A judge has granted Lifetime and its parent company A&E permission to depose Wendy Williams in the lawsuit over the network’s "Where Is Wendy Williams?" documentary, despite court filings that say the former talk show host has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia.
Court documents obtained by Page Six show the judge approved a de bene esse deposition — a precautionary form of testimony taken when a witness’s ability to testify later may decline because of age, health or fading memory. The deposition must take place by Nov. 4 and is limited to no more than three hours. The court allowed Williams, 61, to testify remotely and ordered that she be given sufficient breaks; it also capped the number of attorneys in the room and said any testimony should not span more than three days.
The order restricts attendance to no more than two attorneys representing the parties and permits one of Williams’s attorneys from her guardianship case to be present. The judge wrote that Williams’s medical condition "does not insulate her from providing testimony in this case," and cited the Federal Rules of Evidence as containing "no requirement of mental ability." The court added that "it will be up to the jury in this case to decide what weight to give to [Williams’s] deposition testimony."
The deposition stems from a lawsuit filed in February 2024 by Williams’s court-appointed guardian, Sabrina Morissey, who alleges the network filmed and intended to release the documentary without first obtaining approval from Williams’s guardian. Morissey’s complaint contends Williams lacked the legal and mental capacity to authorize participation in the project. Attorneys for A&E later acknowledged taking the series down, saying the move was out of respect for the legal proceedings; plaintiffs’ lawyers told a Sept. 5 hearing that the docuseries was so "horrific" it should no longer air.
Williams was first diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia in February 2024, according to court filings. Sources told People in August that a second round of cognitive testing confirmed those diagnoses. Williams has publicly disputed reports that she is cognitively impaired and has continued legal efforts to end her guardianship, telling Page Six she and her attorneys were "highly upset" by reports about her health and vowing she "will get out of guardianship."
Legal experts say de bene esse depositions are commonly used when there is concern a witness’s health or memory may deteriorate, allowing testimony to be preserved for trial if necessary. The court’s order emphasizes procedural safeguards — time limits, breaks and restricted attendance — while reaffirming that the credibility and weight of the testimony remain for a jury to decide.
Plaintiffs and A&E did not immediately file public responses to the court’s order. A representative for Williams did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to the report.
The case adds to ongoing legal proceedings surrounding Williams’s guardianship and public scrutiny of her health. With the deposition scheduled before Nov. 4, the testimony could play a central role at trial in determining whether Lifetime obtained proper consent and whether the network may be liable for proceeding without guardian approval.
Court filings and media reports show a contested timeline: the lawsuit was filed in February 2024, the network acknowledged pulling the series in proceedings earlier this month, and the recent order sets the deposition window ahead of pretrial deadlines later this year. The judge’s order frames the deposition as a way to preserve evidence while balancing protections for a witness with serious health concerns.
The matter remains active in court, and future filings may further define how Williams’s testimony is taken and used at trial.