Okay, what the hell happened to Dr. Phil? I used to watch him, back when he made regular appearances on Oprah and then started his own show. At first he came off as a fairly respectable, decent and knowledgeable guy, but it didn't take long for him to head down the sleazy, lowest common denominator path Jerry Springer and Maury Povich have so expertly paved. When his show's content started erring on the trash side, I tuned out - and word from the grapevine is that a lot of other folks did, too.
The doc's image has taken a beating in recent months - his show's ratings have tanked and, according to numerous tabloid reports, his relationship with Oprah is all but destroyed; it's also rumoured that his marriage of over thirty years is on the rocks. Him trying to intervene and "help" Britney Spears when she was in the thick of her own personal trainwreck earlier this year did nothing to boost his ratings - or his credibility.
What Dr. Phil doesn't need right about now is a defamation lawsuit, which, is exactly what he's up against.
Dr. Phil is facing a lawsuit for fraud, defamation of character… and some shifty editing. Thomas Riccio, the man who recorded O.J. Simpson’s recent illegal activities, claims Dr. Phil aired ads depicting Riccio nodding in response to accusations he vehemently denied in the actual interview. Check out the legal documents, exclusively on TMZ.
In the lawsuit, Riccio claims that Dr. Phil’s practice of “splicing in answers to different questions implies that [Riccio] is agreeing with McGraw’s statements which he never does in the interview.” He says that during the show, McGraw claimed that Riccio “set O.J. Simpson up and told people to bring guns into the room.” Riccio’s denial was allegedly edited out and replaced with a shot of him nodding, apparently in agreement.
“Had plaintiff been aware of defendants’ intent and their intended actions, he would not have agreed to do the interview,” the lawsuit stated.
Riccio is also suing for defamation of character, saying that Dr. Phil called him a “shady deal maker,” “a puppet master who would sell his soul for a coin,” and “the ring leader of this crime” during the program.
Dr. Phil has always struck me as a guy who could easily talk his way out of a paper bag, but I'll be interested to see how he handles this lawsuit if it does go forward. Fraud and defamation of character are two serious charges and if Dr. Phil is found guilty, I think he'll find he's slipped from D-list to Z-list status.
[photo:googleimages]
Yeah, I used to kind of like Dr. Phil - thought he was refreshing. Now I think he's total cheesy shlock, and am embarrassed when people think that I still watch.
Posted by: kgirl | Friday, October 24, 2008 at 11:37 PM