- 7/24/2025
Behind the scenes, some of Hollywood’s biggest stars have faced legal conservatorships—often through struggles with health, fortune, or family drama. From child actors who grew up too fast to music legends and hosts, we’re exploring some of the least known celebrity cases. Which stories surprised you the most? Join the conversation in the comments below!
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00:00It's so important that I share my story with others.
00:04Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're looking at famous faces who have spent time living under conservatorships.
00:10And I'm speaking of the Guardian.
00:14And the Guardians.
00:15And the Judge.
00:18Amanda Bynes.
00:19Truly horrible.
00:21But now, watch as a casual walk home from the supermarket suddenly turns into a pummeling pep rally.
00:27This former Nickelodeon actress was fronting her own show at 13 and soon progressed to Hollywood stardom.
00:34On screen, Bynes had a gift for comedy, but as the pressures of fame took over, her personal life was no longer a laughing matter.
00:41In the early 2010s, Bynes quit acting due to body image issues and started misusing Adderall.
00:47She racked up multiple dangerous driving and substance charges, as well as a reputation for bizarre tweets and erratic behaviors.
00:55When you look at Britney Spears and Amanda Bynes, the beginnings of their conservatorship were very similar.
01:02In 2014, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and placed under conservatorship with her parents.
01:08For the next nine years, Bynes worked towards her sobriety as well as exploring new creative avenues, including a degree in fashion.
01:16Her conservatorship was terminated in 2022.
01:19I have been working hard to improve my health so that I can live and work independently, and I will continue to prioritize my well-being in this next chapter.
01:27Casey Kasem
01:28So just like Scoop would say, that's right, Waggy, I'm saying as Shaggy, pitch in.
01:35Casey Kasem was the original voice actor for Shaggy in Scooby-Doo and a beloved radio personality, hosting the U.S. Top 40 for over 30 years.
01:44Towards the end of his life, Kasem endured Lewy body disease, a form of dementia.
01:49What followed was an ugly and very public dispute between Kasem's second wife, who was in charge of his care, and the children from his first marriage.
01:58His daughter suspected their stepmother took him from his nursing home in California to Washington State.
02:03Their stepmother prevented Kasem's children from having any contact with their father, but after a prolonged fight, his daughter Kerry was granted a temporary conservatorship and visitation rights for the family.
02:15Kasem died less than a month later.
02:17Kerry Kasem has since fought to protect the rights of families in similar situations.
02:22We've told Jean, take it all. Take everything. Keep the money. We won't go after you. We're not going to go after the will. We're not going to go after the estate. Keep it. Just give us our dad back.
02:31Peter Falk. In 2008, it was reported that Columbo star Peter Falk had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
02:39A year later, following a two-day trial in Los Angeles, his second wife, Shira Denise Falk, was granted conservatorship.
02:46As with Casey Kasem, it was alleged that Falk's second wife would not allow certain family members to visit the former actor.
02:54And my sister and I are kind of pushed away. I started to call my dad's private line. She picked up the phone and said, he never wants to speak to you again.
03:02One of his daughters had asserted that Falk's children were not kept updated on their father's condition and not informed of his death or funeral arrangements.
03:10There's no incentive to letting somebody out of a guardianship because there's too many people that are profiting from this.
03:16Like Kerry Kasem, Catherine Falk has fought for amendments in the law to help other families.
03:22In 2015, New York State passed Peter Falk's law, which provides new guidelines that conservators must adhere to.
03:30In that time, I asked my probate attorney then, can we draft a Peter Falk bill that streamlines this process and allows a path for visitation.
03:38Nichelle Nichols was most famous for her groundbreaking portrayal of Uhura in the original Star Trek series, but she was still acting into her 80s.
03:48In 2018, Nichols was diagnosed with dementia and her son, Kyle Johnson, petitioned for conservatorship.
03:55Her manager, Gilbert Bell, recorded this disturbing video of Nichelle being handed legal documents that give her son, Kyle, conservatorship to run her affairs.
04:04I didn't give permission to have conservatorship over me.
04:08Johnson alleged that Nichols' former manager and then-caretaker, Gilbert Bell, had been abusing her financially.
04:15Bell said that Nichols was being removed from her home against her will.
04:19Nichols' friend, Angelique Fawcett, pressed for visitation rights and was suspicious of both parties.
04:25So in the end, I believe that Nichelle knows I still have her back and I will continue to fight for her human and civil rights.
04:34However, she also asserted that Nichols' wish was always to live out the rest of her life in her own Californian home.
04:41Nichols died at her son's home in New Mexico in 2022.
04:45Three-way conservatorship battle between her son, her close friend and her former manager, which resulted in a lawsuit over her reported $8 million estate and her health.
04:56Brian Wilson
04:57Not all conservatorships are controversial.
04:59Brian Wilson's was a more traditional arrangement.
05:02The Beach Boys founder and primary songwriter was living with a major neurocognitive disorder in his later years.
05:09Taking medication for dementia, he had been cared for by his wife.
05:13But when she died, his family and management team filed for conservatorship.
05:17The Wilson family asked for the conservatorship after Brian Wilson's wife died in January.
05:22She had been responsible for making business and health care decisions.
05:26This was appointed to his long-term publicist and manager, although a stipulation was added that Wilson's children be informed and consulted on all medical decisions.
05:34His estate was already in a trust.
05:36And his wife was taking care of him.
05:39But when she passed away, there was a void that needed to be filled.
05:42So his longtime management team petitioned the court.
05:45In a group statement given at the time, Wilson's family said Brian will be able to enjoy all of his family and friends and continue to work on current projects.
05:54Wilson passed away a year later.
05:56The Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson has died at the age of 82.
06:00His family confirmed his death minutes ago.
06:03Randy Meisner
06:04Take it to the limit for one more time.
