The family of the late American singer Aretha Franklin has recently spoken out in response to Wendy Williams’ “inaccurate” and “disparaging” comments about the forthcoming concert documentary Amazing Grace.
Originally shot in 1972, the documentary showcases the late singer performing over two consecutive nights at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles.
According to a report by Ebony, during an episode of the Wendy Williams Show last week, the talk show host Wendy Williams called out the film’s quality and questioned the intentions behind its posthumous release.
“I would imagine that now the bill collectors are like, ‘OK, rest in peace, Aretha Franklin. But we still need our money for this, we need money for that. So by putting this movie out, I would say the estate is probably going to be paying the bills with this,” she said during her “Hot Topics” segment.
The veteran host highlighted Franklin’s less glamorous look in the film. Williams added, “Now, you know, Miss Franklin she was very into her showgirl glamour and stuff. This was just regular makeup for her. She would want the pressed hair, and the done lashes, and a good outfit and her background people to be fabulous.”
Franklin’s family released a lengthy statement to the press, hitting back at several key things Williams said in her recap of the film the article reported.
The family of the late singer called out the talk show host for taunting the film. “Ms. Franklin had specifically sought to perform in a stripped-down, church-service setting. By showing a brief clip out of context and mocking its quality on her show, Williams inaccurately represented Ms. Franklin and the movie to her audience.”
The statement addressed Williams’ claim that Franklin did not want the film to be released, “And while Franklin had initially imposed an injunction on “Amazing Grace,” her objections had nothing to do with its quality; negotiations were incomplete at the time of her death. Her family feels this documentary is another prime example of The Queen of Soul’s genius.”
In closing, the statement said, “Wendy Williams is the host of the most-watched daytime gossip show in syndicated television. However, that does not give her license to offer misleading commentary about a legacy entertainer based on unverified information.”
Aretha passed away on the 16th of August 2018 in Detroit, USA. The film Amazing Grace will hit theaters on April 19th, 2019.
