Wendy Williams' family starts GoFundMe to raise $50K to free star from 'isolating' guardianship

By Julianna Salinas

Wendy Williams' family is turning to the public for help to free her from her "deeply isolating" conservatorship .

The former talk show host was placed into a court-ordered legal guardianship that oversees her finances and health back in May 2022. Despite claims from lawyer Sabrina Morrissey that the star is "incapacitated," her family believes otherwise.

Wendy's family, led by her niece Alex Finnie, has started a GoFundMe in the hopes of raising $50,000 to help with mounting legal fees and moving her out of the wellness facility she is currently living in , which she claims is like living "in prison."

Though the former radio host was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in 2023, she is adamant that a legal conservatorship is not necessary, especially with the support and care of her family.

In a recent appearance on Power 105's The Breakfast Club, the 60-year-old spoke directly about her situation, claiming: "I am not cognitively impaired. But I feel like I am in prison" and that she is barred from contacting her family. She also claims that she has experienced "emotional abuse" at the facility she currently resides in.

The description for the fundraiser reads: "For far too long, Wendy has faced the challenges of being unjustly placed under guardianship and labeled as incapacitated, despite her strong will and determination to live her life independently."

It continues: "The guardian assigned to her has severed her connections with friends and family, leaving her without the support network she so desperately needs. This isolation in New York has made it increasingly difficult for her to maintain her strength and resilience."

The description concludes: "Wendy's family is passionately advocating for her return to Florida, where she can once again be surrounded by the love and support of those who care about her. They are suffering emotionally as they witness the toll her isolation is taking on her well-being."

The former radio host's guardianship is similar to that of fellow stars Britney Spears and Amanda Bynes, who have both since been freed from the legal confines of their conservatorships. So far, the GoFundMe campaign has raised over $15,000.

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Wendy Williams' family starts GoFundMe to raise $50K to free star from 'isolating' guardianship

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Who is Sabrina Morrissey? Unpacking Wendy Williams' Heartbreaking Conservatorship Battle

Sabrina Morrissey, a name now synonymous with controversy, has come under intense scrutiny for her role as Wendy Williams’ guardian. As the famed talk show host and media personality fights to regain control of her life, Morrissey’s actions—and the system enabling them—are facing widespread criticism from fans, family, and advocates for reform.

The Role of Sabrina Morrissey in Wendy Williams’ Conservatorship

Morrissey was appointed as Williams’ legal guardian in 2022, a role that granted her control over the star’s finances, healthcare, and personal decisions. This legal arrangement came after a public feud between Wendy and Wells Fargo Bank, along with her former financial adviser Lori Shiller. Wendy accused them of conspiring to mismanage her finances, leading to her placement under guardianship.

According to Wendy’s former attorney, the guardianship was less about protecting the TV star and more about covering up alleged financial malfeasance. Claims of violations of laws and financial regulations have further fueled skepticism about the motivations behind the conservatorship.

Allegations of Emotional and Financial Abuse

In a rare and emotional interview on The Breakfast Club, Wendy broke her silence, calling out the guardianship as a source of emotional and financial abuse. She revealed she is confined to a New York facility, allowed no visitors, and has limited access to communication. Wendy described her daily life as “prison-like,” sharing that she only has $15 to her name, cannot receive phone calls, and has no access to a laptop or the internet.

Williams’ niece, Alex Finnie, corroborated these claims, painting a harrowing picture of isolation and surveillance. “She’s there every day, all hours of the day,” Finnie said, emphasizing the emotional toll of such restrictive conditions.

Public Outcry: The #FreeWendy Movement

Much like the #FreeBritney campaign that galvanized public support for Britney Spears, Wendy’s fans have launched the #FreeWendy movement. Social media has exploded with calls for justice, with fans labeling Morrissey as the antagonist in Wendy’s ongoing struggle.

“Wendy Williams is literally being held captive by Sabrina Morrissey. #FreeWendy,” one fan posted on X (formerly Twitter). Others pointed to Morrissey’s alleged attempts to control Wendy’s narrative, including filing lawsuits to block a Lifetime documentary, Where Is Wendy Williams?

A Broken System?

