Did Wendy Williams Pass Away Today? What Really Happened With the Talk Show Queen

If you’ve spent any time on social media today, you probably saw the rumors. Maybe a cryptic post on X or a weirdly titled YouTube video made you panic for a second. It happens every few months with her, honestly. People start whispering, the "rest in peace" comments start flooding the feed, and suddenly everyone is asking the same thing: Did Wendy Williams pass away today?

Let’s get the big answer out of the way immediately. No, Wendy Williams is not dead. As of January 17, 2026, she is very much alive.

But I get why people are worried. The last few years have been a total rollercoaster for the woman who basically invented modern tea-spilling. We aren’t just talking about her show ending; we're talking about a massive, confusing legal battle over her own life. It’s a lot to keep track of, especially when the news cycle moves this fast.

Why Everyone Is Asking: Did Wendy Williams Pass Away Today?

Death hoaxes are a nasty side effect of being a legend. Wendy has been out of the daily spotlight for so long that whenever her name trends, people assume the worst. It’s "How you doin'?" turned into "How is she doing?" and the answer is complicated.

The reason these rumors catch fire is because Wendy has been dealing with some heavy health stuff. In early 2024, her team went public with the fact that she was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). That’s the same thing Bruce Willis is fighting. It’s a progressive disease that messes with how you speak and how you process information.

Because we don't see her sitting in that purple chair every morning at 10:00 AM, the internet fills the silence with gossip. Sometimes it's a "source" claiming she’s in a coma, other times it’s just a bot account looking for clicks. It’s exhausting.

The 2026 Update: Is She Still Under Guardianship?

This is where things actually get interesting—and a bit hopeful. For a long time, the narrative was that Wendy was "permanently incapacitated." Her court-appointed guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, had been telling the courts that Wendy couldn't make her own choices.

But Wendy hasn’t been staying quiet.

Basically, 2025 was the year Wendy started fighting back. She did interviews where she sounded sharp, funny, and—most importantly—like herself. She’s been calling her facility a "luxury prison." Last year, her legal team, led by Joe Tacopina, dropped a bombshell: a new medical evaluation by a top neurologist supposedly found no signs of dementia.

Wait, what?

Yeah. Her team is arguing that the original diagnosis was either wrong or that she’s shown "remarkable neurological resilience" since getting sober. If you've followed Wendy for years, you know she’s a fighter. Seeing her sit front row at New York Fashion Week recently looking "like a zillion dollars" (her words!) really shifted the vibe from tragedy to a potential comeback story.

The Real Health Challenges She Faces

Even if the dementia diagnosis is being challenged, Wendy isn't "fine" in the way she was in 2011. We have to be real about that. She’s still managing:

• Graves’ Disease: An autoimmune thing that affects the thyroid and her eyes.
• Lymphedema: Which causes that severe swelling in her feet and legs.
• Aphasia: Which can make it hard to find the right words, even on a good day.

The drama isn't just about her health, though. It’s about the money. Wendy has been locked out of her own millions for years because Wells Fargo claimed she was of "unsound mind." It’s a messy, heartbreaking situation that honestly reminds a lot of people of the #FreeBritney movement.

Sorting Fact from Fiction

You’ve probably seen some of these headlines. Let's debunk them so you can stop worrying:

"Wendy Williams found unresponsive" – This is almost always a clickbait scam. If something that big happened, ABC News or CNN would be the ones breaking it, not a random Facebook page with three followers.

"Wendy’s family says she’s gone" – Actually, her family (like her niece Alex Finnie and sister Wanda) have been her biggest cheerleaders. They’ve been vocal about wanting her home in Florida, not stuck in a New York facility. They say she sounds "remarkably different" and much better than she did in that controversial 2024 documentary.

"The guardianship is over" – Not yet. As of right now, the legal battle is still grinding through the courts. Her lawyers are pushing for a jury trial to prove she has the "capacity" to run her own life again.

What’s Next for the Queen of Media?

Wendy wants her life back. She’s made that clear in every rare phone call and appearance she’s made. She wants to go back to New York, she wants to get back on the mic, and she wants to shop.

Honestly, the fact that she’s still this much of a conversation starter proves how much people miss her. There’s a "Wendy-sized" hole in daytime TV that nobody has quite filled. Whether she ever gets another talk show or just gets to live a quiet life in Miami with her family, the goal for 2026 seems to be freedom.

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So, next time you see a post claiming she’s passed, take a breath. Check the reputable sources. Most of the time, it’s just noise.

Actionable Steps for Fans

• Verify before sharing: If you see a "breaking news" post about a celebrity death, check the major trades like Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, or People Magazine. If they aren't reporting it, it's likely a hoax.
• Support the cause: If you're interested in the legal side of things, look into how adult guardianships work in New York. Wendy's case has brought a lot of light to how easily a person can lose their rights.
• Revisit the legacy: Instead of engaging with death hoaxes, go watch some old "Hot Topics" clips. It's a much better way to honor what she built.

Wendy Williams is still here, still fighting, and probably still wondering "How you doin'?" while she plans her next move.