Wendy Williams Conversation With Harvey Levin Raises Guardianship Questions

TMZ

Wendy Williams sounds like the same person she was 10 years ago and is not showing a hint of disability ... so says TMZ Executive Producer Harvey Levin, who just spent 90 minutes with her on the phone.

Transcript

00:00Hey everybody, it's Harvey Levin from TMZ.

00:05I just spent an hour and a half on the phone with Wendy Williams and I can tell you that

00:14the Wendy Williams I spoke to today is the same Wendy Williams that I knew 10 years ago.

00:24There was no difference.

00:26She was lucid.

00:28She was articulate.

00:30She was with it.

00:32And she was opinionated.

00:34I'm not going to get into the specifics because it was an off-the-record conversation.

00:39But she wants me to give my evaluation of what I heard.

00:46Charlemagne Tha God was on the phone call as well.

00:50And my impressions were precisely what Charlemagne has already said.

00:56That Wendy Williams seemed like she could have done her radio show today.

01:02There was no lapse in her judgment.

01:05There was no hesitation in what she was saying.

01:09And I'm not a doctor, but I am alarmed that Wendy Williams has had her freedom taken away

01:17from her.

01:18And I don't understand exactly why.

01:23Wendy doesn't have access to a cell phone in the sense that people cannot call her.

01:32If a call is made, it has to be from her out.

01:35She doesn't have a laptop.

01:37She can't come and go according to her.

01:41And that makes sense because we really haven't seen her out with the exception of her son's

01:44graduation.

01:46And I have a strong opinion about what may have happened here.

01:52Because Wendy has struggled over the years with some substance abuse, and especially

01:59after her divorce.

02:01And it's pretty clear from the recent documentary where you see a vodka bottle next to her,

02:07that Wendy was off the wagon.

02:11And Wendy is a substance abuser, but she was clearly clean when I spoke with her.

02:18I know Charlemagne has talked to her numerous times, or at least several times in the past,

02:24and he had the same impression.

02:27And aside from the various pills that they are giving her there, whatever it is, she

02:34seems fine.

02:36And when the people in this guardianship she's under say that she is permanently disabled

02:45and essentially non-functional, I heard the opposite.

02:49I heard somebody who seemed with it, competent.

02:54It wasn't even close to the line.

02:56It wasn't even close to the line.

03:00There is something that needs to be addressed here.

03:04The file for this guardianship is sealed in New York.

03:08We can't see it.

03:09I know they say she has frontal temporal dementia, and she may or may not.

03:17But whatever it is, it doesn't seem it's advanced enough, at least from my ear.

03:23And I admit, I am not a doctor, but I can listen to people, and especially in an hour

03:30and a half phone call, I didn't hear an iota of that, of any permanent disability, or somebody

03:39who was unable to function.

03:42So it seems to me that this needs to be addressed.

03:47Why is it that Wendy is under such tight wraps in this guardianship?

03:53Why is it, even if she were disabled, that people can't call her?

03:59Why is it that she doesn't have the ability to communicate the way most people do with

04:05emails and texts and cell phones and all?

04:08Why is it that she is in this home where there are a lot of people who are 90 years

04:16old and others, and she was describing the house itself, and she wasn't saying it was

04:22in deplorable condition.

04:24She was saying that it is a really depressing environment, and she doesn't quite understand

04:30why she's there.

04:31So I think that somebody needs to come forward and explain, why is Wendy Williams in this

04:41kind of guardianship, where her freedom has been taken away, when she seems fine?

04:47And maybe let her out with a sober coach 24-7.

04:54And if that would solve any issue she has, at least for now, give her her freedom back.

05:01And if she does indeed have this form of dementia, and it does become a permanent condition where

05:10she is profoundly disabled, then reestablish a guardianship.

05:16But I have to tell you, it wasn't even close when I heard her talk to me for an hour and

05:23a half.

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