TV

We're wrapping up the week here at TMZ, but we're just getting started on juicy topics to talk about on TV -- which is exactly what we did on Friday.

On 'TMZ Live,' Harvey and Charles dove head-first into the Darius Rucker arrest that goes all the way back to last February, and which landed with him in a jail cell earlier this week.

It's a bit of a convoluted mess, but long story short ... the guy got stopped in 2023 over expired tags -- which ended in cops finding what they say might've been drugs ... and almost a year later, they said they were sure it was drugs, resulting in Hootie posing for a mug shot.

Over at 'TMZ on TV,' we got into Avril Lavigne's new friend (and maybe love interest?) who went skating with her out in L.A. earlier this week ... in what sure looked like a date.

Of course, we're talking about Nate Smith ... whom we ran into at the airport, and who cleared the air. Take a look ... the guys seems to suggest that AL is ... just a pal.

Finally, we get to 'TMZ Sports' ... where Babcock talked to NFL HOF'er Andre Reed about the Buffalo Bills and Stefon Diggs ... who AR says could take a pay cut to stick around.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Estamos terminando la semana aquí en TMZ, pero vamos a empezar revisando algunos temas jugosos, que fue exactamente lo que hicimos en televisión el viernes.

En "TMZ Live", Harvey y Charles se metieron de cabeza en el arresto de Darius Rucker que se remonta al pasado mes de febrero, y que terminó con él dentro de una celda a principios de esta semana.

Es un poco enredado, pero en pocas palabras, el hombre fue detenido en 2023 por unos tags caducados que terminó con los policías encontrando lo que ellos decían ser drogas. Casi un año más tarde, dijeron que estaban seguros de que era droga, lo que resultó en Darius posando para una foto policial.

En "TMZ on TV", hablamos del nuevo amigo de Avril Lavigne (¿o tal vez algo más?), con quien fue a patinar por Los Ángeles a principios de esta semana en lo que parecía una cita.

Por supuesto, estamos hablando de Nate Smith, con quien nos encontramos en el aeropuerto y aclaró todo. Echa un vistazo, los chicos parece sugerir que Avril Lavigne es solo una amiga.

Por último, llegamos a "TMZ Sports", donde Babcock habló con Andre Reed sobre los Buffalo Bills y Stefon Diggs. Andre piensa que este podría considerar un recorte salarial para quedarse.

Revisa cuándo se emite TMZ en tu zona o ver los episodios anteriores aquí.

Alyssa Milano's responding to claims she got Shannen Doherty fired from "Charmed" way back in the early 2000s ... well, kinda.

The actress -- who played Phoebe Halliwell on 178 episodes of "Charmed" from 1998 to 2006 -- hit the stage at 2024 MegaCon Orlando Friday to talk about the hit show ... and, of course, Shannen Doherty's controversial comments came up.

ICYMI ... Doherty hopped on her podcast titled "Let's Be Clear with Shannen Doherty" back in December and spoke with former costar Holly Marie Combs about their experiences on the show -- and with Milano.

Among the many stories -- Holly said Alyssa went to the producers and laid down an ultimatum ... axe Shannen or she'd quit and sue "Charmed" for being a hostile workplace which led to Doherty's unceremonious exit.

Obviously, fans needed to get an answer from Alyssa, and they got one ... just one that completely skirted the claims themselves.

Check out the video taken by a fan at the convention and posted to YouTube. Alyssa starts by saying she wants to address the elephant in the room, but she basically avoids the tusks and trunk entirely.

Instead of answering the claims directly, Milano kept reiterating how "sad" she was by all of the "toxicity" surrounding the show before saying she was upset "people can’t move past it. And I’m sad that we all can’t just celebrate the success of a show that meant so much to all of us."

It seems Milano did get choked up while saying her piece, appearing to brush away tears onstage ... but she didn't clear up what happened with Doherty's exit, and the whole thing actually makes it seem like Milano may have done exactly what SD accused her of.

