WENDY Williams’ relentless struggle to reclaim a life once filled with positivity, fame, and fortune is futile, a body language expert has said.
Given the former TV host’s gestures in her documentary, she claimed Wendy’s “relentless courting” of the limelight comes off as “tragic and exhausting.”
Wendy’s two-part documentary premieres February 24 on Lifetime.
Wendy, 59, executively produced the film, which sows the mom of one grappling with fame, family, and her highly-publicized health issues.
“May this be the comeback we’ve been waiting for,” one fan said after the trailer was released in February.
“Unfortunately, her professional life has come and gone. She has to come to terms with it,” wrote another.
Body Language expert Judi James suggested the trailer for ‘Where Is Wendy Williams?” exposed the TV veteran’s increasing “frailty.”
Over the last decade, Wendy has suffered from Graves’ disease and hyperthyroidism.
Her addiction battles have seen her move in and out of treatment.
Ahead of the film’s release, Wendy’s family announced that she has been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia.
Before now, the former TV star’s struggles have seen her take time off work and lose her show. She is under court-ordered guardianship.
James suggested the film was Wendy’s last “angry” effort to reclaim just a fraction of the promising career and life she once had.
“Wendy’s body language signals show a lot of frailty,” she said.
“She harbors plenty of anger at what has happened to her.
“In the trailer clips, she tells the camera, ‘I control me!’ and ‘How dare he!’ plus a demanding ‘keep it there!’
“She has a stare and an index finger of angry authority when a bottle is taken away for her and held in front of her.
This documentary shows her most emotionally needy, fragile moments, but sadly, there may be no way out of it all now.
Judi James
“But to balance this sense of power, dominance, and anger, there are clips of Wendy at her most vulnerable.
“At one point, she is filmed sitting in a white top in a self-diminished pose, looking up at the camera with a terrified eye expression.
“She cries, clutching a cushion to her torso, showing her growing vulnerability.
“This documentary shows her most emotionally needy, fragile moments, but sadly, there may be no way out of it all now.”
“I was a functioning addict,” Wendy confessed to Entertainment Tonight in 2018.
“They wouldn’t fire me because I was making ratings … It’s a miracle I was able to stop,” she added.
Since then, Wendy lost her spot on the Wendy Williams Show before it shut down in 2022 without her.
The story underneath describes the destructive but addictive nature of fame, but Wendy fails to act on that.
Judi James
Wendy’s life appeared to spiral. She took part in interviews and concerned fans when she walked barefoot in her apartment block.
Wendy once claimed she had gotten married when she had not.
She passed out in the window of Louis Vuitton in New York City next to an empty champagne glass before going into treatment.
James said the trailer was difficult to watch.
“Wendy’s body language in the trailer clips from her documentary makes very uncomfortable viewing,” she said.
“There are scenes showing her fame and scenes of a decline.
“The story underneath describes the destructive but addictive nature of fame, but Wendy fails to act on that.
“We are shown Wendy’s frailty and ill health, but her wings keep flapping.
“Her phrase, ‘All I know is how to be famous,’ is the most telling.
“We are then shown Wendy being famous and successful before a moment when she cries, ‘Oh god, I can’t do this!’
“She appears to collapse on a shoot and looks scared and clinging to an assistant.”
During a sit-down with The U.S. Sun in 2023, Wendy’s son, Kevin, 22, opened up about his mother’s struggles.
“Any time you do something excessive, it could lead to death,” he said.
“It’s gotten to a point where, yes, it could have that effect.”
Wendy married Kevin’s father, Kevin Hunter, 51, in 1997 before they split in 2019.
She maintained he fathered a child with another woman.
James said the star tried to put her best foot forward with some friends and family showering her with love.
“When Wendy emerges from a car dressed in a froth of daffodil yellow, it signals creativity and optimism,” she said.
“Screams from fans meet her, and she punches the air and looks optimistic.
“We are then shown Wendy walking backstage at her show.
“She combines praying gestures with her hands to air punches again, like a boxer about to enter the ring.
“She is then called ‘the Boss’ to register authority and strength.”
James said moments creep in when Wendy shows starlike qualities, but then there is a “tragic” switch.
“The Judy Garland moment is when she stands immobile just as the curtains go up and the spotlight hits her,” she said.
“She transforms into a total diva with one arm raised to pose to the audience.
Wendy’s relentless need to still court fame… looks exhausting.
Judi James
“This shows her physical and emotional transformation as she turns into a star.
“Then, an empty padded chair signals a complete mood change to something much darker and more tragic.
“It’s symbolic because Wendy went missing but suddenly appears behind the chair.
“She sits with both hands over her face in a total cut-off gesture to the camera, making crying sounds.
“The camera pulls back to show a large crew on top of her.
“The crew starts recording every tragic-looking moment in Wendy’s relentless need to still court fame.
“It is how Wendy clings on to her fame, which looks exhausting.
“How she managed to produce this documentary itself is a wonder.”
