Wendy Williams' Court-Appointed Guardian Files Lawsuit Against 'Demeaning' $400,000 Docuseries Contract

Before filing an unsealed lawsuit against Lifetime's parent company A+E Networks two days before the major documentary detailing Wendy Williams' declining mental state was set to broadcast, Sabrina Morrissey was mostly unknown to the public and Williams's family. The individual court-appointed guardian since 2022 for the former talk show host has been  “acting in her capacity as Temporary Guardian.” The suit, which asked for a temporary restraining order, names Entertainment One Reality Productions, the firm behind the four-and-a-half-hour documentary, and A+E Networks, the parent company of Lifetime. Morrissey claimed that the docuseries is "unconscionably" taking advantage of William's mental illness for amusement, calling it "humiliating" and "demeaning."

In the court documents obtained by The US Sun, the former media personality was to be paid a whopping $100,000 per episode for her participation. The Lifetime contract reads: "The following fees shall be payable to Artist. In the aggregate sum of $100,000 per regular original episode of the initial cycle of the series for which artists recognizably appear." The contract also revealed that the legendary star would receive one suite, two regular hotel rooms, and round-trip business class flights if she had to travel more than 100 miles from her house. She was also given a $75 per diem payment in addition to ground transportation to and from airports. Williams was not yet diagnosed with a neurological illness, according to her temporary court-appointed guardian, even though she was disabled when she signed the deal to be included in the Lifetime docuseries. 

“She was not, and is not, capable of consenting to the terms of the documentary Contract,” Morrissey alleged in the court papers. “And no one acting in [Wendy's] best interest would allow her to be portrayed in the demeaning manner in which she is portrayed in the Trailer for the documentary.” The filings further charged that docuseries was “unconscionably exploiting [Wendy's] condition, and perhaps even disclosing her personal and private medical diagnosis, for perceived ‘entertainment value’ and the prurient interest of television viewers.” “This blatant exploitation of a vulnerable woman with a serious medical condition who is beloved by millions within and outside the African American community is disgusting and it cannot be allowed,” the filing stated. 

The court papers called out the demeaning portrayal of Williams in the trailer, "The Trailer, which contains footage of [Wendy] in an obviously disabled state, shamelessly exploits [Wendy] and portrays her in an extremely demeaning and undignified manner, incorrectly states that she is 'broke,' and cruelly implies that her disoriented demeanor is due to substance abuse and intoxication." Despite being assigned to care for her ward in May 2022, the guardian stated that she was unaware of the diagnosis for the cognitive impairments in her charge until May 2023.