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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Philadelphia homeless man's lawyer says couple who raised $400k for him is withholding money

Johnny Bobbitt Jr. had a new life ahead of him.

Last October, the homeless man used his last $20 to buy gas for a woman, Kate McClure, who was stranded on Interstate 95 in Philadelphia. McClure, in return, created a GoFundMe campaign with her boyfriend Mark D'Amico to raise money for Bobbitt to thank him.

McClure and Bobbitt's story quickly transformed into a viral "feel-good" story, and the campaign, as of Friday night, raised a total of $402,706 within nine months.

But what started as a good deed has now devolved into an all-out feud. Bobbitt's lawyer says a large portion of money never reached his client.

"From what I can see, the GoFundMe account raised $402,000 and GoFundMe charged a fee of approximately $30,000. Mark D'Amico and Kate McClure gave Johnny about $75,000. There should be close to another $300,000 available to Johnny," Bobbitt's lawyer Chris Fallon told CNN on Friday.

Fallon says he and another attorney, Jacqueline Promislo, are working to get that money back. The goal, Fallon said, is to secure a guardian to manage that money so the 14,000 people who contributed to the GoFundMe campaign would know where their money is going.

A spokesperson for GoFundMe said the crowdfunding website "is looking into the claims of misuse regarding this campaign."

"When there is a dispute, we work with all parties involved to ensure funds go to the right place," GoFundMe's statement read. "We will work to ensure that Johnny receives the help he deserves and that the donors' intentions are honored."

Misuse, the company said, "is very rare on our platform." Misused campaigns make up "less than one-tenth of 1% of all campaigns."

The relationship between Bobbitt and McClure began to deteriorate when she and her boyfriend bought Bobbitt a camper -- they originally promised him a house -- and parked it in their driveway in New Jersey, where Bobbitt lived until June, Promislo said.

"This was not his choice and he didn't have any say in the matter," Promislo said. "Johnny would have preferred to go back to North Carolina. That would have been a much better environment."

Bobbitt, a North Carolina native, "had no access to money or food" while living in the camper, Promislo said. "He didn't have any ability to take care of himself there."

Promislo said the camper was bought with the money from GoFundMe. McClure and D'Amico also bought Bobbitt a truck, which they drove. The truck ended up breaking down.

CNN has reached out to both McClure and D'Amico, but has not received a response.

Fallon said Bobbitt has an addiction problem, and that's possibly a reason McClure didn't want to give him any more money.

"It's not heroin or opioids but another drug problem," Fallon said.

In an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer, McClure said she and D'Amico did what they could to help Bobbitt. The couple told the paper they gave Bobbitt more than half the money but are withholding the rest until he gets a job and is drug-free.

D'Amico told the Inquirer that he controls the money but thinks neither he nor his girlfriend did anything wrong. He said giving such a large amount of money to an addict is like giving someone a loaded gun.

The Inquirer also said Bobbitt wondered how McClure paid for a new BMW and went on vacations to California, Florida and Las Vegas. McClure said the couple used their own money for the BMW and vacations. D'Amico told the Inquirer he spent $500 of the GoFundMe money to gamble, but he paid the money back to the campaign.

Promislo told CNN she can't speak to the claims made in the Inquirer.

Promislo said Bobbitt is currently living on the streets of Philadelphia "in harm's way." He was very successful at a methadone clinic before, she said. He had detoxed himself, but she said he is not physically in detox now.

Full Article & Source:
Philadelphia homeless man's lawyer says couple who raised $400k for him is withholding money

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