From shocking guests to controversial moments, join us as we explore the most memorable episodes of daytime TV's most talked-about show. We're diving deep into unforgettable confrontations, viral sensations, and moments that didn't age well, plus guests who found fame after their appearances.
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00:00:00Today, we're diving deep into the Dr. Phil phenomenon, looking at some of his most memorable
00:00:08moments. And we're starting with some of the straight-up worst things to ever happen on the
00:00:13program. My love for Tyler Perry is sincere, is real. Welcome to Miss Mojo, and today we're
00:00:21counting down our picks for the most outrageous moments that unfolded on the set of the sensational
00:00:26talk show, Dr. Phil, whether they happened on screen or behind the scenes. So, Dr. Phil,
00:00:31I'm going to give you from now till April 5th to issue an apology.
00:00:37Number 10, Levi Johnston goes into uncomfortable detail. Now, Levi says he takes fatherhood very
00:00:43seriously, and that's a side of him that nobody really gets to see. If the name Levi Johnston
00:00:49doesn't ring a bell, then you might have completely blocked out the 2008 presidential election.
00:00:54Johnston was the two-time fiancé of Sarah Palin's daughter, Bristol, who gained some infamy after
00:01:00news broke during the campaign that he and Bristol were expecting a baby and would be getting married.
00:01:05Post-election, Johnston milked his 15 minutes of fame. In 2012, he appeared on Dr. Phil for an
00:01:10interview that one can only describe as painfully awkward.
00:01:13This is a definite must. Carhartt bibs, just like dad has. One of my best days, you know,
00:01:20was the day Triple was born.
00:01:22Johnston addressed claims that he had stolen Bristol's virginity and denied the version of
00:01:26events that she had painted. Overall, this was a deep dive into really personal details that,
00:01:32frankly, none of us needed to know.
00:01:34I've actually heard Bristol say that she's going to find a new father for Trip.
00:01:38There will never be another father for Trip, and I'll make sure of that.
00:01:41Number 9, Nicholas Brendan storms off set.
00:01:44Dual diagnosis means that you're battling depression and are an addict. Depression is a real
00:01:50thing, and I was ashamed of it a little bit too.
00:01:52Best known for playing Xander Harris on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Nicholas Brendan seemed
00:01:56poised for a bright acting future after the show ended. However, by the 2010s, his career
00:02:01hit a rough patch due to legal troubles stemming from substance use disorder.
00:02:05It truly was insane. There was no rational thinking behind that at all.
00:02:09Pretty much all these arrests were related to sleeping pills and alcohol.
00:02:13In 2015, Brendan went on Dr. Phil to discuss his experience, but the interview took an
00:02:18unexpected turn. Rather than try to raise awareness about alcohol use disorder, Dr. Phil seemed
00:02:23intent on shaming the actor. The tense exchange lasted all of four minutes before Brendan decided
00:02:28he had had enough and stormed off the set.
00:02:30You were at a bar last night.
00:02:32We're done. I'm not doing this. Thank you though. Thank you.
00:02:36He, however, returned to the show a few months later after spending time in a rehab facility.
00:02:42Number 8, Eric Roberts testiness.
00:02:44We discussed that we leave out Julia and Emma because they have lives that they didn't ask to
00:02:51be on the Dr. Phil show.
00:02:52Oscar-nominated actor Eric Roberts may not be the most recognizable face in Hollywood, despite starring in
00:02:58more films than most. However, his family connections are quite famous. His sister Julia and daughter
00:03:04Emma. Nevertheless, Roberts hasn't always had the best relationship with them over the years.
00:03:09You did take the opportunity in the book to publicly apologize to your sister Julia for saying
00:03:14if it wasn't for me there would be no Julia Roberts. Why do you think you said that?
00:03:19By the time of his 2012 interview on Dr. Phil though, things had improved and he wanted to avoid
00:03:24discussing them to keep it that way. But after he objected to Dr. Phil bringing the
00:03:27two ladies up, Roberts' wife Eliza stepped in to call him out for being testy.
00:03:32I worry when he's just like that in the world. I get very, very worried.
00:03:38The entire response, treating Roberts like a child and referring to him like he wasn't
00:03:42seated right beside her, felt both bizarre and patronizing.
00:03:46Number 7, the exploitation of Shelley Duvall.
00:03:49Sometimes, celebrity interviews on Dr. Phil can be strange. Other times, they're just
00:03:54downright problematic. Case in point, the late Shelley Duvall. In 2016, after years away from
00:04:00the public eye, Duvall appeared on the show, revealing signs of mental illness.
00:04:04I knew Robert and I was sorry when he died. That was a sad day.
00:04:08I don't think he's dead.
00:04:09You don't think he's dead?
00:04:10No.
00:04:11One would expect Dr. Phil, as a psychologist, to address the problem and provide meaningful
00:04:15help. Instead, he seemed more focused on Duvall's bizarre claims, in a way that felt
00:04:20exploitative and deeply uncomfortable to watch. The host was rightfully criticized by many
00:04:35in the industry, but he has expressed no regrets about the interview. In fact, it turns out
00:04:39that he even considered bringing Duvall back on the show, but thankfully, she declined the
00:04:43invitation.
