Wendy Williams diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia​ and frontotemporal dementia

Wendy Williams has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia. Williams had taken a leave from her talk show in 2021 while she dealt with health issues, and in 2023, after undergoing "a battery of medical tests," she was diagnosed with the conditions, which effect language, communication behavior and function, according to a news release.

Williams, 59, had been open to the public about her Graves' Disease and lymphedema diagnoses. She initially took an indefinite leave from her long-running talk show, "Wendy," which premiered in 2008. In 2022 it was announced that Sherri Shepherd would talk over the show as host.

Wendy's care team shared the health update on Thursday "to correct inaccurate and hurtful rumors about her health." She was on occasion seen unable to form words and acted erratically, including during tapings of her talk show, which left many fans concerned and confused.