Wendy Williams’ Health Battle: A Deep Dive into Her Diagnoses of Graves’ Disease, Aphasia, and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)
The iconic television personality, Wendy Williams, has openly shared her personal health struggles with the public, shedding light on complex medical conditions and advocating for self-care. Her journey, marked by diagnoses of Graves’ disease in 2018 and, more recently, primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) in 2023, has garnered significant attention and concern from fans worldwide. This detailed overview covers everything known about Wendy Williams’ health challenges, from her initial revelations to her ongoing fight for well-being.
Wendy first disclosed her Graves’ disease diagnosis in 2018, candidly admitting that she had not prioritized her own health at the time. Speaking to Good Morning America, she highlighted a common struggle for many women: “We, as women, particularly if — we have families, you know, we’re taking care of children, we’re taking care of, you know, home, our husbands, we take care of everybody but ourselves,” she explained, as reported by People. She emphasized that this issue transcends socioeconomic status, affecting women from all walks of life. “And it’s really unfortunate. And that — that is something that has no socioeconomic thing to it. No matter what — no matter what the woman’s status is, it seems like we’re all in the same boat,” she articulated, vowing to change her approach: “I’m not doing that anymore. Wendy first.” This powerful statement resonated with many, underscoring the vital importance of personal health and self-care.
Five years later, Wendy’s health journey took a more challenging turn with a diagnosis of “primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD),” a revelation shared by her medical team. This diagnosis placed her in the public conversation alongside actor Bruce Willis, who also battles FTD, further raising awareness for these complex neurological conditions. Her openness has become a critical catalyst for public education and destigmatization.
This article delves into Wendy Williams’ comprehensive health battle, examining her initial diagnosis of Graves’ disease, the later onset of FTD and aphasia, and providing updates on her condition today. Understanding these illnesses and Wendy’s experience offers valuable insights into the challenges faced by individuals living with such diagnoses.
New video of Wendy Williams from ‘We In Miami’ podcast. pic.twitter.com/cEGTCEAVCj
— Pop Base (@PopBase) December 21, 2024
Wendy Williams’ Journey Through Multiple Health Diagnoses
In February 2018, Wendy Williams initiated a crucial public dialogue about Graves’ disease, a condition that significantly impacted her physical appearance and daily life. During her show, she directly addressed her audience, stating, “My thyroid has been totally cattywampus and that is the eye thing that you all have been seeing. You caught it before I did,” according to CBS News. She further explained the direct link between her hyperthyroidism and Graves’ disease: “My thyroid, my hyperthyroid is attached also to Graves’ disease. Graves’ disease squeezes the muscles behind your eyeballs and so that’s the reason for — ” demonstrating the bulging eye symptom (exophthalmos) characteristic of the condition.
At that time, her physician mandated a three-week hiatus from her show, a decision Wendy accepted after already missing one week due to her deteriorating health. She described feeling disoriented, likening it to having “birds swimming around my head, like a cartoon” before her diagnosis. Despite the seriousness of her condition, she maintained her characteristic humor, quipping, “I’ll be back in two. I’m not an heiress. Who’s gonna pay my bills?” This public disclosure not only highlighted her personal struggles but also brought much-needed awareness to Graves’ disease.
Years later, in 2023, Wendy’s medical team confirmed a formal diagnosis of FTD and aphasia. This significant update was shared the following year in a statement aimed at clarifying her health status amidst growing rumors and speculation. The statement, obtained by TV Insider, read: “On behalf of Wendy Williams Hunter, her care team is sharing this very personal update with her cherished fans, friends, and supporters to correct inaccurate and hurtful rumors about her health.” The team emphasized that receiving these diagnoses from specialists at Weill Cornell Medicine was crucial for Wendy to access the necessary medical care.
The statement underscored the difficulty of sharing such private health information: “The decision to share this news was difficult and made after careful consideration, not only to advocate for understanding and compassion for Wendy, but to raise awareness about aphasia and frontotemporal dementia and support the thousands of others facing similar circumstances.” It also addressed the societal challenges faced by those with these conditions: “Unfortunately, many individuals diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia face stigma and misunderstanding, particularly when they begin to exhibit behavioral changes but have not yet received a diagnosis.” Wendy’s public journey, therefore, serves as a powerful tool for advocacy and education.
