What do we owe Wendy Williams?
Plus Princess Kate conspiracy theories, a Jay Shetty exposé and stories I wrote this week
All Wendy Williams ever wanted was to be famous.
On the eve of Lifetime releasing a four-hour docuseries titled “Where Is Wendy Williams?”, the longtime TV personality’s camp revealed that she had been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia, brain conditions that create issues with memory, communication, walking and behavioral and emotional regulation. Williams’ guardian sued the network in an attempt to block it from airing, but a judge ruled that doing so would be a First Amendment violation.
And so aired the docuseries, an eye-opening but ethically-questionable look into the deteriorating state of a star who built her career on weighing in on salacious celebrity gossip. What was meant to document her TV stardom comeback ultimately provided a look in real time at a once sharp-witted woman becoming increasingly forgetful, abrasive and unwell. At one point, Williams’ publicist asks if she wants to go to the Oscars. And the woman whose career is so engrained in pop culture suddenly doesn’t even know what that is.
There’s a serious ethical question about airing footage of a woman whose cognition is actively declining. The docuseries itself makes it clear that many of the people responsible for her care were not acting in her best interest or looking out for her well-being. Creators later claimed that “no one would have rolled a camera” had her dementia diagnosis been known. But after things clearly went south during filming, should this project have been shelved anyway?
Critics argue that choosing to ax a project like this is a murkier conversation. Williams is a public figure, and frankly, she’s never shied away from amplifying other celebrities’ low moments. Williams summed it up best herself a few years ago, when paparazzi cornered her with questions about her divorce. “I would ask you to respect our privacy, but please — I don’t respect people’s privacy. That’s why I do the Hot Topics,” she said through tears, referencing the segment in which she — sometimes problematically — weighed in on the pop culture moments du jour. (Remember the time she dramatically declared “death to all of them” in reference to Britney Spears’ parents?)
During one point in the docuseries, the New York-based Williams makes a trek to Los Angeles, where she visits her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. There, she’s greeted by fans who ask for pictures. Williams, in turn, thanks them, in a way that suggested she got much more out of the interaction than they did.
In the car, she’s asked what it means to have that star memorialized on Hollywood Boulevard.
“Everything,” she said, a glimmer of her signature candor showing. “It’ll be there forever. When I die, it’ll be there.”
A morbid statement, perhaps. But to a person who spent a lifetime chasing public adoration, maybe the best gift during low points are reminders that you’ll be remembered after all.
What I read this week:
Uncovering the Higher Truth of Jay Shetty // The Guardian: Jay Shetty is a big deal in the worlds of wellness and spirituality. But how much of his rags-to-riches story is true? I actually previously covered the stage show that this writer mentions as being “mortifying” — everyone I sat around seemed to be fully drinking the Kool-Aid, though. This piece is a great example of continuing to push for the truth in a story when things seem off.
Kacey Musgraves Comes Down to Earth // The Cut: Ahead of her sixth album release, Musgraves is denouncing weed, embracing cottagecore and returning to her country roots. She’s always a great soundbite, exemplified in this interview with lines like this one, about diversifying the country music genre: “The more the fucking merrier.” I’ve had “Deeper Well,” her new lead single, on repeat for weeks. March 15 can’t come fast enough.
Dune press junket backlash shows growing frustration from journalists fighting creators for jobs // CORQ: Influencers are facing backlash over conducting less-than-stellar interviews with major stars. They’re taking spaces previously occupied by entertainment journalists. And it’s even more of a slap in the face as so many journalists are losing their jobs right now.
Can You Really Want an Oscar Too Much? // The New Yorker: Oscars voting has officially come to a close, and this is a great dive into what it takes to successfully campaign for Hollywood’s top honor. I loved this Barbie-esque line: “It’s the ultimate paradox of campaigning: an actor must somehow be dedicated but not try-hard, authentic but not award-hungry.”
What I wrote this week:
What is IVF? Explaining the procedure in Alabama's controversial Supreme Court ruling. // USA TODAY
Are refined grains really the enemy? Here’s what nutrition experts want you to know // USA TODAY
Lala Kent of 'Vanderpump Rules' is using IUI to get pregnant. What is that? // USA TODAY
What’s new in entertainment:
Where is Princess Kate?: Princess Kate hasn’t been seen publicly since Christmas. Kensington Palace previously said she was having abdominal surgery and would probably miss public engagements through Easter. But the fact that one of the British royal family’s most visible members is AWOL has garnered so much speculation and conspiracy theories online that the palace actually responded to shut them down. As someone who previously covered the royal family, it’s tough to place what’s actually happening. We know the palace is very capable of hiding things when they want to. Regardless of whether there’s a conspiracy here, the whole conversation is a reminder of the palace’s complicated relationship with the press and who in the royal family they deem worthy of privacy. (In other words, you know this would have been an entirely different conversation if it was Meghan Markle.)
Queer Eye taps Bobby Berk’s replacement: Sad to see Bobby Berk exiting “Queer Eye” — his knack for being thoughtful about creating beautiful but still accessible spaces to meet the needs of the episode’s stars was always my favorite part. Jeremiah Brent, a designer and TV host who’s already made a name for himself, is taking Berk’s place. His work is gorgeous, but I do wonder how it’ll translate to a show that’s more about creating a nice but realistic home rather than a pristine creation that belongs on the cover of Architectural Digest.
Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts world tour: Olivia Rodrigo has officially kicked off her sophomore tour. I saw her Sour tour in 2022, which was a fun show but was very clearly a young artist’s first go-around. Looking at the reviews and TikTok videos, Guts shows some serious growth on both Rodrigo’s skills as a performer and her team’s ability to up the production value.
The Wonka Experience disaster: If you’re not as chronically-online as I am, you may have missed the Glasgow-based Willy Wonka experience that went viral for being as disappointing and underwhelming as Fyre Festival. Vulture had a great interview with the actress who will now be infamously remembered as the sad-looking Oompa Loompa. Just a truly bizarre situation all around. But, as one person tweeted, “I don’t think people are allowed to complain about a Wonka experience that sold itself as a day of magical whimsy then delivered uncanny horror beyond comprehension.”
We ‘owe’ Wendy Williams every dollar of her earned income, any residual income from her story; appreciation of her contributions to entertainment and an honest acknowledgement of her work. There’s a reason she has that star-on-the-sidewalk. She earned it!