BTW ... Alyssa's active on Twitter -- retweeting a couple posts about her comments at the convention, but not adding any new info as of yet.

Shannen's still got her podcast though ... so maybe another Alyssa Milano-filled episode coming soon?

Scary moment in "The Situation" household ... as a Ring camera shows Mike Sorrentino's son choking on his favorite pasta.

The "Jersey Shore" mainstay shared the clip via social media on Saturday ... documenting a nice family dinner Thursday night that quickly evolved into a nightmare scenario.

A family meal starts out innocently enough ... with Mike sitting at the table and his 2-year-old son Romeo sitting in the chair beside him. The little guy puts a bit of pasta pesto gnocchi in his mouth -- and that's when things take a turn.

Romeo's almost immediately in distress ... coughing and starting to cry -- and Papa Mike's on his feet within seconds, checking in on his eldest child before Romeo collapses into a hunched-over position.

One of the two adults Sorrentino is with can be heard clearly saying "He's choking, he's choking" with a woman who appears to be Mike's wife Lauren heading to the kitchen for some water.

MS smacks his son on the back repeatedly, trying to dislodge the food from his windpipe which seems to work eventually ... with Romeo letting out a loud cry as his mother seems to use some kind of tool to get the food out and pulls him into a tight embrace.

The father-of-three posted a couple pics of his kids after the vid ... and gave more details on the ordeal -- basically saying Romeo got the pasta stuck in his throat while applauding himself and his wife for staying calm despite the horror of the moment.

The Rock may be cooking in the WWE once again ... but some fans aren't super happy about it -- 'cause it seems his return has knocked a major storyline off track.

Here's the deal ... last night, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson got into an intense staredown with current Undisputed WWE Universal champ Roman Reigns at the end of ESPN's WWE SmackDown -- an insane moment seemingly setting up a match between the two wrestlers.

Indeed, rumors have been floating around today that they will fight in the next couple of months -- maybe at WrestleMania in early April -- and the online response ... is a bit lukewarm if we're being totally honest.

Sure, there are diehard Rock supporters who want to see their champ-turned-actor wipe the floor with Reigns ... but a lot of people are pointing to recent Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes and asking why it seems his story's now taking a backseat to The Rock's.

See, right before The Rock came out for his staredown ... CR talked about taking RR's title from him -- a right to challenge Cody earned by winning The Royal Rumble just last week -- and then seemingly stepped aside as he introduced The Rock to the crowd as if to indicate DJ's getting the chance instead of him.

That's all kinda shocking for fans ... 'cause Rhodes has been on the road to Roman for a while now while The Rock only recently hopped back into the ring.

As we previously reported ... Dwayne called out Roman Reigns back in early January during a surprise appearance on RAW during which he asked if he should be sitting at the "head of the table."

So it seems clear The Rock wants the title ... and that's where people are starting to voice their frustration -- because it sounds like the WWE's not really interested in furthering Cody Rhodes' journey anymore. Basically, they've backed a different dawg in the ring, and -- based on the X trend -- fans just aren't totally on board.

The major question here ... is it fair for fans to voice their frustration with The Rock at all? After all, the guy's not writing his own storylines as far as we know, and he's a legend in the sport, so it makes sense the WWE wants to use him.

But, Johnson recently joined the TKO Group board -- the governing body of the WWE and UFC -- and he now holds "The Rock" trademark ... so you could say he's got a lot more agency than your average WWE superstar.

Plus, Johnson's got a bit of a rep as someone who gets what they want in Hollywood. When he was working on "Black Adam," for example, he said he worked his magic to make a standalone film instead of first appearing in "Shazam!" ... a departure from the OG plan.

La Roca puede estar haciendo de las suyas en la WWE una vez más, pero algunos fans no están muy contentos con él porque parece que su regreso ha hecho desaparecer una historia cuyo desenlace que muchos ansiaban ver.

Esta es la cuestión, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson se metió en un intenso cara a cara con el actual campeón indiscutido de la WWE Roman Reigns al final de WWE SmackDown, un momento increíble que aparentemente presagia un combate entre los dos luchadores.

