Wendy Willimas' family has heartbreakingly revealed that they do not know where the star is since she was admitted to a guardianship facility.
The former host of the Wendy Williams Show, 59, has largely remained out of the limelight since her talk show ended two and a half years ago, with fans growing concerned about her wellbeing.
Ahead of the release of a new Lifetime documentary titled Where Is Wendy Williams, her family has revealed they have little contact with the TV star since she entered a facility to treat "cognitive issues" in April 2023.
Her loved ones claim that they do not know where she is, and that they are unable to call her when they wish to speak with her, but say that she is able to phone them.
In the documentary, her manager and jeweler Will Selby explained that filming stopped in April 2023 when she entered the facility for her "cognitive issues", which her son claims doctors have said is down to alcohol use.
Wendy's family has spoken to People for the first time since she was admitted, claiming that only a court-appointed guardian has unlimited access to contact the star in the facility where she remains to this day.
Her sister Wanda, 65, told the outlet: "The people who love her cannot see her. I think the big [question] is: How the hell did we get here?"
The documentary, on which Wendy served as an executive producer, had initially been intended to follow her comeback as she launched a new podcast, but ended up evolving into something very different as it captured her battles with alcohol addiction as well as various health issues including Graves disease - an autoimmune condition which can cause bulging eyes - and lymphedema, which causes swelling in the feet.
One scene in the film even captured Wendy asking her driver to take her past the studio where she used to film the Wendy Williams Show, after forgetting that he had taken her past it just moments before.
Her driver says in the clip: "I don’t know what the hell is going on, I think she’s losing memory. She doesn’t know who I am sometimes."
Fans' concerns were first sparked in fall 2021 after season 13 of Wendy's talk show was delayed several times before going ahead with a series of guest hosts instead of her.
In early 2022, her accounts were frozen by Wells Fargo after her financial adviser at the time claimed she was of "unsound mind: according to court filings, with the bank successfully petitioning to have Wendy placed under a temporary financial guardianship over fears she could be exploited financially due to cognitive issues.
Her 23-year-old son Kevin Hunter Jr. came under scrutiny over his spending but claimed in the documentary that he had "never taken [money] without her consent".
Kevin Jr revealed that Wendy spent time with family in Miami while the debate raged around her finances, where he says he kept her away from alcohol and on a vegan diet, as well as exercising with a trainer in order to get her back to health.
Her family claimed that they wanted to extend her stay but the show disagreed, with Kevin Jr. adding: "I said [to the producers], 'No, she’s not coming back up because she needs to get better.' I made sure that business was always on the back burner and that health was the number one priority."
In February 2022, it was confirmed that Wendy would not be returning for the remainder of the season of her show, with an independent legal guardian being appointed to oversee her finances and health in May.
Her family has claimed that they do not know why the courts made the decision, and say that the court papers have been sealed.
Wanda added: "All I know is that Wendy and her team walked into the courtroom one way, and they walked out, and the family is completely excluded."
By June, her show had been canceled, which a production source told the publication "just broke her", as she'd "loved" working on the production since 2008, though insiders claimed they became worried as she would sometimes appear on-air "drunk".
One of the most-viral moments from the series was Wendy fainting while wearing a Statue of Liberty costume on-air, which she attributed to Graves disease in 2018, however, her niece - Wanda's daughter Alex Finnie, 33, claims: "That was the first sign something was really wrong."
Wendy had revealed on the show in 2019 that she had been living in a sober house and spoke about her past issues with cocaine use, before filing for divorce from her husband a month later, having been married for 21 years, after she discovered that he'd had a baby with another woman.
Her heartbreak continued after she was rushed to hospital in May 2020 amid the Covid-19 lockdown when he colleague DJ Boof reportedly found her unresponsive at home, and she needed several blood transfusions.
Wendy's beloved mother Shirley also died in November 2020, and despite them being very close, Wendy "never grieved" according to Wanda.
Several shocking images surfaced following the appointment of her guardianship in 2022, including her appearing to be passed out at a Louis Vuitton store.
Alex added: "We've all seen the images over the last few months — and, really, few years — of what has seemed like a spiral for my aunt. It was shocking and heartbreaking to see her in this state."
Producers say they stopped filming in April 2023 after finding Wendy in her apartment with her eyes rolled back into her head, and worked with her manager to urge her guardian to get her help, adding that the guardian was "responsive to [their] pleas" and helped "get her into a safer place".
When and if Wendy will be able to leave the facility where she currently remains is in the hands of her guardian, and her family says they are committed to helping her get better.
Wanda told the outlet: "There is not a person in this family who doesn’t want the same thing for Wendy, and that is her health," as Alex added: "She can’t wait to start the next chapter of her life."
Where Is Wendy Williams? premiers on Lifetime on February 24.