Media personality Wendy Williams has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, her team said in a press release on Thursday.
Williams, who made a name for herself hosting “The Wendy Williams Show” from 2008-2021, has been out of the spotlight the last couple of years battling health problems.
Her team said that people started to wonder if she was okay after they saw signs that she was struggling to process information and understand financial transactions. She also started to struggle speaking and was behaving erratically at times.
“In 2023, after undergoing a battery of medical tests, Wendy was officially diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia (FTD),” the statement said.
Aphasia, which impacts a person’s ability to communicate, typically manifests after a head injury or stroke. The disease can also develop gradually as a result of other degenerative pathologies that impact the brain.
Frontotemporal dementia, which impacts behavior and cognitive functions, typically starts with personality changes, including hyper-aggressive and hyper-sexual behavior, and then progresses to memory loss. The disease is caused by atrophy of a person’s frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. There is no cure for the disease.
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“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,” the statement continued. “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’ diagnosis comes a year after the family for actor Bruce Willis revealed that he was also diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. Willis’ family had previously revealed his aphasia diagnosis in 2022.
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