In a new development in the ongoing divorce case between former talk show host Wendy Williams and her ex-husband Kevin Hunter, the latter has demanded access to Williams' financial records after a mediation judge claimed that the star has no money left. The revelation has prompted questions about the disappearance of funds and the lack of transparency surrounding Williams' finances.
According to divorce filings exclusively obtained by The U.S. Sun, Hunter claimed that during a mediation session in December 2022, Williams' counsel and her New York court-appointed guardian attorney, Sabrina Morrissey, agreed to provide statements and bank records they had supposedly obtained permission from the New York court to share. However, despite assurances from Williams' team, the promised financial records never materialized.
Hunter, 51, said he continued to reach out without further communication from Williams' side until February 8, 2023, when he received a letter from her counsel stating that the guardian would only provide bank statements for November and December 2022. The offer also came with additional stipulations not previously discussed or agreed upon, such as Hunter being allowed to review the documents only in the mediator's office.
The demand for financial transparency stems from Hunter's claim that severance payments he was receiving based on their marital settlement agreement suddenly ceased in January 2022, when Williams' bank, Wells Fargo, locked her out of her accounts and suggested a guardianship hearing. Williams, 59, was ultimately placed under the guardianship of attorney Sabrina Morrissey later that year.
A source close to the negotiations revealed to The U.S. Sun that during a meeting in December 2022, the mediator, a former New Jersey judge, told Hunter and his team, "The reality is that there is no more money." However, the insider claimed that no proof was offered to support the allegation that Williams is broke.
The source, who was involved in both the divorce negotiations and early guardianship proceedings, said that when Williams' Wells Fargo accounts were first frozen, a ledger they reviewed showed ample funds. The fact that the mediator claimed Williams had "no money" left less than a year later has raised questions about the disappearance of funds.
Williams herself addressed her financial situation in the recently aired Lifetime docuseries "Where is Wendy Williams?" saying, "I have no money. And let me tell you something, if it happens to me, it can happen to you."
The insider argued that it was Wells Fargo, not Williams, who stopped the payments to Hunter as agreed in the marital settlement, and the guardian continued the payment stoppage after that. They questioned how a financial advisor or guardian could stop paying Hunter something that was set out in a previous court order.
As of July 2023, neither Hunter nor the insider had been provided with any up-to-date reporting of Williams' current financial records, despite multiple requests to her guardian.
The ongoing divorce case and the questions surrounding Williams' finances have been further complicated by the revelation that the star was diagnosed with alcohol-related brain damage in 2019 during a rehab stint in Florida. Williams' team later released a statement saying she had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia in 2023.
As the legal battle continues, the demand for transparency in Williams' financial records has become a central issue. The disappearance of funds and the lack of clarity surrounding her financial situation have raised concerns about the management of her assets and the role of her court-appointed guardian.
The case serves as a reminder of the importance of financial transparency and the need for proper oversight in situations where individuals are placed under guardianship. As more details emerge, the public will be closely watching to see how the court addresses Hunter's demands and whether a clearer picture of Williams' financial situation will be revealed.
