Right. And if it'd been Jane Doe from Kokomo, and not the woman who played Olive Oyl once, almost 40 years ago, my wild guess is you might've been just a little less sickened. Is it just her celebrity status, then? Let's see.
We'll just spin the Random Celebrity Wheel™ here, and see who we come up with. If it'd been, say, the guy who played Xander on Buffy in the '90s, would we have seen an equal number of outraged posts here on this board, saying how disgusting Phil was for exploiting the man's sickness and mental problems?
Oh, wait! Phil did have Nick Brendon on his show! Twice! And I don't remember anyone on this board expressing their outrage that Phil was exploiting poor old Nick Brendon for amusement and profit! Where was everybody's compassion and disgust and sickness then? How about Danny Bonaduce? He was on the show, too. Anybody here get sick over him? There's a deep layer here of extreme selectiveness in what people choose to stand up and protest (I won't go so far as to call it hypocrisy, but it's edging right up to the line).
Somehow, Shelley Duvall is special. Somehow she's different than the hundreds of other guests that Phil has "exploited" over the years, well-known or unknown, who are just as screwed up in one way or another, and who no one on this board has bothered to speak out about. Somehow, interviewing her and getting her into treatment represents a new low for Phil. Can somebody explain to me, why her? Probably not.
In any event, it's uplifting to know that I share this world with so many people who are apparently altruistic as sh!t, and so are qualified to judge someone's character by the way he earns his living. Matter of fact, I happen to be one of those righteous people, too. So I could probably find at least three things wrong with the way anybody on this board makes his or her way in the world, and am prepared to condemn you for the exploitation of other people's misery for your own benefit.
The Falcon flies
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!!!deleted!!! (28128673)
8 years ago
I haven't watched every show by any means. What other actor/actress suffering from MENTAL IMPAIRMENT issues has Dr. Phil had on? Shelly Duvall agreed to come on the show when she wasn't it her right mind. That's an egregious form of exploitation. (Note: Shelly Duvall is also known for a brilliant performance in Robert Altman's "Three Women")
I don't know who Nick Brendon is. The young man suffering from extreme alcohol addiction? If so, I didn't watch that show either. The previews were heartbreaking and exploitative.
I never watched Buffy and so can't comment on the Xander character.
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disenchanted_zero-1
8 years ago
Almost every guest Phil has had on for the past decade has suffered from "MENTAL IMPAIRMENT" issues. Whether or not those guests were actors/actresses is entirely irrelevant. The point is: why do we enjoy watching the girl who is having Baby Jesus but then get all outraged because the lady who played Wendy Torrance thinks Robin Williams shapeshifted?
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!!!deleted!!! (28128673)
8 years ago
I disagree vehemently that it's irrelevant. The ratings prove that. The show aired far more commercials previewing the Duvall interview than the typical Jane Doe one. Dr. Phil knew he had a big fish and he milked it for all it was worth, at Shelly's expense.
He tried to do the same years ago with Britney Spears and got his hand slapped. The family reached out for personal help and he got his publicity machine fired up and faced the outrage of the public.
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disenchanted_zero-1
8 years ago
Well, disagree then. That's fine with me. I'm not saying that Duvall's celebrity status doesn't give her appearance a wider appeal than say Crazy Guy at Local McDonalds #47 would.
What I'm saying is that, celebrity of not, Phil's not doing anything differently with Duvall that he does with the rest of his guests. They're all nuts, and they're all paraded out in front of an audience and cameras to show us their crazy. At least Phil spared Duvall the live audience aspect of it.
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