However, Wendy’s family later revealed to People that they were not informed about her dementia diagnosis. Her sister, Wanda Finnie, expressed that the family had been largely excluded from updates on Wendy’s health since the fall of 2021, prior to Wendy being placed under a court-controlled guardianship. Wanda recalled a period when Wendy was in Florida, where “there were a number of people involved. Even beyond family, there were doctors involved, people in Wendy’s professional world that were involved. She had a health team in place, nurses in place and she had family in place. She was getting healthier.” This indicates a complex situation surrounding her care and family involvement.
More recently, Wendy’s son, Kevin Hunter Jr., shared significant insights into his mother’s health battles during Lifetime’s documentary, Where is Wendy Williams? The 23-year-old claimed that medical professionals attributed his mother’s ongoing health issues to her alcohol consumption. According to Kevin Jr., the doctors “basically said that because she was drinking so much, it was starting to affect her headspace and her brain. So, I think they said it was alcohol-induced dementia.” This revelation added another layer of complexity to understanding Wendy’s health challenges, suggesting potential contributing factors to her neurological conditions.
Understanding the Conditions: Aphasia, Graves’ Disease, and Frontotemporal Dementia
What Is Aphasia?
Aphasia is a complex neurological condition that profoundly impacts an individual’s ability to communicate. As Wendy’s medical team elaborated in their statement, it is “a condition affecting language and communication abilities.” This disorder can manifest in various ways, affecting a person’s ability to speak, understand speech, read, and write. It’s not an indication of intelligence loss, but rather a disruption in the brain’s language centers. Aphasia can result from stroke, head injury, brain tumors, or progressive neurological diseases like frontotemporal dementia. The severity and specific challenges of aphasia can vary widely among individuals, making daily interactions incredibly difficult and isolating.
What Is Graves’ Disease?
Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disorder defined by the Mayo Clinic as “an immune system disorder that results in the overproduction of thyroid hormones.” This overproduction, known as hyperthyroidism, accelerates the body’s metabolism, leading to a wide range of symptoms. For Wendy, these included the noticeable bulging of the eyes (exophthalmos), which she candidly discussed, along with feelings of stress and irritability. Other common symptoms can include weight loss despite increased appetite, anxiety, tremors in the hands, fatigue, heat sensitivity, heart palpitations, and sleep disturbances. Graves’ disease requires ongoing medical management to control thyroid hormone levels and mitigate its significant impact on an individual’s physical and mental well-being. Wendy had admitted on her show that she felt stressed out and highly irritable leading up to her diagnosis, classic signs of hyperthyroidism.
What Is Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)?
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD), the condition also affecting Bruce Willis, is a progressive and irreversible neurological disorder that primarily impacts the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. These areas are crucial for personality, behavior, and language. As Wendy’s medical team described, FTD is “a progressive disorder impacting behavior and cognitive functions.” Unlike Alzheimer’s disease, which typically affects memory first, FTD often presents with significant changes in personality, social conduct, or language abilities. Individuals with FTD may exhibit disinhibition, apathy, compulsive behaviors, or difficulties with speech (aphasia, which is a key component of Wendy’s diagnosis). Living with this condition has undeniably “presented significant hurdles in Wendy’s life,” affecting her ability to work, interact socially, and manage daily affairs, underscoring the profound challenges faced by those diagnosed with FTD and their families.
Wendy Williams’ Health Timeline: From Early Symptoms to Recent Updates
Wendy Williams’ health struggles were not sudden but rather a culmination of symptoms that she initially attributed to other factors. As noted earlier, she was diagnosed with Graves’ disease in 2018, but long before then, she experienced signs that, in hindsight, pointed to underlying issues. In her Good Morning America interview that year, she candidly shared how menopause had initially masked her Graves’ disease symptoms. “With the menopause I wasn’t pointing a finger to any particular thing,” she told GMA’s Amy Robach. “I was just feeling like ‘All right, well I’m 53 and this is I guess how it’s supposed to be.’” This highlights the difficulty in diagnosing conditions when symptoms overlap with common life stages.
