Wendy Williams’ guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, is facing a counterclaim from A&E Television Networks and Lifetime Entertainment Services after she filed a lawsuit against them concerning a docuseries about the former talk-show host.

Legal documents submitted on November 15 in New York indicate that the entertainment firms are seeking reimbursement for legal costs they incurred while defending against Morrissey’s lawsuit. They assert in their counterclaim that Morrissey endeavored to “stifle free speech and burden publishers with the expenses of defending against unfounded lawsuits.”

YSL News has contacted representatives for Morrissey for a response.

The companies further claim that Morrissey’s legal actions were driven by her motives to safeguard her personal reputation.

According to their documents, “It was only when Morrissey became aware that the Documentary would question the competency of her guardianship over (Williams) that she attempted to prevent the Documentary from being released.”

Additionally, the companies stated in their counterclaim that their docuseries depicted how Williams’ guardianship “cut her off from her family, left her mostly alone in her apartment, worsened her harmful behaviors and mental decline, and failed to stop (Williams’) alcohol use and/or abuse.”

Morrissey has been engaged in legal proceedings against A&E Television Networks, Lifetime Entertainment Services, and others linked to the documentary titled “Where is Wendy Williams?.” This docuseries covered Williams’ sudden withdrawal from the public eye, which was released in February.

In a memo filed by Morrissey’s legal team on November 12, they described Williams as a “renowned performer who, unfortunately, has been diagnosed with early-onset dementia.” The memo also mentioned that Williams has become “cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated.”

In a revised complaint submitted in September, Morrissey accused the defendants of exploiting Williams “in the most callous and grotesque manner for their own financial benefit.”

Williams’ representatives disclosed back in February that she was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in 2023. At that time, they noted that Williams is “capable of handling many activities independently” and was part of the decision-making for her care team.

Wendy Williams’ Lifetime documentary airs despite her guardian’s legal challenge

Morrissey filed a lawsuit in February aiming to prevent Lifetime from airing “Where is Wendy Williams?,” which featured video clips of the former host along with various interviews.

She sought both an injunction and a temporary restraining order, instruments intended to prevent a party from taking specific actions. However, an appellate judge sided with the television network, stating that any such limitation would constitute an “unacceptable prior censorship on free speech violating the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.”

Previously, Lifetime had aired a biographical film about Williams’ life titled “Wendy Williams: The Movie,” along with a documentary called “Wendy Williams: What a Mess,” both released in 2021. At that time, the network commented that the docuseries “truthfully and candidly showcases Wendy’s life after she was placed under financial guardianship, revealing the vulnerabilities that led her to become a topic of discussion.”

In her amended complaint from September, Morrissey argued that Williams was incapable of consenting to be filmed for the documentary, despite her being listed as an executive producer. Moreover, Williams allegedly received approximately $82,000 for the “disturbing” four-part series.

“This is a meager amount for the exploitation of highly invasive and humiliating content that depicted her ‘in the unsettling stages of dementia,’ while the Defendants, who have profited from the show’s streaming, have likely already amassed millions,” stated the complaint.

In light of this, Morrissey has requested the court direct that any profits from the documentary be allocated to Williams, as she will require “extensive funds for adequate medical care and supervision for the remainder of her life.”