Dr. Phil aka Phil McGraw came under fire in 2016 for exploiting a mentally ill Shelley Duvall by putting her on live television. The show televised Duvall in an agitated and disoriented state. At one point in the interview, Duvall asked for help saying that she was very sick. Dr. Phil never issued an apology for the incident and he went on to show no regret even years after the episode aired.
Hollywood celebrities and fans are pouring in their final respects for Duvall, who died in her sleep on Thursday. Duvall was best known for her incredible performances in the thriller genre. Her most famous roles were in Robert Altman’s Nashville and Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.
Dr. Phil Defended Putting A Mentally Unstable Shelley Duvall In Front Of The Camera
For fans who have grown up watching Stanley Kubrick’s psychological thriller The Shining, seeing Shelley Duvall in an unstable state live on TV proved too much. Dr. Phil brought her as a guest on his show in 2016, sharing that he had the permission of her family members (via Deadline). The show went on to show a disoriented Duvall making several statements, that deeply disturbed many audiences.
Duvall went on to claim that Robin Williams, who had died two years prior, was alive and “shapeshifting” (via USA Today). Duvall and Williams worked together in the 1980 film Popeye. She also rambled on about how she had alien “implants” in her leg and her fear of “the Sheriff of Nottingham”.
He received severe backlash for the episode, with actress Mia Farrow calling him a “predator” who was exploiting Duvall for his own gain (via X). Kubrick’s daughter, Vivian Kubrick, also criticized the TV show host calling his show a “form of lurid entertainment” and “shameful” (via X).
While he received immense criticism for displaying this side of the actress to the public, Dr. Phil had no regrets. In 2023, almost seven years after the incident, he told CNN‘s Chris Wallace, “Oh I don’t regret what I did.” However, he admitted that the promotion of the episode was problematic. He shared that he worked with Duvall for over a year after the episode aired.
He claimed to have provided her with “opportunities” for psychiatric care. He lashed out at his critics saying that none of them did anything to help her. Dr. Phil shared with CNN:
What I did regret is that it was promoted in a way that people thought was unbecoming. […] We worked with her for over a year off-camera after that fact. Providing her opportunities for inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care — I can’t tell you the extent we went to.
And the people that were critical of it, nobody ever asked them what they ever did to try and help her, and the answer is ‘not a damn thing.‘
His response received largely negative comments from fans under the video of the interview. @TommyUdo shared that Dr. Phil was just issuing a “nonapologetic apology” for his behavior. Another fan @Mia_M shared that he used the “mental illness and misery” of the actress for ratings.
Shelley Duvall Regretted Appearing On Dr. Phil
While Dr. Phil claims to have helped Shelley Duvall, the episode did not convince fans that the show did anything to improve her condition. He shared in the episode that the actress refused to take any medications and would not sign the paperwork for treatment. He shared that she was accompanied by trained professionals back to her home (via Deadline).
During an interview with THR in 2021, Duvall regretted her appearance in Dr. Phil. She shared that she agreed to the interview without her partner Dan Gilroy’s knowledge. She spoke about Dr. Phil to THR, “I found out the kind of person he is the hard way.” She further shared:
My mother didn’t like him, either. A lot of people, like Dan, said, ‘You shouldn’t have done that, Shelley.’ He started calling my mother. She told him, ‘Don’t call my daughter anymore.’ But he started calling my mother all the time trying to get her to let me talk to him again.
Duvall died in her sleep due to complications from diabetes on July 11, 2024. She was at her home in Blanco, Texas, at the time of her death. She was 75.