06:09Randy Meisner was a co-founding member of the U.S. rock band The Eagles, best known as their bassist and backing vocalist.
06:18He struggled with substance use after the band's rise to fame.
06:21In the final years of his life, it had been alleged that he faced bipolar disorder, traumatic brain injury and alcohol-induced dementia.
06:29His three children, now adults, asked the court to appoint a conservator for Randy last spring.
06:35In 2016, police were called to the house Meisner shared with his wife Lana after a domestic incident was reported.
06:41Later that night, Lana was found shot in the head.
06:44According to police, she had accidentally discharged the gun.
06:47LAPD was called here twice last night.
06:49The first time around 5.30pm to report a domestic violence incident.
06:54And then around 7pm, Randy called to report a shooting that resulted in the death of his wife.
06:58Days later, Meisner himself petitioned a judge to be put under conservatorship with his friend Arthur Ford and accountant Tom DeLong.
07:06Meisner died in 2023.
07:09The band shared this.
07:10Randy was an integral part of the Eagles, an instrumental in the early success of the band.
07:15His vocal range was astonishing.
07:17Wendy Williams
07:18Talk show host Wendy Williams was reportedly diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia in 2023.
07:25The devastating revelation through Wendy's care team that she'd been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia, a form of frontotemporal dementia or FTD.
07:36It was revealed that she had been placed under the guardianship of Sabrina Morrissey in 2022.
07:41According to Morrissey's legal team, three separate petitions were filed, leading to the conservatorship.
07:46If the conservator, who's been the conservator now for several years, isn't the right person, if they're not meshing, if they're not seeing eye to eye, that is not in Wendy's best interest.
07:57Changes should be made.
07:59One was from Williams' son, one from her business manager, and another from a bank who had flagged suspicious activity on Williams' accounts.
08:07However, both Williams' niece and her former co-executive producer, Suzanne Bass, have been critical of the terms of the conservatorship.
08:15And I said to her, Wendy, why do you want to do this?
08:21She said, now is the perfect time because I want to take ownership of my story.
08:27Discussing her guardian and judge, Williams told The View,
08:30They don't dress like me, they don't talk like me, and they don't act like me.
08:33I need them to get off my neck.
08:36I need them to, with my knees, you know, get off my neck.
08:44Joni Mitchell
08:45In 2015, legendary singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell endured a brain aneurysm, which left her briefly incapacitated and in need of care.
08:54Mitchell's longtime friend Leslie Morris petitioned to become her temporary conservator.
08:58I've been warm every place I've been recently.
09:01I mean, I think, I think, coming, having a brush with death like that kind of softens people towards me.
09:08This would not put her in control of Mitchell's estate or finances, but only allow her to make decisions regarding medical care and living arrangements, as there were no family members to step in.
09:19By 2018, Mitchell was making a good recovery and learning to walk again.
09:23You've been through so much, Joni.
09:25Yeah, I have.
09:28But I did it in good company.
09:31By 2022, she was even ready to take to the stage, making a guest appearance at the Newport Folk Festival.
09:37The 13-song set included a guitar solo, another skill she had to relearn from scratch.
09:42You taught yourself to play again.
09:45I'm learning.
09:46I'm looking at videos that are on the net to see where I put my fingers, you know.
09:52Michael Orr.
09:53Fans of The Blind Side might be sad to hear that the real Michael Orr, on whom the film is based, filed a lawsuit against the Toohey family in August 2023.
10:02It could raise flags as to whether or not he's being candid about his awareness, or alternatively, it could raise flags as to whether or not the Toohey's were in fact transparent with the legal arrangement that they made.
10:15Orr claimed that he was not actually adopted by the Toohey's.
10:19Instead, they created a conservatorship, which meant they were able to negotiate business deals in his name, including with the producers of The Blind Side.
10:27He filed a lawsuit against the Toohey family, arguing the movie was a lie and he was misled into a conservatorship that allowed the family to make millions.
10:36Orr says he didn't receive his fair share of the proceeds, while the family claimed that Michael tried to extort money from them, threatening to go to the press.
10:45Both parties agree that the film misrepresented Michael, which had a negative impact on his football career.
10:51A judge ended the conservatorship in September 2023.
10:54A Tennessee judge said today she is ending a conservatorship agreement between former NFL player Michael Orr and the couple who took him in when he was in high school.
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11:21Mickey Rooney
11:21Mickey Rooney's acting career spanned 88 years, from the silent film era to his appearance, age 93, in Night at the Museum, Secret of the Tomb.
11:31You're looking well, Reginald.
11:33What are you here to frame us again? Send us back to the slammer?
11:37But his life wasn't without struggles.
11:40He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, plagued by substance use, and attempted to take his own life on more than one occasion.
11:46In his last years, he was reportedly a victim of elder abuse.
11:50The passing of a screen legend.
11:52Mickey Rooney, whose long career began as a child actor back in Hollywood's golden age, has died at the age of 93.
11:58Rooney trusted his finances to his stepson and wife, who cut him off from other family members and took advantage of him financially.
12:05In 2011, Rooney was granted a restraining order.
12:09But in February, the frail Californian obtained a temporary restraining order against his 52-year-old stepson,
12:16complaining that the son of his eighth and current wife had, quote,
12:20taken control of Mickey's personal and financial affairs.
12:23His finances were handed to a conservator, who declared Rooney completely competent.
12:28In 2011, Rooney spoke before a U.S. Senate committee, calling for stronger legislation against elder abuse.
12:35I was eventually and completely stripped of the ability to make even the most basic decisions.
12:45Have you followed any of these celebrity stories?
12:47Let us know in the comments.
12:48He was something that's hard for us, being from a different generation, to imagine how big he was.
12:53Yes.
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