De hecho, los rumores han estado flotando de que ambos podrían pelear en los próximos meses, tal vez en WrestleMania a principios de abril, y la respuesta en línea está siendo un poco tibia si somos completamente honestos.

Por supuesto, hay partidarios acérrimos de La Roca que quieren ver a su campeón convertido barriendo el piso con Reigns, pero mucha gente está señalando al reciente ganador del Royal Rumble Cody Rhodes y preguntándose por qué su historia ha quedado relegada a un segundo plano detrás de La Roca.

Miren esto, justo antes de que La Roca saliera para su cara a cara, Cody Rhodes habló de quitarle el título a Roman Reigns, un derecho que Cody se había ganado la semana pasada tras ganar el Royal Rumble, y luego aparentemente se hizo a un lado mientras presentaba a La Roca frente a la multitud como para decir que Dwayne Johnson iba a recibir la oportunidad en lugar de él.

Todo esto es un poco chocante para los fans porque Rhodes ha estado preparándose para desafiar a Roman desde hace un tiempo, mientras que La Roca saltó solo recientemente de nuevo en el ring.

Como informamos anteriormente, Dwayne desafío a Roman Reigns a principios de enero durante una aparición sorpresa en RAW, donde le preguntó si él debería estar sentado "at the head of the table".

Así que parece claro que La Roca quiere el título, y ahí es donde la gente está empezando a expresar su frustración porque pareciera que la WWE ya no está realmente interesada en promover el viaje de Cody Rhodes. Básicamente, han apoyado a un luchador diferente en el ring, y si miramos lo que está pasando en X, los aficionados simplemente no están totalmente a bordo.

La gran pregunta aquí, ¿es justo que los fans expresen su frustración con La Roca? Después de todo, el tipo no está escribiendo sus propias historias por lo que sabemos, y es una leyenda en el deporte, así que tiene sentido que la WWE quiera usarlo.

Pero, Johnson se unió recientemente al directorio de TKO Grupo -el órgano que gobierna la WWE y UFC- y ahora tiene "The Rock" como una marca registrada, por lo que se podría decir que tiene mucho más agencia que una superestrella promedio de la WWE.

Además, Johnson tiene fama de conseguir lo que quiere en Hollywood. Cuando estaba trabajando en "Black Adam", por ejemplo, dijo que utilizó su magia para hacer una película independiente en lugar de aparecer por primera vez en "Shazam!", una desviación del plan OG.

Dr. Phil McGraw's known for helping families iron out their issues, and now he's taking on his biggest challenge yet ... trying to fix U.S. immigration.

The television therapy star visited the Southern border in Texas on Friday to film upcoming episodes of "Dr. Phil Primetime" -- a new primetime show he announced a few months ago which will reportedly follow a similar format as his OG "Dr. Phil."

DPM walked the fence down in Eagle Pass, TX and filmed several interviews with border agents while also stopping to take some pics with border patrol officers ... all while railing against the current administration's immigration policy.

McGraw's specifically calling out Vice President Kamala Harris ... pointing out she's America's immigration czar -- but claiming she's only actually visited the border with Mexico one time since she ascended to the VP job.

What's interesting here ... Dr. Phil isn't taking the "all or nothing" stance many conservative politicians and commentators have staked their reputations on ... instead, he said he's actually in favor of immigration and knows immigrants drive the U.S. economy forward.

But, McGraw explained, that doesn't mean there isn't a problem at the border ... saying we need to "teach people how to treat us" instead of showing undocumented migrants that "they do not need to follow the rules at our border" -- adding it's a slippery slope from ignoring immigration laws to migrants breaking laws once they're in the country.

As for those people against "America First" policies ... McGraw said they need to remember putting themselves -- or in this case, your country -- first isn't the same as being selfish.

FWIW ... the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol reported a nearly 40% increase in border encounters from fiscal year 2021 to fiscal year 2023 -- and that appears to be growing in subsequent months with encounters over the last 3 months of 2023 topping date from the same months in previous years.

