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  • 2/29/2024
Wendy Williams' Brother Offers Update on TV Star's Life in Treatment Facility

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People
Transcript
00:00 So were you under the impression as well
00:02 that this was going to be a documentary
00:03 about her road back to doing a podcast
00:06 or doing her next show?
00:08 Because of course what we're seeing now
00:10 is something completely different.
00:11 Yeah, you know something, I'll tell you,
00:13 you know, it spoke volumes to my early narrative
00:16 of, you know, Wendy's doing better
00:19 and everything like that,
00:20 because quite frankly, my hunch was,
00:24 I guess she's making her way back to media, you know?
00:28 So I was just, you know, and why doubt it?
00:30 You know, she's been through so many obstacles
00:32 in the past and everything.
00:33 And then, you know, with us not being able
00:34 to put our eyes on her and things like that
00:36 and see the progress, everybody was on board.
00:39 The uncomfortable position that I put myself in
00:45 was I let my thought, you know,
00:49 kind of be distant from everybody else's
00:51 'cause everybody else, I guess, was connected to the,
00:54 you know, the guardianship and everything else
00:57 and kind of, you know, bringing the momentum
00:59 and bringing some support to what we're trying to get done.
01:02 And I was looking from the stance of,
01:05 because a busy day and not really looking and analyzing,
01:08 I was looking like, well, she's getting better
01:10 and I guess she's gonna get back
01:12 to doing what she was doing in some sort, you know?
01:14 So that was that.
01:15 They basically said that
01:16 because she was drinking so much,
01:18 it was starting to affect her head space and her brain.
01:22 So I think they said it was alcohol-induced dementia.
01:24 Yeah.
01:26 When did you learn about that diagnosis?
01:30 As evidenced, we saw Wendy, you know, with drinks.
01:33 You know, I do know that that was her preference.
01:37 You know, when I visited, you know, I experienced,
01:40 you know, and saw for myself
01:41 and was able to lay my eyes on the realities.
01:44 So, you know, I think that it was probably spot on, perhaps.
01:48 I don't know who was given what information
01:51 from people who are authorized and qualified
01:55 to give such diagnosis,
01:57 but I do know that, you know,
01:59 I hadn't heard anything by anybody who's qualified.
02:03 In conversations that I've had with Wendy, you know,
02:07 you know, there have been dribbles along the way,
02:10 early on, with, you know,
02:12 maybe calling the different person, things of that nature.
02:15 So I can attach myself to maybe somebody
02:18 coming up with that terminology
02:20 because of things like forgetfulness and things like that.
02:23 Fast forward to now,
02:24 when we were plugged in and get a phone call,
02:26 I don't hear that.
02:27 I hear, "Hey, Tommy, how you doing?"
02:29 You know what I'm saying?
02:30 It's interesting to me
02:31 because I think we've heard your niece say,
02:33 and some of your other family members say,
02:35 "She needs to be with us because she's not doing as well."
02:39 I want the family to become the garden.
02:41 And you guys are ready to take care of her?
02:43 100%.
02:44 But you're saying when you talk to her,
02:45 she does sound like she's doing well.
02:48 Well, she sounds like she's doing well,
02:49 first of all, because she's plugged into family.
02:51 And I don't know, I mean, you know,
02:53 I don't know everybody else's indication
02:55 as to how frequently they speak with her.
02:57 I pretty much try to line my day up,
02:59 try to wear earbuds, man the phone,
03:02 be ready to tell everybody, "Back up, a call's coming in."
03:06 So be ready for Wendy's call.
03:07 And I'll say that each time we get on the phone,
03:11 it's exciting.
03:12 We're looking forward to it.
03:14 So when I do hear Wendy's voice,
03:16 she does sound upbeat and happy.
03:19 And she does sound clear
03:20 because she's talking to the people
03:22 that she wants to be with.
03:23 Got it.
03:24 You know, she's excited about the conversation.
03:26 She's not excited about the dwelling where she is.
03:29 She's excited about the, you know,
03:31 the possibilities and things like that.
03:32 And I'm just saying, you know, just from my take,
03:35 I mean, you know, I'm not in Wendy's head,
03:36 but you know what, I'll say that, no,
03:38 it's not the latter of the two.
