‘Where is Wendy Williams?’ Lifetime’s 2-night documentary debuts: Everything to know

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Here’s what’s on TV tonight.

Where is Wendy Williams? (8 p.m., Lifetime)

This two-part documentary series on TV talk show host Wendy Williams will air over two nights this weekend, with an encore of last year’s Wendy Williams biopic on Friday. Here’s what to know about the three-night event.

▪ When does the Wendy Williams documentary air? Part 1 of the documentary airs at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24 and Part 2 airs at 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 25.

▪ Will there be reruns? Yes, here’s the rerun schedule for this weekend, but there will be repeat airings beyond that:

• Part 1, which consists of Episodes 1 & 2, repeats at 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 24, immediately following the premiere, and repeats again until 4 a.m. It airs again at noon and at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 25

• Part 2, which consists of Episodes 3 & 4, starts repeating at 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 25, right after the premiere of that episode, and airs on repeat until 4 a.m.

▪ What is the documentary about? The 4.5-hour documentary chronicles Williams’ life after the end of her daytime talk show, her health and substance abuse struggles. Cameras followed her and her family for nearly two years with “unparalleled access” as she worked on a comeback “to reclaim her life and legacy despite facing health issues and personal turbulence,” says Lifetime.

From Lifetime: The documentary provides a raw, honest and unfiltered reality of Wendy’s life after she was placed under financial guardianship, shedding light on the vulnerabilities that has turned Wendy into the Hot Topic herself. Suffering mental and physical issues, Wendy’s delicate state of mind, erratic behavior and declining health were all captured by the cameras. Where is Wendy Williams? is the story of Wendy’s journey to resurrect her career, and what filmmakers discovered along the way. But many questions remain - who truly has Wendy’s best interest at heart? Is she healthy now? And Where is Wendy Williams?”

▪ How to stream “Where is Wendy Williams?” You can stream on the Lifetime TV app (full details here). The app can be used on mobile devices (phones and tablets) and through Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Samsung TV, Android TV and Chromecast.

• The first two episodes — Part 1 premiering on Saturday — will be available to stream the day after the premiere and will not require a TV provider subscription to watch, says Lifetime. This offer is good through March 5.

• The rest of the series — Part 2, or Episodes 3 & 4 — will also be available to stream the day after premiere, but you will be required to link your TV provider to watch. That means you’ll need to sign in with your username and password for your cable, satellite or streaming provider.

▪ What about other Wendy Williams content this weekend? There are two other Lifetime programs repeating this weekend:

• “Wendy Williams: The Movie”: This 2021 biopic starring Ciera Payton airs at 8 p.m. and midnight on Friday, Feb. 23; at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25; and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 25.

• “Wendy Williams: What a Mess”: This 2021 feature-length documentary from Lifetime airs at 10 p.m. on Friday; at 2 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday; and at 4 p.m. Sunday.

▪ What happened to “The Wendy Williams Show”? WIlliams’ hit daytime talk show, “The Wendy Williams Show,” was canceled in 2022, after repeated and prolonged absences by Williams. According to a report in EW, Williams had to be told several times that it was canceled because she kept forgetting. Williams had missed big chunks of her 13th season due to health issues.

▪ What health problems does Wendy Williams have? Williams has said she had Graves’ disease and lymphedema. Graves’ disease is another term for hyperthyroidism. It is an immune system disorder that results in the overproduction of thyroid hormones. Lymphedema is a condition in which there is “tissue swelling caused by an accumulation of protein-rich fluid that’s usually drained through the body’s lymphatic system,” says the Mayo Clinic.

People magazine reported early in the week that Williams’ family says she is currently in a facility being treated for cognitive issues. On Thursday, the magazine reported that Williams has been diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia, a rare nervous system disease that limits a person’s ability to speak, and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a type of dementia that affects the personality, behavior and language. A press release from Williams’ team said that the diagnosis came last year.

• Lifetime notes that throughout the airing of the Wendy Williams special, the network will point viewers to mylifetime.com/WendyWilliams, which will host resources including SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), NAMI for Mental Health Resources, and information and resources for Graves’s Disease and Lymphedema.

▪ Why was Wendy Williams placed under a financial guardianship? In 2022, Williams became embroiled in a legal battle with Wells Fargo over the control of her finances. The bank froze her accounts and filed a petition for temporary guardianship, saying that Williams, who had health, mental health and substance struggles, was a “victim of undue influence and financial exploitation.” A “financial guardian” was appointed to handle her affairs, Hollywood Reporter wrote in May 2022. Williams, though an attorney, said the freeze occurred when she tried to switch banks and said on Instagram that she was capable of handling her own finances.

Some programming descriptions are provided by networks.