Wendy Williams has shared her feelings in her first live interview since a revealing Lifetime documentary shed light on her life post-diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia.

During a phone call to the Breakfast Club on Thursday with guest host Loren LoRosa, along with DJ Envy and Charlamagne Tha God—who co-hosted “The Wendy Williams Experience” radio show with her in the 2000s—Williams, now 60, expressed her struggles.

Charlamagne stated that Williams reached out because she felt “trapped in a conservatorship” and could not leave her current living situation.

“I am not cognitively impaired. But I feel imprisoned,” Williams declared. “I’m surrounded by people in their 90s, 80s, and 70s. Something doesn’t seem right about this environment.”

Williams further expressed, “This system is flawed,” describing her treatment as “emotional abuse.”

Support From Wendy Williams’ Niece

Both Williams and her niece, Alex Finnie, who was present on the call, mentioned that the facility where she resides is highly secure. With her guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, holding her former phone, Williams is unable to receive calls and can only make outbound calls herself. “They won’t let you leave or have visitors,” Williams explained. “You can’t even step outside for a walk or visit family.”

Finnie referred to the situation as a “luxury prison,” emphasizing, “The reality has been this way since 2023.”

She continued, “She’s confined there every day, all day, and is not getting enough sunlight. When I visited New York in October, the level of security and the questions I had to answer about ‘Who am I? Why am I here?’ were just awful.”

Williams also mentioned that without access to her phone, she cannot make purchases and depends on others to fulfill her needs. She felt distraught learning that her two “twin” cats had been given away and encountered resistance when trying to choose her own doctors.

Williams expressed her desire to visit her 94-year-old father for his birthday in February but fears her guardian may prevent her from going. “At 94, you never know what tomorrow holds,” she lamented, crying.

Finnie expressed concern about possible repercussions from Morrissey due to their comments during the interview.

“I asked her, ‘Are you ready for what comes next?’ Given the current situation, and she said, ‘I have no choice. This is my reality now,’” Finnie recounted. “She’s aware that they might take her phone away again. What we shared is just a snippet of the challenges we’ve faced over recent months and even years.”

Finnie mentioned that the family couldn’t see Williams during the airing of her Lifetime documentary, “Where is Wendy Williams?” and had no idea of her whereabouts. The family is worried she could be moved without notice or ability to reach her.

“My aunt sounds well,” Finnie stated. “Although I’ve only been able to see her in a limited way, our conversations indicate she is not incapacitated.”

Morrissey, in a court filing from November, claimed that Williams had become “cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated.” This was part of a lawsuit against A+E Networks relating to the Lifetime documentary, wherein Morrissey argued that Williams was incapable of consent for the film’s production.

A legal counterclaim from A&E Television Networks and Lifetime Entertainment Services asserted that Morrissey’s lawsuit aimed to protect her own reputation.

The documents claimed, “Only when Morrissey realized that the Documentary could reflect poorly on her guardianship did she attempt to stop its release.”

The companies also stated that their docuseries highlighted how Williams’ guardianship “isolated her from her family, left her largely alone in her apartment, worsened her self-destructive patterns, and hindered her mental well-being, failing to prevent any misuse of alcohol.”

Wendy Williams’ Niece Calls for Guardianship Reform

Finnie expressed strong criticism of both Williams’ guardian and the entire guardianship system.

“From what I gather, she hasn’t undergone a proper medical evaluation to assess if her rights could be restored,” Finnie stated. “It appears that, rather than helping my aunt, Sabrina makes it harder for her to lead a healthy, independent life.”

She added, “I’m not asking for much. Just treat her with respect and grant her the freedoms she rightfully deserves.”

Finnie described the conservatorship system as a “disgrace” and urged Williams’ supporters to “speak out” in her favor.

“There is a lack of oversight across the board, coupled with insufficient funding. The number of guardians falls short of those needing assistance,” Finnie remarked. “As a result, many issues go unresolved, leading to neglect and even financial exploitation of some of the most vulnerable individuals. My aunt is unfortunately one such individual.”

Williams was last seen publicly in August, marking her first appearance after her personal legal and health issues came to light in early 2024.

Williams’ representatives announced in February that she had been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in 2023. They later stated that Williams was “capable of doing many things for herself” and actively participated in the selection of her care team.

Contributing: Edward Segarra and Charles Trepany

This story has been updated to include additional information.