03:41 It's not, you know,
03:42 oh, they must be really doing things right
03:43 'cause she sounds great.
03:45 No, no, no, she sounds great
03:46 because she's finally talking to the people
03:48 who make her sound really good
03:49 and make her heart feel warm.
03:50 'Cause she's talking to her brother
03:50 and she misses you and wants to talk to you.
03:53 That's what you're saying.
03:54 Yeah, and normally when she gets on the phone,
03:57 you know, it's not just her brother,
03:59 it's a patched call.
04:00 So, you know, it might be me
04:01 and it might be my sister, Wanda,
04:03 it might be my dad on the phone.
04:04 So we collectively, hey, how you doing?
04:06 And we try to pull back
04:07 and have everybody kind of experience
04:09 kind of an individual conversation.
04:12 But we're, you know, we work with what we got.
04:14 Can I just ask you this?
04:15 So you guys, I know you don't know where she is.
04:17 Is it just agreed upon through the courts
04:19 that you can't even say to her, "Wendy, where are you?"
04:22 You know, it's just a matter of, you know,
04:24 all that's been going on for so long
04:25 and I stay in contact, you know,
04:27 I'm in Florida, I'm not far from my oldest sister
04:30 and my dad and everything.
04:31 So we kumbaya frequently.
04:34 And so, you know, I don't feel necessary to use that time.
04:39 You know, everybody is,
04:41 I would imagine it's a very volatile situation.
04:44 And I would imagine that Wendy is extremely unnerved
04:47 being outside of her element.
04:49 You know, with freedom.
04:50 I think she's losing memory.
04:52 Have you guys noticed that?
04:53 How dare him?
04:55 I control men.
04:56 But how were you and the family made aware
05:00 that this documentary was even being shot?
05:02 It was kind of like, you know, we're a tribal family
05:05 as most families are.
05:06 I would think that everybody aspires to be tribal.
05:08 So, you know, we rallied around.
05:11 I think it was my dad that even shared it.
05:13 You know, he said, "Tommy, you know,
05:18 Wendy's doing some shooting for the next production."
05:21 She was already doing quite a bit of footage and stuff.
05:24 And I was, I personally was thinking that something
05:27 was gonna come about the footage
05:29 'cause I didn't really, you know,
05:31 see it just going anywhere.
05:32 And Wendy's not just wanna collect footage
05:34 that I could recall.
05:35 So I knew it was probably something.
05:36 I can't imagine what it's like for you all watching this
05:39 because it's really unnerving for us
05:40 who don't even really know Wendy like that watching it.
05:43 But one of the things that still sits with me
05:45 is the clip where she calls you Kevin.
05:48 So Kevin, I'm so glad you're here.
05:52 Really.
05:57 Did you realize at that time
05:59 that Wendy's condition was getting worse?
06:01 Is that when it really started to click with you?
06:04 Oh, you know, something crazy is that, you know,
06:05 we kind of do that sometimes.
06:07 You know, I get people say Kevin all the time
06:09 'cause we have that likeness and things.
06:11 But you know what?
06:11 With Wendy, I know that it was conditional
06:14 and it was under the circumstances.
06:16 And you know, no, exactly.
06:17 I didn't wanna buy into that.
06:18 I didn't wanna ruin the moment.
06:20 So, you know, hey.
06:23 You just let it go.
06:25 Just let it go.
06:26 I'm gonna be doing such fun things on my new TV show.
06:29 Really?
06:30 And I'm gonna have, you know,
06:32 I don't wanna just write it because it will get off.
06:36 You know what I'm saying?
06:37 So I have like a paint thing.
06:40 Yeah, just to paint.
06:43 Okay.
06:44 How much did the documentary producers stay in contact
06:47 with the family about Wendy's health
06:49 and what they were seeing while they were shooting?
06:52 I didn't feel as though, at that point,
06:54 I didn't feel as though Wendy was ready.
06:56 She wasn't ready for a production.
06:58 I don't really know why she's doing it now.
07:00 And I don't think I really outwardly said that,
07:02 but I was saying it to myself.
07:04 And I said that amongst family.
07:06 Because I really didn't have a good,
07:08 I didn't have an idea of what she was planning on doing
07:10 with this piece.