00:04:44We worked with her family. We worked with her for over a year off camera after that fact.
00:04:53Number 6, Zachary Davis' disturbing interview. This case is sure to leave anyone horrified.
00:04:58Did you kill your mother?
00:05:02Yeah.
00:05:04You killed your mother?
00:05:07Back in 2012, Zachary Davis, then a teenager, ended his mother's life and attempted to do the
00:05:12same to his older brother by setting their house on fire. The tragic incident occurred
00:05:17in Hendersonville, Tennessee. But it gained national attention in 2015, when Dr. Phil
00:05:22interviewed Davis on his show.
00:05:23When did you decide to kill your mother?
00:05:27I decided that I did it.
00:05:29Throughout the interview, Davis maintains a flat, monotone voice, completely devoid of
00:05:34emotion, as he goes into disturbing detail about the murder and his reasoning behind it.
00:05:38At one point, he even laughs slightly while reflecting on the incident.
00:05:42Heavy.
00:05:44Yeah.
00:05:44Way bigger than a hammer.
00:05:46Two months after the interview was taped, David was convicted of first-degree murder and
00:05:51sentenced to life in prison.
00:05:53Number 5, Ineska's troubling antics.
00:05:56Speaking of violent minors, Dr. Phil also featured a young girl named Ineska on his show in 2016.
00:06:02While she comes across as innocent, Ineska was actually a lot more frightening.
00:06:06I'll hurt them. I'll threaten. One time, they made me really angry. And I chased my siblings
00:06:12around with a knife.
00:06:14She had begun exhibiting violent behavior from a young age, including deliberately killing
00:06:19the family's pet hamster and a nest of birds. During her interview, Ineska remained eerily
00:06:24calm as she recounted these actions, which, understandably, had made her family feel unsafe.
00:06:29I remember where I did it. It was in the living room.
00:06:33Was he smashed?
00:06:35Yeah, he's... he was gone.
00:06:38Many viewers were disturbed not only by her chilling claims, but also by Dr. Phil's decision
00:06:42to showcase her on TV rather than get her the help she needed. Fortunately, it appears Ineska
00:06:47eventually received the necessary support, as she seems to have transitioned to a relatively
00:06:52normal teenage life.
00:06:53I am doing great. I've held a job for three years. I have a great relationship with my
00:07:00mom and my dad, and as well as my siblings, too.
00:07:04Number four, Peyton and her bigoted father. Dr. Phil has often been criticized for pushing
00:07:09vulnerable guests to the brink purely for entertainment. But some guests bring their own controversy without
00:07:16any pushing needed. My dad has called my son a critter, a monster, a creature. He told
00:07:22me I was growing an ape inside of my body.
00:07:24In this episode, a lady named Peyton attempted to reconcile with her father, David, who was
00:07:30a member of the KKK. David had been imprisoned for trying to destroy an abortion clinic, and
00:07:34while he was behind bars, Peyton had a biracial child.
00:07:38He found out I was pregnant with a biracial baby.
00:07:40This caused a rift between them, as David cut Peyton off due to his racist beliefs, leaving
00:07:45her feeling abandoned. His brazen ideologies, and the way he speaks so disparagingly about
00:07:50his own grandson, despite being a convicted criminal himself, is enough to make anyone
00:07:55want to turn off the TV immediately.
00:07:57One drop of non-white blood, it ceases to be human, and since it's not human, it is not
00:08:03my grandchild.
00:08:04Number three, Delusion at its finest.
00:08:06I met Tyler Perry through his official Facebook account. Tyler was a complete gentleman with
00:08:13me. In 2018, filmmaker and playwright Tyler Perry was in a relationship with his long-time
00:08:18partner, Galila Bekele, with whom he shared a child. Meanwhile, miles away, a woman named
00:08:24Carla was fully convinced that she was married to Perry, despite never having met him in person.
00:08:29Approximately two years ago, he asked me to marry him. I told him yes. It makes me ecstatic
00:08:35just knowing that I am the wife of Tyler Perry.
00:08:40Concerned for her well-being, Carla's daughters brought her to Dr. Phil after she had been
00:08:44scammed of nearly $100,000 by someone pretending to be Perry online. Yet absolutely nothing could
00:08:51shake Carla's belief that she hadn't fallen for an imposter.
00:08:54She believed that she was the mother of Perry's child, despite acknowledging that she never donated
00:08:59her eggs. I don't know how that would be possible. I didn't donate any eggs to a clinic. The blood
00:09:04that runs through that child's veins is mine. While it may be easy to mock her, at its core,
00:09:10Carla's situation is deeply tragic. Number two, Toxic Workplace Allegations.
