The creator of Lifetime's 'Where Is Wendy Williams?' insists that the TV personality and her court-appointed guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, consented to the documentary.
- Mar 22, 2024
AceShowbiz - The legal drama surrounding a Lifetime documentary series on Wendy Williams continues. According to court documents, creator of "Where Is Wendy Williams?" insisted that the TV personality and her guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, consented to the documentary.
Executive producer Mark Ford further claimed that the production team wasn't aware of Wendy's dementia diagnosis until filming was nearly complete. He also stressed that the "driving force" behind the project was the fear of Wendy having to experience Britney Spears' 13-year conservatorship.
It was also said that a New York judge initially granted the order to prevent the airing of "Where Is Wendy Williams?". However, the order was quickly reversed on appeal after A+E Networks' attorney Rachel Strom called Sabrina's effort an unconstitutional prior restraint.
"At a time when guardianship proceedings are being debated in our own State legislature and through headlines across the nation, the Order impermissibly gags defendants from publishing speech that is unquestionably a matter of public concern, namely [Wendy Williams] own journey through the guardianship process," Rachel stated.
The attorney also argued that "only after seeing the Documentary's trailer and realizing her role in [Wendy Williams] life may be criticized did Ms. Morrissey enlist the courts to unconstitutionally silence that criticism."
Ultimately, Peter Moulton, the appellate judge, found that blocking the release of the project would be an "impermissible prior restraint on speech that violates the First Amendment of the Constitution." The docuseries aired on February 24-25 on Lifetime.
Earlier this month, the lawsuit by Wendy's court-appointed guardian against Lifetime parent company A&E was unsealed. The guardian argued that the show "shamelessly exploits [Williams] and portrays her in an extremely demeaning and undignified manner." She also stated that Lifetime "incorrectly states that she is 'broke' and cruelly implies that her disoriented demeanor is due to substance abuse and intoxication."
