Wendy Williams is in good spirits during rare outing after guardian claimed she's 'permanently incapacitated'

Wendy Williams has been pictured looking happy and smiling in a new social media post, after the star's guardian claimed that the beloved host's dementia battle had made her 'permanently incapacitated.'

In an Instagram image shared by her niece, Alex Finnie, the 60-year-old TV star - who was diagnosed with aphasia and frontotemporal dementia in May 2023 - was seen grinning from ear to ear.

Wendy seemed relaxed and in good spirits as she posed for a selfie with Alex at what appeared to be a family dinner.

Alex also uploaded a short clip of the pair, in which she placed a loving kiss on the former radio personality's cheek.

Wendy donned a black top that she tucked in to some high-waisted jeans; she left her long locks in loose waves and wore striking red lipstick. 

'It’s the most wonderful time of the year [heart emoji] #FamilyOverEverything #MyHeart,' Alex wrote in the caption.

Followers were delighted to see the beloved host out and about as one commented: 'She looks like the Wendy we all know and love! Looking great, keep up the fabulous work.'

Another wrote: 'Thanks for sharing. You and your auntie Wendy looks beautiful.'

'Ahhhh send Wendy all our love,' a third fan stated. 'So great to see her smiling and with her family.'

While a fourth fan added: 'Thanks for letting us know our girl is OK!'

The new image of the star comes just days after the proud mom attended her son Kevin Jr.’s graduation from Florida International University in a rare public outing.

The TV host arrived to the event in Miami on a mobility scooter wearing a stylish sequin black dress; she was joined by her father, Thomas Williams Sr.

Photos from inside the event showed the mom-of-one beaming as Kevin Jr., 24, received his diploma in a traditional blue college robe. 

At one point, she also appeared to get emotional as she watched her only son walk across the stage.

Wendy shares her son with ex-husband Kevin Hunter, 52. She filed for divorce from Hunter in 2019, after he fathered a baby with a mistress, and their divorce was finalized in 2020. 

Wendy's public outing took place shortly after a family insider exclusively told DailyMail.com that Wendy is 'more clear now than she's ever been,' following her guardian's claim that she is 'permanently incapacitated.' 

The star's was diagnosed with dementia in 2023 - one year after she was placed under a court-ordered legal guardianship that oversees both her finances and health. 

Last month, attorneys for the star's guardian, Sabrina Morrissey, claimed in new filings that Wendy 'had become cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated.'

It was the latest update amid a legal wrangle over the star's tell-all documentary, Where Is Wendy Williams? - which prompted widespread backlash when it aired in February. 

However, a family insider hit back at the claim regarding Wendy's mental state and said: 'She is more clear now than she’s ever been throughout the guardianship, which is a problem for some.'

Where Is Wendy Williams? was set to explore Wendy's life as she prepared to launch a new podcast - but it featured various shocking scenes of the host, including one that saw her drinking vodka in bed and another that featured her having a panic attack.

Sabrina is now locked in a legal battle with the network over the documentary.

In a filing obtained by The Sun last week, Sabrina's attorneys called Wendy 'an acclaimed entertainer who, tragically, has been afflicted by early-onset dementia and, as a result, has become cognitively impaired and permanently incapacitated.'

'In January 2022, after becoming aware of a pattern of disturbing events concerning [Wendy's] welfare and finances, Wells Fargo took the highly unusual step of initiating a guardianship proceeding on its own initiative in the Supreme Court of New York, New York County (the "Guardianship Proceeding"), to seek the court appointment of an independent guardian for [Wendy's] financial affairs,' reads their lawsuit.

However, just two months ago, the beloved talk show host spoke exclusively with DailyMail.com and shared that she was doing well, before also slamming the documentary. 

'I am doing really good,' she said in October. 'The documentary sucked. I understand that it is up for an award now. Everything is going really well.’

New York lawyer Sabrina was assigned as her guardian after Wells Fargo froze her accounts in 2022, as a result of her financial adviser at the time claiming that she was of 'unsound mind.'

In March, it was reported that Wendy was allegedly paid $100,000 per episode for her involvement in the four-part docuseries.

At the same time, it was revealed that Wendy's guardian had filed a lawsuit against the parent company of Lifetime, A&E Television Networks, with allegations of 'blatant exploitation' in a 'disgusting' fashion.

Sabrina filed the lawsuit under temporary seal - which kept details in the case protected from the public - in October, but the docs were then unsealed and reviewed by The Hollywood Reporter, revealing explosive accusations in the case. 

'This blatant exploitation of a vulnerable woman with a serious medical condition who is beloved by millions within and outside of the African American community is disgusting, and it cannot be allowed,' the legal team for Wendy's guardian told the court.

Sabrina added that the talk show host 'did not have the capacity to consent,' according to THR, and that producers did not get her consent, as her court-appointed guardian, to produce it. 

Wendy was misled by producers into thinking that the documentary would be a 'positive and beneficial' project for her public image and reputation, the suit stated.

In response, A&E Networks argued that Sabrina has been 'exceeding her authority' in trying to get parts of the documentary changed and redacted.

The American multinational broadcasting company filed a countersuit which claimed that Wendy had signed a talent agreement before she was 'mentally incapacitated' as was claimed by her guardian.

The popular network also claimed that there is no law against doing a documentary on a subject with dementia so, in effect, even if a talent agreement wasn't signed nothing that they had done would be considered wrong.

The broadcasting company is suing Sabrina for attempting to infringe on A&E's First Amendment right, and cited Sabrina's original suit filed in February in which she attempted to get a judge to stop the original documentary from being released.

A&E claimed that Sabrina had forced their production company to defend itself against 'meritless claims' from the documentary.

TMZ also claimed that A&E says in the countersuit that Sarbina is trying to deny Wendy 'one of her last chances to exercise her autonomy and honestly reach her fans in exactly the frank and unfiltered manner that was the hallmark of her career.'

Wendy's publicist Shawn Zanotti previously blasted the Lifetime documentary that she signed her famous TV client up for. 

Shawn placed blame on the producers of the series, alleging the TV icon believed she was filming a program about her comeback - only for filmmakers to capture 'a circus to her downfall.'

Shawn, who has been working as a publicist for Wendy since 2021, spoke with NBC News about her grievances with the making the four-part documentary.

In an interview with the outlet, Shawn claimed: 'I felt that [Wendy] was being exploited. She thought we were focusing on the comeback of her career... She would be mortified. 

'There's no way you can convince me that she would be OK with looking and seeing herself in that way.'

The Wendy Williams Show aired its final episode in June 2022 after 13 years – without the star herself making an appearance.

She previously withdrew from the show in 2021 and embarked on what was initially supposed to be a temporary leave of absence to cope with health issues.