Bill Maher has not changed his tune about the problems with young people ... he says one of the root problems is the musical messages pumped into their brains.

The 'Real Time' host made his case that the music industry has been singularly obsessed with the almighty dollar and the things it can buy. BM says back in the day ... there were only a handful of songs about the pursuit of cash.

These days, Bill says, the charts are flooded with the pursuit of all the goodies money can buy. Even in a country where "Rolex on a Redneck" is a big hit!

He says there's a sociological element when it comes to rap. The Black community was denied access to wealth and opportunity for so long, when it finally started seeing some inclusion, rappers flaunted their success.

But, as Bill says, the money obsession in music is everywhere ... and growing. E.g., Bruno Mars' "I Wanna Be a Billionaire So F***ing Bad."

And Bill says these musical messages get burned into the brains of teens ... like the first time you saw your father coming out of the shower!

Teresa Giudice's daughter Milania is growing up fast right before our eyes ... 'cause she just turned 18!

"The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star celebrated Milania's big day Friday by posting a series of photos on Instagram showing her daughter's progression over the years on the reality show and behind the scenes.

The images begin with present-day Milania, appearing elegant and mature alongside her famous mom, both of whom are dressed to the nines. More snaps feature Melania as a cute little baby followed by a video and a pic of her dressed as a badass in scenes from 'RHONJ.'

Of course, Teresa wrote a lovely caption, wishing Milania a happy 18th birthday and showering her with compliments.

Teresa called Milania "my mini me" who has "blossomed into an incredible young woman with a heart of gold."

She also described Melania as loving, caring, and kind as well as someone who radiates beauty, takes pride, and works hard in everything she does.

Teresa ended by saying Milania is the life of the party who brings joy and laughter to all.

Now that's a doting mother. And even her father, Joe Giudice, sent his love to Milania from his home in the Bahamas.

In his IG Story, Joe posted a photo of father-daughter and a video montage of them with a gushing message on a baby pic of Milania that read, "Happy birthday Milana ❤️ Daddy loves you so much!!"

We finished the week strong here at TMZ -- and with some tragic news, too, no less -- with a little bit of levity, but a lot of drama ... and we covered it all on our TV shows.

Kicking things off on 'TMZ Live,' we started scorching hot with some tea that resurfaced about Ayo Edebiri -- who was somewhat recently talking major trash about Jennifer Lopez ... with whom she's appearing alongside on 'Saturday Night Live' this weekend. Awkward!!!

Take a look for yourself to see exactly what she said, and what we're hearing she thinks of J Lo these days. Hard to say things won't be tense between them ... 'cause this was harsh.

Heading over to 'TMZ on TV,' we couldn't help but tip our cap to Tiffany Haddish's lawyer -- 'cause he seems to have scored her a pretty sweet deal in her L.A. DUI case.

Long story short, that case now goes away ... and she just has one DUI case to go!

The sports/entertainment word suffered a massive loss in the sudden death of Carl Weathers -- famous from the 'Rocky' movies and others, not to mention for his time with the Raiders.

Not much is known about the circumstances of his passing -- but Mike and Mojo got into his contributions on and off camera ... and there's a lot.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

2:09 PM PT -- Ayo Edebiri stood shoulder to shoulder with Jennifer Lopez for a new 'SNL' promo that just dropped -- and it's hard to say if there's any sour feelings between them after this pod news dropped.

Check out the three promos that were just uploaded on the 'SNL' page ... it's Ayo standing in the middle with Jen to her right and Heidi Gardner (a cast member) to her left. They rattle off some lines, and the first take seems to show Jen and Ayo expressing their mutual fandom.

Like we said, there's no true way to tell if Jen's mad -- the body language is pretty neutral. It's possible they shot these before the news dropped ... so we'll see how Saturday goes!

Well, this is awkward ... Ayo Edebiri eviscerated Jennifer Lopez's talents 4 years ago -- well before she was super famous -- and now ... the 2 of them are doing 'SNL' together.

