The guardian of Wendy Williams has filed a complaint against A&E Television Networks, the parent company of Lifetime, along with Lifetime Entertainment Services, EOne Productions, Creature Films and its executive producer, Mark Ford. Sabrina Morrissey, who has been the former talk show host’s guardian since 2022, filed the suit in New York Supreme Court on September 16. This comes about seven months after the Lifetime documentary, Where Is Wendy Williams?, premiered. Sabrina complained about the amount of money Wendy received as well as the fact that the documentary was rolled out despite the media personality’s desires.
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Sabrina called Wendy 'vulnerable.'
The complaint, which is 75 pages, alleges that Wendy wasn’t in the best place at the time the documentary was filmed. “As is patently obvious from the very first few minutes of the Program itself, W.W.H. was highly vulnerable and clearly incapable of consenting to being filmed, much less humiliated and exploited,” it states. “When the Guardian discovered that Defendants’ true intentions were to portray W.W.H. in a highly demeaning and embarrassing manner, she immediately sought to protect and to preserve her dignity. But the defendants fought to move ahead… without a valid contract and released without the Guardian’s consent.”
The filing says the network should pay for her medical care and supervision.
The filing, obtained by People, states that those who have worked with Wendy— Sabrina, along with Roberta Kaplan and her partner, Tim Martin — believe the network took advantage of the star. They also argue that Wendy’s medical care and supervision should be paid for by the television network for the rest of her life.
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Sabrina claims the defendants made millions off of the documentary.
“Not surprisingly, the public reacted with disgust and revulsion at Defendants’ blatant and vicious exploitation of W.W.H,” the complaint alleges. “By willfully taking advantage of a severely impaired, incapacitated person, Defendants have made millions on W.W.H.’s back, while W.W.H. has received a paltry $82,000 from the documentary.”
She says that everything was 'calculated.'
Sabrina goes on to call the network’s actions “calculated” in how they handled Wendy. “This case arises from the brutally calculated, deliberate actions of powerful and cravenly opportunistic media companies working together with a producer to knowingly exploit W.W.H., an acclaimed African-American entertainer who, tragically, suffers from dementia and, as a result, has become cognitively impaired, permanently disabled, and legally incapacitated,” the complaint reads. “Eager to sensationalize and profit from W.W.H.’s cognitive and physical decline, Defendants took advantage of W.W.H in the cruelest, most obscene way possible for their own financial gain, in a manner that truly shocks the conscience.”
Here's what else the complaint addresses.
The complaint goes on to allege that Wendy’s image and credibility was “deliberately destroyed” and that she was ” incapacitated and unable to consent at the time the Contract or its amendments were executed, even if she had signed it (which she did not).”
It also states that Wendy being listed as an executive producer on the doc was false. Sabrina requests that all profits from the documentary go to the former talk show host. She also asks the court to stop A&E from any further airing, sales, or release of the documentary.
