--- title: Wendy Williams Diagnosed With Frontotemporal Dementia, Aphasia description: Wendy WIlliams has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, her team shared in a statement on Thursday. canonical: https://time.com/6767929/wendy-williams-diagnosis-frontotemporal-dementia-aphasia/ author: Simmone Shah article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2024-02-22T19:09:43.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T17:11:04.171Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Wendy Williams Diagnosed With Frontotemporal Dementia, Aphasia og:description: Wendy WIlliams has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, her team shared in a statement on Thursday. og:url: https://time.com/6767929/wendy-williams-diagnosis-frontotemporal-dementia-aphasia/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt159651dde7849ccc/698a48cc096a940b036af10f/wendy-williams.jpg?branch=production&width=1440&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Late Night with Seth Meyers - Season 8 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Wendy Williams Diagnosed With Frontotemporal Dementia, Aphasia twitter:description: Wendy WIlliams has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, her team shared in a statement on Thursday. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt159651dde7849ccc/698a48cc096a940b036af10f/wendy-williams.jpg?branch=production&width=1440&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Wendy Williams Diagnosed With Frontotemporal Dementia and Aphasia  by [Simmone Shah](https://time.com/author/simmone-shah/)  ## Simmone Shah Reporter Feb 22, 2024 7:09 PM UTC  Wendy Williams during an interview with host Seth Meyers on June 15, 2021 Wendy Williams during an interview with host Seth Meyers on June 15, 2021Lloyd Bishop/Getty Images  by [Simmone Shah](https://time.com/author/simmone-shah/)  ## Simmone Shah Reporter Feb 22, 2024 7:09 PM UTC [Wendy Williams](https://time.com/collection-post/4650866/wendy-williams-american-voices/) has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, her team shared in a [statement](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wendy-williams-diagnosed-with-primary-progressive-aphasia-and-dementia-302068851.html) on Thursday. Williams was diagnosed last year following medical testing. The conditions of [aphasia](https://time.com/6163559/aphasia-symptoms-bruce-willis/), which affects language and communication abilities, and [frontotemporal dementia](https://time.com/6256435/bruce-willis-frontotemporal-dementia/) (FTD), a progressive frontal lobe disorder that impacts behavior and cognitive functions, “have already presented significant hurdles in Wendy's life,” her team said. There are currently no treatments for FTD, though researchers are working to better understand the disease and its causes. Williams’s team shared the news publicly in an effort to bring awareness to the conditions. “The decision to share this news was difficult and made after careful consideration, not only to advocate for understanding and compassion for Wendy, but to raise awareness about aphasia and frontotemporal dementia and support the thousands of others facing similar circumstances,” Williams’s team said in the statement. “Unfortunately, many individuals diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia face stigma and misunderstanding, particularly when they begin to exhibit behavioral changes but have not yet received a diagnosis.” Williams made a name for herself as the host of _The Wendy Williams Show_ from 2008-2021\. She stepped down from the show following medical issues, and has been open in the past about struggling with Graves' Disease, an autoimmune disorder, and Lymphedema, a long-term condition in which fluid collects in tissues and causes swelling. The announcement comes ahead of the premiere of a two-part documentary about the host’s life, titled _Where Is Wendy Williams_? The documentary will air on Lifetime on Feb. 24 and 25, and will provide a look into her life following the end of her talk show. “Wendy is still able to do many things for herself,” the statement said. “Most importantly she maintains her trademark sense of humor and is receiving the care she requires to make sure she is protected and that her needs are addressed. She is appreciative of the many kind thoughts and good wishes being sent her way.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6767929/wendy-williams-diagnosis-frontotemporal-dementia-aphasia/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6767929/wendy-williams-diagnosis-frontotemporal-dementia-aphasia/"},"headline":"Wendy Williams Diagnosed With Frontotemporal Dementia and Aphasia","datePublished":"2024-02-22T19:09:43.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T17:11:04.171Z","description":"Wendy WIlliams has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, her team shared in a statement on Thursday.","url":"https://time.com/6767929/wendy-williams-diagnosis-frontotemporal-dementia-aphasia/","keywords":["celebrities","News Desk"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt159651dde7849ccc/698a48cc096a940b036af10f/wendy-williams.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Simmone Shah","jobTitle":"Reporter","url":"https://time.com/author/simmone-shah/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt159651dde7849ccc/698a48cc096a940b036af10f/wendy-williams.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Late Night with Seth Meyers - Season 8","caption":"Wendy Williams on Late Night with Seth Meyers - Season 8","creditText":"Lloyd Bishop/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/celebrities/","name":"celebrities"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6767929/wendy-williams-diagnosis-frontotemporal-dementia-aphasia/","name":"Wendy Williams Diagnosed With Frontotemporal Dementia and Aphasia"}}]}] ```