Wendy Williams’ legal team says her years-long financial guardianship could be lifted before the end of 2025.
Attorney Joe Tacopina recently told ABC’s “Nightline” that updated medical findings show Williams does not have frontotemporal dementia, a diagnosis that helped justify court intervention in 2022.
“They’ve assured Wendy by year’s end she’ll be out of guardianship,” he said, noting that her legal team is preparing for a jury trial to challenge the arrangement.
The update marks a major shift in a legal saga that has kept Williams cut off from her own fortune. A complaint filed earlier this year claimed Williams, 61, was “being abused, neglected, and defrauded under the care of court-appointed guardians.” Those allegations resurfaced long-standing concerns about how her finances have been handled behind closed doors.
The situation began when Wells Fargo flagged suspected “undue influence and financial exploitation,” prompting a New York court to appoint guardian Sabrina Morrissey to take full control of Williams’ accounts and spending.
Williams stated in the 2025 documentary, “TMZ Presents: Saving Wendy,” and accompanying interviews that her son, Kevin Hunter Jr., “overstepped his boundaries” by using her money without her knowledge. She mentioned large, unauthorized withdrawals were a primary reason Wells Fargo froze her accounts in 2022. Specific alleged expenses included over $100,000 on Uber Eats and a $113,000 boat rental for a birthday party. Her son has denied this.
Williams also revealed in the 2024 Lifetime documentary “Where Is Wendy Williams?” that she had “no money” she could access on her own — at one point saying she had as little as $15 available.
If the guardianship ends, a very specific legal process kicks in. A guardian must provide the court with a complete final accounting, listing every asset, every dollar earned, and every expense made under their watch, according to the Hatchett Law Firm, which specializes in estate planning. Only after the court approves that accounting can any remaining funds be transferred back to Williams — or placed into a new structure such as a trust, depending on the judge’s orders. Once that transfer is complete, the guardian’s authority and liability officially end.
Williams’ financial landscape seemingly looks very different from her peak earning years. Her net worth is estimated at roughly $5 million, a major drop from the reported $20 million early in 2024, and far from the tens of millions she amassed during “The Wendy Williams Show.” She is also facing an IRS tax lien exceeding $568,000.
With ongoing disputes involving ex-husband Kevin Hunter and lingering questions about her medical care, the upcoming court decision could determine not only Williams’ personal autonomy, but also who ultimately controls what’s left of her once-vast empire.