Further emphasizing her pre-diagnosis struggles, Wendy recounted a public fainting incident during her show on Halloween 2017. Following the incident, she was found to have alarmingly elevated blood pressure. “Even in October when I passed out on Halloween, that particular day when the EMTs got there I had high blood pressure, which I never have high blood pressure,” she said. “My blood pressure is always either perfect or low. It’s never high. But it was high and the lack of sodium so they were filling me with electrolytes, just fill, fill, fill, fill. I can’t believe that I got up after the commercial break and closed out the show.” This event served as a stark warning, indicating that her body was under significant stress long before her official Graves’ disease diagnosis.
Her commitment to managing her health became paramount even before the conclusion of her show in 2022. Reiterating her prior declaration, she told PEOPLE, “I love doing the show, but I love me more. So I’m going to take care of me, so I can be there for them.” In October 2022, after two months of treatment for “overall health issues,” she left a wellness facility. Her representative, Shawn Zanotti, optimistically told Page Six at the time, “We are happy to report that Wendy Williams is home and healing after being in a wellness facility since August.”
The statement continued, sharing Wendy’s own words: “Wendy is excited about the road ahead and looking forward to releasing her many projects. Thank you to my fans for your love, support and many prayers, I am back and better than ever.” This period marked a moment of hopeful recovery and a renewed focus on her personal well-being. However, the subsequent diagnosis of FTD and aphasia in 2023 presented a new, formidable setback in her health journey.
Wendy Williams was taken away by ambulance after dropping a desperate note from her window, begging for help. pic.twitter.com/NYjmH1R1JI
— Thrilla the Gorilla (@ThrillaRilla369) March 10, 2025
How Is Wendy Williams Doing Today? Updates and Advocacy
Following her Graves’ disease diagnosis in 2018, Wendy expressed significant improvement in her condition. “I feel a hundred percent better than I was a few months ago,” she shared with People. She attributed her previous downturn to neglecting regular endocrinology appointments: “I had a storm going in my body is the best way I can explain it. It came from me neglecting my six month endocrinology appointment. I have Graves disease and hyperthyroid. If you have one you don’t necessarily have to have the other, but I have both, and I was diagnosed with both 19 years ago.” This illustrates the critical importance of consistent medical care for chronic conditions.
Despite her initial recovery from Graves’ disease, the subsequent diagnoses of FTD and aphasia in 2023 brought new challenges. These developments prompted her family to speak out about her life and condition in the Lifetime docuseries, Where Is Wendy Williams?, which premiered on February 24, 2024. The documentary not only highlighted Wendy’s health issues but also brought to light the complexities of her guardianship and its impact on her relationship with her family.
Following the docuseries’ release, Wendy’s sister, Wanda, spoke to PEOPLE, emphasizing the family’s primary concern: “I don’t think there’s anyone Wendy needed more than her family.” She reiterated, “Separate the money part: All I want to know is that my sister is going to live and that she’s going to be healthy. The concern of the family has always been Wendy’s health.” These statements underscore the deep emotional toll Wendy’s health journey has taken on her loved ones and their fervent desire for her well-being.
One day prior to the documentary’s premiere, Wendy herself released a statement to People, breaking her silence amidst the overwhelming public response to her dementia diagnosis. “I want to say I have immense gratitude for the love and kind words I have received after sharing my diagnosis of Aphasia and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD),” she expressed. “Let me say, wow! Your response has been overwhelming. The messages shared with me have touched me, reminding me of the power of unity and the need for compassion.”
In her statement, she also made a heartfelt request for privacy during her recovery: “I continue to need personal space and peace to thrive. Please just know that your positivity and encouragement are deeply appreciated.” This plea for understanding highlights the personal nature of her battle and the need for a supportive environment as she navigates these complex health challenges.
In a recent development in March 2025, authorities conducted a welfare check on Wendy, following which she was moved to an assisted living facility. According to TMZ, she later successfully passed her mental capacity test, a significant milestone that could potentially impact her guardianship status and her future independence. By the summer of 2025, fans were heartened to see Wendy spotted out and about in New York City, reportedly in good spirits and enjoying time with friends. These recent updates offer a glimpse of hope and progress in her ongoing health journey, demonstrating her resilience and determination despite formidable obstacles.
Wendy Williams’ courageous decision to share her health battles with the world has not only provided insights into her personal struggles but has also significantly contributed to raising awareness about Graves’ disease, aphasia, and frontotemporal dementia. Her journey stands as a powerful testament to the importance of self-care, early diagnosis, and the critical need for compassion and understanding for those living with chronic and neurological conditions.