Wendy’s case has drawn comparisons to other high-profile conservatorships, highlighting systemic flaws. Despite Morrissey filing court documents describing Wendy as “cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated,” the former TV host sounded lucid, coherent, and impassioned in her interview. Wendy vehemently denied claims of cognitive decline, even challenging listeners to judge for themselves.

Family Advocacy

Wendy’s son, Kevin Jr., has been vocal about his mother’s situation. Following her appearance at his college graduation, he described her as sober and eager to return home. “Isolation is killing her faster than anything else,” he wrote on Instagram, pleading for her freedom.

What’s Next?

The fight for Wendy Williams’ autonomy continues, with public sentiment firmly on her side. The #FreeWendy movement is gaining momentum, pressuring both Morrissey and the legal system to reconsider the terms of her guardianship.

As Wendy tearfully said during her interview, “This system has falsified a lot.” Whether the public outcry and legal challenges will lead to her freedom remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Wendy Williams is not giving up without a fight.

Sabrina Morrissey’s legacy, for now, remains entangled with this heartbreaking saga. Whether she’ll be remembered as a protector or an enabler of abuse depends on the outcome of Wendy’s quest for justice.

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Who is Sabrina Morrissey? Unpacking Wendy Williams' Heartbreaking Conservatorship Battle

Woman who lost $850,000 to scammers posing as Brad Pitt faces wave of online harassment and mockery

A French woman who revealed on television how she had lost her life savings to scammers posing as Brad Pitt, has faced a wave of online harassment and mockery, leading the interview to be withdrawn on Tuesday.

The woman, named as Anne, told the "Seven to Eight" program on the TF1 channel that she had believed she was in a romantic relationship with the Hollywood star, leading her to divorce her husband and transfer $850,000.

The scammers used fake social media and WhatsApp accounts, as well as AI image-creating technology to send Anne what appeared to be selfies and messages from Pitt.

To extract money, they pretended that the 61-year-old actor needed money to pay for kidney treatment, with his bank accounts supposedly frozen because of divorce proceedings with his ex-wife Angelina Jolie.

Anne, a 53-year-old interior decorator with mental health problems, spent a year and half believing she was communicating with Pitt and only realized she had been scammed when news emerged of Pitt's real-life relationship with girlfriend Ines de Ramon.

"The story broadcast this Sunday has resulted in a wave of harassment against the witness," TF1 presenter Harry Roselmack wrote on his X account on Tuesday. "For the protection of victims, we have decided to withdraw it from our platforms."

Anne was said by the channel at the time of its broadcast to have been suffering from severe depression and received hospital treatment.

The interview, in which she was filmed openly and even shared family photos with reporters, went viral on Monday.

It sparked a deluge of mocking comments and jokes, but some online critics accused TF1 of failing to protect a vulnerable individual who might not have been unaware of the consequences of going public.

Toulouse Football Club tweeted that "Brad told us that he would be at the stadium on Wednesday" for the team's next match, before withdrawing the message and apologizing.

Netflix France also posted on social media promoting "four films to see with Brad Pitt (really) for free."

Romance scams have been a feature of the internet since the advent of email, but experts say artificial intelligence has increased the risk of identity theft, hoaxes and fraud online.

"These people deserve hell"

Anne told TF1 that she was first contacted by someone posing as Pitt's mother shortly after she began using Instagram for the first time while on a ski trip with her family in France.

"She told me that her son needed someone like me," Anne explained.

The scammers messaged her again several days afterwards, this time posing as Pitt.

"At first I said to myself that it was fake, that it's ridiculous," Anne explained to TF1. "But I'm not used to social media and I didn't really understand what was happening to me."  

"I ask myself why they chose me to do such harm like this?" she continued. "I've never harmed anyone. These people deserve hell."

More than 64,000 Americans were taken for over $1 billion in romance scams in 2023— double the $500 million just four years earlier, according to the Federal Trade Commission.  

In 2023, senior citizens were conned out of roughly $3.4 billion in a range of financial crimes, according to the FBI data. The agency recently warned that AI has increased the "believability" or criminal scams given that they "assist with content creation and can correct for human errors that might otherwise serve as warning signs of fraud."

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Woman who lost $850,000 to scammers posing as Brad Pitt faces wave of online harassment and mockery