Wendy Williams Marks 61st Birthday With Glam NYC Dinner Bash

Wendy Williams stepped out in style for a rare public appearance Tuesday (July 18) in New York City, celebrating her 61st birthday with close friends and family at the upscale Tucci restaurant while continuing to fight for control over her life.

Dressed in a short animal-print dress paired with white sneakers, oversized sunglasses and her signature pink-purple lipstick, the former daytime TV host looked confident and upbeat as she enjoyed dinner surrounded by longtime allies.

A birthday cake was brought to the table as the group sang “Happy Birthday,” capturing a moment of joy for someone who’s largely stayed out of the spotlight in recent years.

Among those at the intimate gathering were restaurant owner Max Tucci, former show producer Suzanne Bass, and her niece Alex Finnie, an anchor at ABC Miami.

Bass posted a video from the dinner on social media, writing, “We laughed we cried and boy did we eat… and eat and eat… we love you wendy.”

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Finne shared a video of Williams blowing out her candles, captioned simply, “61 and fabulous… We love you #FreeWendy”

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The celebration marked one of her few public outings since being placed under court-ordered guardianship in May 2022 due to health concerns related to frontotemporal dementia and primary progressive aphasia.

Williams has been vocal about her desire to end the guardianship, calling it restrictive and likening it to incarceration.

“Isolated,” “unable to go out,” and unable to make basic decisions, she has said her ultimate birthday wish is to be “freed from guardianship.”

Her niece and son have publicly supported her efforts to regain independence, joining supporters in organizing #FreeWendy rallies in both New York and Los Angeles.

Williams maintains she is mentally fit, claiming she has passed recent cognitive evaluations and is capable of managing her own affairs.

Her court-appointed guardian, Sabrina E. Morrissey, has argued otherwise. She insists Williams is “cognitively impaired, permanently disabled and legally incapacitated.”

The dispute continues to play out both in court and in public opinion, drawing comparisons to Britney Spears’ high-profile conservatorship case.

Williams remains in a wellness facility in New York City, where she continues to receive care.