The updated clinical evaluation indicates that Wendy Williams does not currently exhibit evidence of frontotemporal dementia. Since FTD is a progressive and irreversible condition, the absence of clinical and diagnostic features suggests that her previous diagnosis may not accurately reflect her health status. This development carries implications for both her medical care and the legal arrangements governing her personal decisions.
Wendy Williams, a well-known television personality, has recently undergone a comprehensive neurological examination that reportedly found no evidence supporting her earlier diagnosis of Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). This reassessment is significant because the earlier diagnosis had been central to imposing a court-ordered guardianship that restricted her decision-making powers.
According to media reports, the updated evaluation took place in New York City in late October 2025, and the findings came to light in November 2025. The earlier diagnosis, made public in 2023, had raised concerns regarding her cognitive health and capacity to manage personal and financial matters.
Frontotemporal dementia is a progressive condition that damages the frontal and temporal regions of the brain, the areas responsible for personality, behaviour regulation, executive functions, and language. A major review published in The Lancet describes FTD as a group of disorders marked by gradually worsening behavioural or language-related symptoms resulting from degeneration of these brain regions.
Because FTD worsens over time and does not reverse, the absence of hallmark clinical features in Williams’ recent testing has raised questions about the accuracy of her original diagnosis. The reported improvement in her functional abilities is also inconsistent with the expected trajectory of the disease.
Reports suggest that Williams underwent a series of structured diagnostic procedures, including neuropsychological testing and brain imaging. These assessments are standard tools used to evaluate cognitive domains affected in neurodegenerative diseases. The new results reportedly showed no patterns typically associated with FTD, such as behavioural disinhibition, impaired executive functioning, or distinct imaging abnormalities affecting the frontal and temporal lobes.
The guardianship was originally established in 2022 after financial institutions expressed concerns regarding her ability to manage her affairs. In 2023, the public was informed that she had been diagnosed with FTD and primary progressive aphasia. Since then, Williams has repeatedly maintained that she does not have dementia and has challenged the limitations placed on her autonomy.
The Lancet review highlights that multiple underlying pathological processes can produce an FTD-like clinical picture, but these processes share a common pattern of selective frontal and temporal cortical degeneration. In Williams’ case, the recent evaluation reportedly did not identify these disease-defining characteristics. This discrepancy emphasises the need for caution, repeated assessments, and multidisciplinary input when diagnosing conditions with significant legal implications.
Following the neurologist’s findings, Williams’ legal team is expected to petition the court to reconsider or terminate the guardianship. From a broader medical perspective, this case illustrates the importance of ongoing assessment in neurocognitive disorders, particularly when diagnoses influence an individual’s legal rights and independence.
Bang J, Spina S, Miller BL. Frontotemporal dementia. Lancet. 2015 Oct 24;386(10004):1672-82. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00461-4. PMID: 26595641; PMCID: PMC5970949.
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