Wendy Williams is opening up about her descent into a legal guardianship while outlining her rigorous plans to escape her current restrictive circumstances.
On Friday (March 14), Williams, alongside healthcare advocate Ginalisa Monterroso, provided an eye-opening look into the origins of her guardianship and her hopes for the future during a candid interview with The View.
For the past few years, Williams has been under the supervision of a legal guardian after an incident involving suspicious activity in her bank account—later identified to have been caused by her son. Monterroso explained that the guardianship was initiated by Wells Fargo after they froze Williams’ bank account due to the unusual transactions.
“Wells Fargo froze the account and initiated a guardianship,” Moterroso explained. Initially, Williams didn’t mind the arrangement, believing it would provide protection for her finances.
“It was about my money and keeping my money safe,” Williams said. But as time passed, Williams began to feel the constraints of the guardianship.
“But at this point in my life, I want to terminate guardianship and move on with my life, if that’s possible at all,” Williams said.
However, the road to reclaiming her independence remains fraught with legal battles as a judge’s harsh words add to the growing tension.
“I didn’t realize that this person was going to take my whole entire life,” Williams shared, noting that the situation spiraled beyond her control.
What she had hoped would be temporary financial oversight turned into a life-altering experience. She described being moved from her New York home to a facility in Connecticut, where she was placed in a memory unit.
“It was horrible,” Williams said. “Nothing but grass and trees and a memory unit.” The situation worsened when her phone was taken, leaving her unable to contact family or friends.
“They took my phone, so I can’t call them,” Williams said. “I have to call them, they can’t call me.”
After a year in Connecticut, Williams was moved to another facility in New York, but she maintains that the experience remained the same.
“It’s the same thing,” Williams lamented, hinting at the emotional toll the guardianship had taken on her.
“I don’t want a guardian,” Williams said. “I want to get out of this. It’s been over three years, and it’s time for my money and my life to get back to status quo.”
When asked where she would go if her guardianship ended, Williams stated unequivocally that she plans to remain in New York.
“First of all, I’m staying in New York,” Williams said.
Williams also made it very clear that she does not want to continue living under the restrictions of a guardian, especially not her current one, Sabrina Morrisey.
“I don’t want Sabrina [Morrisey], period,” Williams said. “But I also, I don’t want guardians.”
However, Williams’s push for freedom faces a significant challenge, as Judge Lisa Sokoloff, who presides over her case, has made her frustrations clear. In a recent email to Williams’ attorney, the judge questioned how well Williams had handled the independence she was given, referencing a prior hearing where she ordered that Williams be moved to a different facility.
“I have always contended that [Wendy] will be given the independence she can handle,” Sokoloff wrote. “I question how well she has handled the independence she has been given.”
Sokoloff’s contempt for Williams’ media appearances only adds fuel to the fire. In the same email, the judge suggested even tighter restrictions if Williams continues to speak publicly.
“Tell your client that if she wants a jury, she should refrain from trying to poison the jury pool,” Sokoloff advised. The judge also made it clear that she was prepared to keep Williams in a facility against her will.
“The hospital wants to discharge her,” Sokoloff wrote. “Ms. Morrissey has facilities who, despite her behavior, are willing to assess her. She needs to go back to the Coterie until a new facility can be found.”