The 'Bear' star is this weekend's host, and Jenny is the musical guest -- so you gotta imagine her resurfaced comments could make it a little bit awkward during rehearsals ahead of the big show tomorrow night.

Ayo was featured on a podcast in 2020 with a woman named Laci Mosley who hosts "Scam Goddess" -- which is dedicated to uncovering "scams" in the public eye and gossiping about them. In this particular episode, she had Ayo (who, again, was not a big-time TV star yet).

Right from the get-go, they start to discuss one "scam" they perceive ... and that would be the "career" of J Lo -- their words, not ours. Ayo then trashes Jen in very harsh terms.

You can listen to her remarks for yourself -- but essentially ... Ayo and Laci are yukking it about the notion Jennifer just isn't that great of a singer, at least in their eyes -- and they believe she's fooled the masses into thinking she's this fantastic vocalist.

Ayo herself even leans into this long-standing (and unfounded) rumor that J Lo has allegedly used ghost singers in her career ... something AE runs with as fact, and just further evidence (from her POV) that Jen has fleeced the industry. Like we said, this is rough.

There are more mean comments that Ayo and Laci make, which we won't include here.

Anyway, the bigger point is ... Ayo and Jen are literally in the same building right now, and they will most certainly see each other over the next 24 hours, so it'll for sure come up.

The question, of course, is ... will they be able to play nice and get through the show?

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... this incident with Ayo was long ago, and that she is most certainly a fan of Jenny right now -- we're told she's excited to work with her and be in her presence. As for Jen ... our sources tell us she doesn't usually let these sorts of things bother her -- and that her mantra is about moving on and moving forward.

We're told J Lo is looking forward to working with Ayo this weekend.

Bueno, esto es incómodo ... Ayo Edebiri destripó el talento de Jennifer López hace 4 años, mucho antes de que fuera súper famosa, y ahora las dos estarán juntas en "SNL".

La estrella de "The Bear" es la anfitriona estrella este fin de semana y Jenny es el invitado musical, así que tienen que imaginarse que han estado cruzándose bien seguido durante los ensayos de esta semana. Por eso, sus comentarios podrían poner las cosas tensas.

En 2020, Ayo estuvo en un podcast junto a una mujer llamada Laci Mosley quien presenta el show "Scam Goddess", dedicado a descubrir "estafas" en el ojo público y cotillear sobre ellas. En este episodio en particular, Ayo era la invitada (cuando, de nuevo, aún no era tan famosa como ahora).

Desde el primer momento, empezaron a hablar de la "estafa" que percibían sería la "carrera" de J Lo. Son sus palabras, no las nuestras. Ayo, luego, destroza Jen en términos muy duros.

Pueden escuchar sus comentarios por sí mismos, pero en esencia, Ayo y Laci se ríen del hecho que Jennifer simplemente no es tan buena cantante, al menos desde su perspectiva, y creen que ha engañado a las masas con la idea de que es una vocalista fantástica.

La propia Ayo incluso se apoya en este viejo (e infundado) rumor de que J Lo supuestamente ha utilizado cantantes fantasmas durante su carrera, algo que ella considera un hecho y una prueba más (desde su punto de vista) de que Jen ha desplumado a la industria. Como hemos dicho, esto es duro.

Hay más comentarios mezquinos de parte de Ayo y Laci que no vamos a incluir aquí.

De todos modos, el punto más grande es que ahora Ayo y Jen están literalmente en el mismo edificio y lo más seguro es que se sigan topando durante las próximas 24 horas.

La pregunta es ¿serán capaces de jugar limpio y seguir con el espectáculo?

Fuentes con conocimiento directo le dicen a TMZ que este incidente con Ayo fue hace mucho tiempo y sin duda es fan de Jenny en este momento. Incluso nos dicen que está emocionada de trabajar con ella. En cuanto a Jen, nuestras fuentes dicen que no suele dejar que este tipo de cosas la molesten y que su mantra es seguir adelante y adelante.