07:11 When you started filming and did airing this documentary,
07:16 do you believe that it helped Wendy's condition
07:19 or do you believe that it hurt Wendy more?
07:23 Hey, listen, it's, you know, we've been at the bottom.
07:27 I believe that we've hit it, that she's hit it.
07:30 I think the documentary is good.
07:32 I appreciate the documentary because it released me.
07:35 It taught me so much.
07:38 It brought me closer to family.
07:41 It brought us all together.
07:42 And I'll be honest with you, you know,
07:43 I didn't want to watch the documentary
07:46 because I didn't want to see Wendy continuously
07:49 in that light.
07:51 It wasn't necessary, like for me.
07:53 And so, you know, I set it up for, you know,
07:56 my dad, stuff, my wife.
07:58 But, you know, I went upstairs and I came down at one point
08:03 and time that I walked into the room was
08:06 when Wendy was saying, you know,
08:07 what the question was, you know, about our mother.
08:10 - Mr. Albee?
08:11 - Oh, yes, so I...
08:15 - When she cried, I realized that she was,
08:19 that she was in pain just like the rest of us
08:23 and that she is my sister, you know,
08:25 because all this distance in between
08:27 has created such a wedge.
08:30 And then you have all the people involved
08:32 and then you have social media and everything,
08:34 but we're strong, we have thick skin.
08:36 And, you know, this is what Wendy does.
08:38 This is what the family does.
08:39 We give them a moment and then we're back on our horse
08:41 and we're strong again.
08:42 But so I say this and this is all about
08:45 just really missing my sister.
08:48 - Do you think though that she would have been able
08:49 to get the help that she needed
08:51 if this documentary wasn't done?
08:54 Because now it feels like your family's taking on
08:57 a whole new fight that maybe they weren't doing before.
09:00 - It wouldn't have happened, for me,
09:02 it wouldn't have happened without the documentary.
09:04 For me, because I wouldn't have known
09:09 how to be involved.
09:10 - Right.
09:11 - And kind of right now, and I think what I'm buckling now,
09:13 what I'm thinking is the regret, the regret.
09:18 You know, 'cause I wish I was on board sooner.
09:23 - Where's your relationship now with Kevin Jr.?
09:26 - Outstanding, yeah, the relationship is really good.
09:28 And I call out to Kevin and he knows
09:31 he could reach out to me.
09:31 He showers me with praise all the time
09:34 and talks to me about how appreciative he is
09:37 of our relationship and our ability to communicate
09:39 and share.
09:40 He comes on the boat, he spends time with his grandfather.
09:44 You know, he's an all-star kid.
09:45 And I mean, you know, he's a young man
09:47 and he's just really, really, really great.
09:51 And a great person to spend time with.
09:53 - It was mentioned in the documentary
09:55 that her guardianship comes up for review once a year.
09:59 Do you know when the next review is?
10:00 And are you guys as a family prepared to be involved
10:04 in that conversation?
10:06 - Yes, yes, we're all prepared
10:08 to be part of that conversation.
10:10 I know definitely I am.
10:12 I'm looking forward to it.
10:13 And unfortunately, I don't know when
10:15 that renewal date's coming up
10:17 or when that conversation's gonna be had.
10:19 I'm hoping maybe sometime this week.
10:20 - Got it.
10:21 It's no secret that there have been random people
10:26 around you getting money, getting paid,
10:29 whatever the case may be, stealing money from me.
10:32 - You know, the argument on the other side
10:34 of this guardianship issue is that you have someone there
10:38 who doesn't have skin in the game as far as financial
10:42 and all of those things, who just is there to,
10:45 quote unquote, do the right thing.
10:47 So at this point, what is it that the family wants
10:49 for Wendy?
10:50 - Yeah, well, you know, you're dealing with a family
10:53 that's, you know, we have a certain degree of intellect
10:55 and we can, you know, definitely kind of, you know,
10:57 pull and figure things out.
10:59 So there's no doubt in my mind
11:01 that we'll be able to help Wendy.
11:02 You know, I think that, you know, the guiding light for her
11:05 that would really set us aside from anybody else
11:08 would be that we have a love for Wendy.
11:10 - Got it.
11:11 - You know, and we have her,
11:12 we truly have her best interest in mind.
11:14 (upbeat music)
11:18 (chimes)
11:20 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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