Wendy Williams is watching people from her former inner circle prepare to tell her story without her participation.
Who’s Telling Her Story?
Peacock’s upcoming three-part docuseries, “Clap If You Care: The Wendy Williams Show,” promises to examine her rise, cultural impact and controversial departure from daytime television. More than 20 former staff members are expected to appear. Williams will not be among them.
Her attorney, Joe Tacopina, says former executive producer Suzanne Bass never properly informed Williams about the project. The accusation has placed a cash-grab cloud over a documentary centered on a woman who remains unable to control her career, finances or public image.
“Suzanne never said that she was executive producing a documentary about ‘The Wendy Williams Show.’ There was never a discussion she had with Wendy,” Tacopina told Page Six.
Bass reportedly approached Williams nearly a year ago about participating in publicity surrounding her life. Williams declined. Tacopina said Bass never explained that she was producing a Peacock documentary.
“She absolutely was blindsided,” Tacopina said. “She had no heads up about anything.”
A source close to Bass disputed his version. The insider claimed Bass informed Williams about the series twice. The source also said the pair discussed podcasts, panel appearances and documentaries. They reportedly last spoke in June.
Charlamagne Tha God apparently heard enough to keep his distance. He said he declined an invitation to participate because Williams was not involved. He also claimed her niece, Alex Finnie, knew nothing about the production.
Bass and Chris Witherspoon are executive producers of the series, which is scheduled to premiere in 2027. Peacock says it will revisit Williams’ journey from radio to the purple chair. It will also explore the ending of the show she hosted for 13 seasons.
The project arrives during Williams’ ongoing fight against the court-ordered guardianship established in May 2022. Wells Fargo had raised concerns that she was vulnerable to financial exploitation. The bank restricted her access to several accounts. Attorney Sabrina E. Morrissey was later appointed to oversee her affairs.
Williams was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in 2023. She has challenged claims that she cannot make decisions for herself. She previously described her assisted-living facility as a “luxury prison.”
Her latest message was short and clear. When a photographer encountered her in Manhattan on Aug. 19 and asked what she wanted people to know, Williams replied, “I want out.”
Her financial condition remains difficult to verify. Celebrity Net Worth estimates that Williams has a $5 million fortune. However, she does not control her assets.
Williams reportedly earned at least $10 million annually at the height of “The Wendy Williams Show.” In Lifetime’s 2024 documentary “Where Is Wendy Williams?” she offered a far more troubling account.
“I have no money, and I’m gonna tell you something. If it happens to me, it could happen to you,” she said.
She also faced a reported $568,451 federal tax lien connected to her Manhattan condo. Williams purchased the property for approximately $4.5 million in 2021. She reportedly sold it at a loss three years later.
Her financial troubles followed a contentious divorce from Kevin Hunter, her husband and manager of more than 20 years. Williams filed for divorce in 2019 after Hunter fathered a child with another woman. She also removed him from her show and business operations.
Hunter later filed a $250 million lawsuit against Morrissey, Wells Fargo and others. The complaint alleged financial mismanagement, overmedication and mistreatment under the guardianship.
Williams’ marriage, health, and finances have already fueled two Lifetime documentaries. Peacock is now revisiting her television legacy without her voice.