Nos dicen que J Lo está ansiosa por trabajar con Ayo este fin de semana.

Issa Rae has a bone to pick with Hollywood execs ... accusing them of copping out of their promises to increase diversity onscreen ... and continuing to live in the Stone Age.

The "Insecure" creator/actress lays out her thoughts about the current state of the entertainment industry to TIME ... saying she hasn't seen Hollywood so scared, clueless and at the mercy of Wall Street, and stating there are no more smart execs around anymore.

Issa's firm on her stance ... saying that many have aged out, holding onto their position with iron-clad claws and refusing to let young blood in to get that much-needed representation on the big screen. In other words, a bunch of old heads are still calling the shots -- and Issa seems to think they're screwing the pooch 'cause they're out of touch.

A main point she's trying to make is that conglomerate leaders should stay in their lane, focusing on the business side of things rather than making big creative decisions they know nothing about.

One such example -- Issa says these execs haven't caught onto the fact that social media has changed the way we consume entertainment ... saying the only people taking risks are on platforms like TikTok, adding, "That's what's getting the eyeballs of the youth. So you're killing your own industry."

Though, the "Barbie" star ain't blind to the harsh realities of keeping up with the evolving industry herself ... she's had her reality series, "Sweet Life: Los Angeles," canceled, and she also had to lay off 8 staff members amid the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes last year.

But, she's staying true to her brand identity and will continue fighting to have diverse stories told on the big screen.

Issa Rae tiene cosas que decir de los ejecutivos de Hollywood, a quienes acusa de evadir sus promesas de aumentar la diversidad en pantalla y seguir viviendo en la Edad de Piedra.

La creadora y actriz de "Insecure" expuso sus pensamientos sobre el estado de la industria del entretenimiento en TIME, donde dijo que no ha visto a Hollywood tan asustado, despistado y a merced de Wall Street como hoy, y que ya no hay ejecutivos inteligentes.

Issa es firme en su postura. Dice que muchos han envejecido y se han aferrado a su posición con garras de hierro, negando el ingreso de gente joven para conseguir esa tan necesaria representación en pantalla. En otras palabras, un puñado de cabezas viejas siguen estando al mando y según Issa la están cagando porque están fuera de onda.

El principal punto que está tratando de hacer es que los líderes de los conglomerados deben permanecer en su carril y centrarse en los negocios en lugar de tomar grandes decisiones creativas de las cuales no saben nada.

Un ejemplo de ello, dice Issa, es que los ejecutivos no han captado que las redes sociales han cambiado la forma en que consumimos entretenimiento y dice que las únicas personas que toman riesgos están en plataformas como TikTok. Agregó: "Eso es lo que está recibiendo los globos oculares de los jóvenes. Así que estás matando a tu propia industria".

Aunque la estrella de "Barbie" tampoco es ciega a las dificultades de mantenerse al día en una industria en constante evolución. Su propia serie "Sweet Life: Los Ángeles" fue cancelada y el año pasado también tuvo que despedir a 8 miembros de su plantilla durante las huelgas de la WGA y SAG-AFTRA.

Pese a todo, ella se mantiene fiel a su identidad de marca y seguirá luchando por tener diversas historias en la pantalla grande.

Un nuevo documental sobre Wendy Williams está alarmando a sus fans, pues muestra que ella ha estado pasando por un montón de problemas financieros, entre otras cuestiones.

El primer adelanto del documental de Lifetime, "¿Dónde está Wendy Williams?", muestra a la personalidad de televisión aparentemente diciendo que "no tiene dinero", mientras tira una almohada y se echa a llorar muy nerviosa.

Recuerden, Wendy Williams fue colocada en una tutela financiera en 2022 después de que Wells Fargo afirmara que era "víctima de influencia indebida y explotación financiera", un hecho que la familia menciona en varias oportunidades en el clip, incluyendo su hermana, quien exige saber cómo es posible que no pueda cuidar de su hermana Wendy.

