Two major streaming platforms are developing rival documentary projects about Wendy Williams, but the former talk-show host is reportedly too unwell to appear on camera for either one.
Peacock and Netflix have each begun work on separate documentaries about the former daytime television star, who has been battling dementia and living under a court-appointed guardianship since 2022. The projects come on the heels of a contentious Lifetime documentary released last year that drew a lawsuit from Williams's guardian, a suit that was quietly dropped just weeks ago.
The dueling productions raise uncomfortable questions about who profits from Williams's story while the woman herself remains unable to participate in telling it. Both streamers appear to be racing to air first, even as Williams's condition reportedly prevents her from sitting for an interview.
Suzanne Bass, Williams's former executive producer, allegedly pitched the Peacock documentary and secured a deal. But the arrangement hit an early wall.
An insider told The U.S. Sun that Bass had promised to bring Williams on board:
"Suzanne pitched a Wendy documentary to Peacock, and they bought it, but she promised to bring Wendy on board."
That promise fell apart. The same insider said Williams stopped communicating with Bass entirely, and even if the two reconnected, Williams's health would prevent meaningful participation:
"The problem is, Wendy stopped talking to Suzanne, and even if she were back in the picture, she's too unwell to participate."
A second insider familiar with the Peacock project pushed back on the idea that the streamer had been misled. That source said Peacock never expected Williams to be part of the documentary in the first place:
"Peacock was never promised Wendy; it wasn't like they were told she would be part of the documentary, and then that didn't happen."
Peacock declined to comment when contacted by The U.S. Sun. Netflix did not respond. Bass and representatives for Williams also did not respond.
The streaming rivalry follows a bruising fight over the last documentary made about Williams. Lifetime released Where is Wendy Williams? in 2024, and the fallout was immediate.
Sabrina Morrissey, Williams's court-appointed guardian, tried to block the documentary's release. When that failed, Morrissey sued Lifetime, arguing that Williams was "incapacitated" and should never have participated in the project. Lifetime's team denied the claim. The lawsuit was dropped last month with few details disclosed about the terms of the dismissal.
That legal battle underscored a tension that now hangs over both new projects. Williams has been diagnosed with progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia. The U.S. Sun previously reported that she was also diagnosed with alcohol-related brain damage. She underwent testing at one point to demonstrate she was not permanently incapacitated, but those results were never made public.
Williams's legal situation traces back to 2022, when Wells Fargo raised red flags about potential financial abuse and pushed for a guardianship. Morrissey stepped in as court-appointed guardian around that time, taking control of Williams's affairs.
Williams herself accused her adult son, Kevin Jr., of crossing the line and mishandling her funds. Kevin Jr. denied the allegation in 2023. No resolution of that dispute has been reported.
So the woman at the center of two new documentaries cannot speak for herself on camera, has no apparent say in how her story gets told, and lives under a guardianship born out of concerns about financial exploitation. Peacock and Netflix are pressing ahead anyway.
Neither Peacock nor Netflix has announced a timeline for its project. No release dates have been disclosed. And the central question, whether Williams will have any involvement at all, remains unanswered.
Bass's alleged role in the Peacock project rests on a single insider's account. Whether she remains attached is unclear. The Netflix project has been described only as "in the works," with no named producers or participants.
When the people closest to a story cannot tell it themselves, the people who can should be held to a higher standard. Two streaming giants are betting there is money in Wendy Williams's decline, and so far, neither has explained what, exactly, they owe her.
