Who Are Wendy Williams Siblings? All About Her Sister Wanda and Brother Tommy

Wendy Williams may be famous for the series of the same name, but she grew up with humble roots as one of three children in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

Former The Wendy Williams Show the host has an older sister, Wanda Finnie, and a younger brother, Thomas Williams Jr., who were raised by their parents, Shirley and Thomas Williams Sr. Although she has had her ups and downs with them over the years, Wendy’s siblings have come together in important moments, and now they are speaking on her behalf.

Wanda and Tommy express concern for her well-being in the Lifetime documentary Where is Wendy Williams?premiered on February 24, following Wendy’s struggles since her show ended in June 2022.

All about Wendy Williams’ son Kevin Hunter Jr.

In a February 2024 interview with PEOPLE, Wanda said that Wendy has been in a facility to treat “cognitive issues” since April 2023 and that only a court-appointed legal guardian is allowed to see her. Her family does not know where she is and they cannot contact her themselves, although she can call them.

“People who love her can’t see her,” Wanda said. “I think it’s big [question] is: How the hell did we get here?”

A few days before the premiere of the documentary, Wendy Williams’ medical team announced that she had been diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia.

“Wendy can still do many things for herself,” the team said in a statement. “Most importantly, she maintains her trademark sense of humor and receives the care she needs to make sure she is protected and that her needs are addressed. She is grateful for the many kind thoughts and good wishes that have been sent to her.”

From where they grew up to their concerns for their sister’s health, here’s everything you need to know about siblings Wendy Williams, Wanda and Tommy.

They grew up in New Jersey

Wendy Williams visits SiriusXM Studios on September 6, 2018 in New York City.

Santiago Felipe/Getty

Wanda was 5 years old when Wendy was born in Asbury Park, New Jersey, on July 18, 1964. Tommy arrived three years later, in October 1967. The parents of both Williams children were middle-class teachers who expected academic excellence and success from their children. children, by New York Magazine.

“More was expected of my older sister than I was,” Wendy told the magazine in 2005. “And while she was great and delivered everything, I ended up being great and delivered.”

In 1970, race riots in Asbury Park motivated the family to move to the predominantly white suburb of Wayside in Ocean Township, New Jersey. There, Wendy and her siblings were taught to carry a “good package,” she said The New Yorker in May 2021.

As Wanda blossomed and would later become a lawyer, and Tommy “could do no wrong” because he was the youngest boy in the family, Wendy said she began to feel like an outcast in her family.

Wanda and Tommy live in Florida

In September 2019, Wendy was a guest at View where she shared that her entire family – including, at the time, her parents – lived in Miami.

“My whole family lives in Miami so he’s surrounded by family,” Wendy said of her son Kevin Hunter Jr. “My mom, my dad, my sister, my brother, my sister-in-law, my brother-in-law, he has two big cousins, everything is small. He’s in a good space.”

Wanda works as the executive director for Casa Valentina, a Miami-based philanthropic organization that provides affordable housing and life skills to at-risk youth and those who have been in foster care, according to her LinkedIn.

They both have their own families

Wendy Williams and son, Kevin Hunter Jr. attend the Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony on October 17, 2019 in Hollywood, California.

Michael Tran/FilmMagic

Wendy’s son Kevin Jr. he has a large family around him, including two cousins. Wanda is the mother of two children, a daughter, Alex Finnie, and another child, whose identity remains a secret. Alex graduated in television and film production at the University of St. John in 2012 and has been working as a news anchor ever since, currently stationed at WPLG, the ABC affiliate in Miami, according to her LinkedIn.

Alex, who is the executive producer Where is Wendy Williams?told PEOPLE in February 2024 that she was proud of her aunt’s journey and her willingness to share it with the world.

“I’m proud of my aunt for taking control of her story because my aunt has always been a public person and she’s been an open book and we’ve all seen the pictures over the last few months and really a few years of what’s been like a spiral for my aunt” , she said. “So for her to put her voice out here and take ownership of what happened, where she’s at right now … I think that’s powerful.”

Tommy also has his own family and has been married to his wife for over 25 years. The two were married on September 26, 1998.

Tommy and Wendy had their ups and downs

In February 2023, Tommy spoke with Sun about resenting Wendy for not attending their father’s 92nd birthday. He told the outlet that he felt like her focus wasn’t on the family and that it hurt both him and their father.

However, the two seemed to reconcile a few months later. In April 2023, Tommy posted a video on Instagram of Wendy relaxing on a boat with her father and brother. “Family is everything, believe it,” Tommy said in the clip. “We will be fine. Thank you for your prayers and good wishes.”

Wanda and Tommy support Wendy as she undergoes treatment

Wanda Williams in “Where’s Wendy Now?”; Wendy Williams at the Wendy Digital Event at the Atlanta Tech Village Rooftop on August 29, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Lifetime; Paras Griffin/Getty

Wendy’s brother and sister expressed concern for Wendy’s welfare. In 2022, she was appointed a court-ordered legal guardian, which the siblings claim largely kept them in the dark about her health.

“All I know is that Wendy and her team walked into the courtroom one way and walked out, and the family was completely shut out,” Wanda told PEOPLE.

Tommy said he saw Wendy’s mental health deteriorate in recent years as she went through tough times, including her son leaving for college in 2018, the death of their mother and her divorce from Kevin Hunter Sr. in 2019. “It brought her back to that dark space,” he told PEOPLE.

Wanda and Tommy said they were not told Wendy’s specific diagnosis before her care team announced on February 22 that the talk show host had aphasia and frontotemporal dementia. In interviews with PEOPLE and in a Lifetime documentary, they question the care provided by Wendy’s caregiver and the system that separated the TV personality from her family. (Her guardian, identified by TMZ as Sabrina Morrissey, filed a lawsuit against Lifetime’s parent company, A&E Television Networks on Feb. 22.)

“How did she go from this aunt or sister that we love and is healthy one minute to this person who is in and out of the hospital?” Wanda asked. “How is that system better than the system that the family could set up? This system is broken.”

Despite not being able to contact Wendy herself, Wanda said she regularly talks to her sister “when she comes to her [me].” Although they don’t know what kind of treatment she’s receiving, Wanda assumes it’s effective because her sister sounds better when they talk.

“I don’t know what works, but I know that when she spoke to me, she was a very different person than what we see in that documentary,” Wanda said.

Wanda’s daughter is close to Wendy

Wendy Williams talks to her niece Alex Finnie in the documentary “Where Is Wendy Now?”.

For life

Alex also played a big role in supporting Wendy along with her siblings. The two have always been close, and Alex even credited her relationship with her aunt for being excited to have a niece herself.

“Happy birthday to my forever kindred spirit ✨The spicy to my sweet!” she wrote on Instagram for Wendy’s birthday in 2020. “Our relationship is one of the reasons I’m so excited to be an aunt to our Bella. I love you so much ❤️.”

After a tough few years, Alex said she’s happy to get back on track and refocus on her family.

“It sounds really great,” Alex said of the conversations she has with Wendy. “Hearing my aunt now in terms of how clear she is, how focused she is on the importance of family and reality in terms of dealing with and understanding where she is physically, mentally and emotionally, it’s like a 180.”

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Source: HIS Education