Su hijo Kevin Hunter Jr., por otro lado, dice en el tráiler que piensa que está rodeada de personas que solo le dicen que sí, personas que en realidad no están velando por sus intereses, así que claramente hay diferencias de opiniones dentro de la propia familia de Wendy, al menos eso es lo que sugiere el documental.

Los integrantes de su círculo íntimo también aparecen en este adelanto y están expresando otras preocupaciones. Un hombre le pregunta a Wendy por qué está casi vacía una botella de alcohol, a lo que ella parece admitir que se la tomó sola en un día mientras estaba tendida en la cama, con la bata puesta y todo.

En el primer tráiler del documental, Williams también aparece confundida, lo que da la impresión a sus cercanos de que podría estar perdiendo la memoria. Su mirada con los ojos muy abiertos, casi sorprendida, a veces añade más leña a estas especulaciones.

La salud general de Wendy, de hecho, se ve muy frágil por momentos. Aparece en silla de ruedas en múltiples ocasiones y casi incapaz de caminar por sí sola al salir de un SUV.

Al final, el adelanto parece terminar con una nota de esperanza. Wendy Williams aparentemente demuestra su interés por volver a conectar con su familia y reconoce que tiene ciertos socios de negocios que podrían ser perjudiciales en su vida. El documental completo se emitirá en un especial de dos partes de Lifetime a fines de este mes, el 24 de febrero y 25 de febrero a las 8 PM ET / PT, por lo que se sabrá más entonces.

No hemos visto mucho a Wendy en el último año, aparte de una interacción con un paparazzi en febrero pasado, donde Williams afirmó que estaba pesando 138 libras. Además de eso y un par de fotos en la calle, ha permanecido fuera del ojo público.

Wendy se retiró de varios compromisos en mayo, con el fin de someterse a un tratamiento para hacer frente a los problemas que aparentemente enfrenta.

A new documentary about Wendy Williams is alarming fans -- 'cause she seems to be signaling she's been going through a lot of financial hardships, among other issues.

The first trailer for the Lifetime doc -- "Where is Wendy Williams?" -- dropped Friday ... and it shows the reclusive TV personality apparently saying she has "no money" before pulling a throw pillow close and letting the tears flow.

Remember ... Wendy Williams was placed in a financial guardianship back in 2022 after Wells Fargo claimed she was a "victim of undue influence and financial exploitation" -- a move her family repeatedly rails against in the clip ... including WW's sister who demands to know how she's not fit to take care of her sis.

On the other hand, her son Kevin Hunter Jr. says he thinks she's surrounded by "yes people" in this trailer -- people he says don't actually look out for her best interests ... so there's clearly a difference of opinion among Wendy's own family, at least that's what the doc suggests.

Members of her inner circle are also seen in this trailer expressing other concerns, including one man who confronts Wendy with a nearly-empty bottle of booze ... one Wendy appears to admit she downed in a single day while stretched out in bed, bathrobe still on.

Williams also comes across as confused at her surroundings at times in the doc's first trailer ... apparently causing concern among the people around her she's losing her memory. Her wide-eyed, almost surprised look at times adds further fire to these speculations.

Wendy's overall health does, in fact, seem to be poor at times, too ... she's wheeled out of a hospital on multiple occasions in the trailer and seems almost incapable of walking by herself when stepping out of an SUV.

Ultimately, the trailer seems to end on a hopeful note ... Williams seemingly expresses interest in reconnecting with her estranged family and recognizing the detriment of having certain business associates in her life. The full thing airs in a two-part special on Lifetime later this month ... Feb. 24 and Feb. 25 at 8 PM ET/PT, so more will be answered then.

We haven't seen Wendy out much in the past year or so ... outside of a paparazzi interaction last February where Williams claimed she was 138 pounds -- a moment that makes it in the trailer BTW -- and a couple pics of her on the street, she's mostly stayed out of the public eye.

Wendy dropped out of several speaking engagements in May ... before reportedly heading to treatment to deal with issues she was allegedly battling.