Wendy Williams, the famous TV personality, is at the center of a dramatic situation involving her assisted living facility, Coterie, which has filed a police report accusing her niece, Alex Finnie, of kidnapping her.
The incident unfolded this week after Finnie took Williams out for dinner, which led to a police investigation and conflicting claims about the star’s living conditions.
According to reports from TMZ, the Coterie facility, located in New York, alleges that Finnie “evaded staff” when she took Williams out of the building on Wednesday night.
The two had been at the facility, where Williams has been staying for the past eight months, following a psychiatric evaluation at Lenox Hill Hospital earlier in the week.
Finnie, who is the daughter of Williams’ older sister Wanda, reportedly took her aunt to an Italian restaurant after spending time with her in the facility’s memory unit, which costs $18,000 per month.
Coterie staff claimed that Williams wouldn’t have been allowed to leave the unit without an attendant’s approval, yet the facility’s own staff reportedly escorted the pair to the lobby and even opened the door for their Uber ride.
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After returning to the facility, Williams and Finnie were met with the unexpected arrival of police, with Coterie accusing Finnie of taking Williams out without the proper confirmation or approval.
In an interview with reporters, Finnie explained that the situation was “unbelievable,” clarifying that they had simply gone out for dinner after Williams’ hospital visit.
Williams, visibly upset, spoke out about the facility’s drastic actions, calling them proof that her legal guardian’s claims about her living conditions were false.
“Clearly they are lying to me saying I can go out and do what I want to do,” Williams said.
Despite the allegations, both Williams and Finnie were seen returning to the facility without incident, and Williams appeared in good spirits.
The police report comes shortly after Williams’ psychiatric evaluation, and she has been fighting to free herself from a conservatorship imposed after her diagnosis with progressive aphasia and dementia in 2023.
The situation continues to raise questions about Williams’ guardianship and whether she is truly being treated fairly.
