zanotti told NBC News that she “felt that [Williams] was being exploited. She thought we were focusing on the comeback of her career... 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 documentary shows a very confused and distressed Williams, who her son explains has been diagnosed with alcohol-induced dementia, lamenting her financial challenges and struggling to recall what the Academy Awards are.
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“When I mentioned [doing a documentary] to Wendy, she immediately said: ‘Yes, I would love to do it. I would love to be able to get my story out there,’” Zanotti told NBC. “That is not the project that [Williams] signed up for. 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.”
In one scene in the documentary, Williams shouts at Zanotti, “I wish you would get liposuction.” In another, she calls her a “dumbass.”
“Although you saw those horrific components of what she did in the way that she treated me, there were great, beautiful moments that happened after that,” Zanotti added to NBC.
In the documentary, Williams claims that Sabrina Morrissey, her legally appointed guardian, is stealing money from her. Last week, Morrissey filed a lawsuit against A&E, Lifetime’s parent company, in an attempt to prevent the documentary from airing.
“I did not agree with what was going on with this documentary,” Zanotti told NBC. “I made it very clear to the guardian. The production company was aware of that. 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.”
One day after the Lifetime documentary aired its second portion, Williams put out a statement with the aid of her team. “I want to say I have immense gratitude for the love and kind words I have received after sharing my diagnosis of Aphasia and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD),” Williams said. “Let me say, wow! Your response has been overwhelming. The messages shared with me have touched me, reminding me of the power of unity and the need for compassion.”
