A statement from the Dr. Phil show says claims of exploitation are “nonsense.”
In a statement Friday, the show said claims made by guests in recent news articles are unsubstantiated.
One guest, Survivor China winner Todd Herzog, told health and science website STAT and the Boston Globe that there were two bottles of vodka waiting for him in his dressing room when he arrived for the show’s taping.
He also alleged that staff members gave him Xanax to “calm his nerves.”
Another unnamed guest told STAT and the Boston Globe that Dr. Phil staff directed them on where they could buy drugs.
The Dr. Phil show disputed that claim.
“The show does not give drugs or alcohol to its guests and any suggestions to the contrary are errant nonsense,” the statement read.
“For the past 16 years, the Dr. Phil show has provided valuable information to viewers by telling compelling stories about people who are fighting the battle to overcome alcohol and drug addiction.”
“Unfortunately, addicts often lash out at the very people who are trying the hardest to help them break the cycle of addiction. Although terribly unfortunate, this is an understandable part of the behavior of addicts on their journey to recovery.”
The STAT/Boston Globe story is part of a series investigating the Dr. Phil show.
In part two, the newspaper says “some carefully placed promotions are also a financial opportunity for a new business venture involving the show’s host, Phillip McGraw, and his son, Jay.”
*With files from ET Canada’s Brent Furdyk
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