00:09:16Ellen DeGeneres was not the only daytime talk show host to face allegations of fostering a toxic
00:09:21workplace. In 2022, she was joined by Dr. Phil. A dozen current and former employees have come forward
00:09:27alleging toxic workplace behavior on the set of Dr. Phil. Several current and former employees of his
00:09:33show claimed that they had experienced a hostile environment rife with fear, intimidation, and racism.
00:09:39Although fingers were not pointed directly at the host, staffers named the executive producer and
00:09:44implied that Dr. Phil was aware of the issues. Executive producer Carla Pennington screamed,
00:09:50swore, and suggested she would fire people in the show's control room, with one employee saying
00:09:54it was traumatizing. It was the worst hour of your life. They also claimed that producers encouraged
00:09:59them to exploit the guests in their worst moments and discouraged them from booking people of color.
00:10:04Although Dr. Phil and the producers vehemently denied the allegations, the controversy may have
00:10:10contributed to the show getting canceled about a year later. I've been very blessed. I think 20 years,
00:10:15who gets to do that? And I really look at it with great humility. Number one, the Turnabout Ranch controversy.
00:10:23We think it is long overdue for Turnabout Ranch to be held accountable for what happened to Hannah
00:10:30when she was there. One of the most frequent types of guests on Dr. Phil are troubled teens,
00:10:36perhaps the most infamous being Danielle Bregoli. If you're wondering how the show helps these teens
00:10:41afterwards, the answer is often sending them to the Turnabout Ranch, an isolated clinic in Utah,
00:10:46to sort out their issues. She says while she was at the ranch, she was not properly protected.
00:10:54At the ranch, I was alone and isolated from all of my family. However, in 2021, Hannah Archuleta,
00:11:00a former guest, alleged that she was assaulted by a staff member at the ranch and sued Dr. Phil for
00:11:06pressuring her parents to send her there. Bregoli later backed up these claims in a shocking video,
00:11:11alleging that she had a similar experience at the facility. They had no problem holding kids down,
00:11:16which is against the law. You're not supposed to touch the kids, but they had no problem doing that.
00:11:21These allegations were denied by the Turnabout Ranch and Archuleta's lawsuit was ultimately
00:11:26dismissed in 2022. What is the one moment on Dr. Phil that left you shaking your head?
00:11:31Is the president trying to get to you? The president? I called the presidents for help
00:11:38of the United States. Over the years, Dr. Phil has introduced some of the most
00:11:44unbelievable guests in TV history. Let's take a look at 20 of the most shocking ones, shall we?
00:11:53Dr. Phil always keeps things interesting to say the least. Welcome to Ms. Mojo and today we're counting
00:11:59down our picks for the top 20 most shocking guests on Dr. Phil. For this list, we'll be looking at the
00:12:05most unsettling, bizarre and unhinged individuals to ever grace the Dr. Phil stage.
00:12:11Number 20. Amy and Sammy from Kitchen Nightmares
00:12:15Let's begin with a nice crossover between Dr. Phil and Kitchen Nightmares. Amy and Sammy first appeared
00:12:21on the latter series and were met with fierce backlash regarding the way they handled criticism.
00:12:26It was also the first time that Gordon walked away from a restaurant, realizing that there
00:12:31was nothing he could do to change the attitude of its owners. Amy and Sammy later appeared on Dr.
00:12:36Phil to defend themselves, but it mostly boiled down to Sammy yelling at people and the couple
00:12:41basically saying they weren't the only restaurant owners who act in a belligerent fashion.
00:12:45Everyone behaves the way my husband does. That's where he comes from and you go to each
00:12:48restaurant and they're all screaming and yelling and no one comes into a restaurant to try to bully you
00:12:52or harass you or anything. When the world's watching, you might want to keep a lid on it.
00:12:56We think they were trying to clear their names, but they only made the situation worse.
00:13:00All those people you see, they were actors for Kitchen Nightmares.
00:13:05Number 19. Pastor Tom and his 19-year-old pregnant girlfriend
00:13:10Tom is a 61-year-old pastor who's married to two women, one of whom, Reba, is 19 years old,
00:13:16pregnant and has known Tom since she was a child. We have been looking for another wife to add to
00:13:22our family for a few years. Tom's other wife Belinda claims that she and Tom had wanted a
00:13:28polygamous marriage for a long time and that she was elated when Reba was married into the family.
00:13:33She also states that she doesn't intrude on their relationship and that Tom alternates his nights
00:13:38with Reba and Belinda. We happen to have a great age difference and both of them are going to outlive
00:13:43me. I get it. While the situation seems to be working for this thruple, Phil doesn't hold back,
00:13:48saying that their sexual relationship creeps a lot of people out. We'll let you decide for yourselves.
00:13:53Number 18. The Digital Kidnapper
00:13:56April and Nathan are parents of four-year-old twins confronting a woman named Ashley,
00:14:00who stole photos of their daughters off Facebook and passed them off as her own children online.
00:14:06I can't even get joy out of my little girls because I'm freaked out every person that looks at
00:14:10him or talks to him as someone that's related to you. They're going to snack him up and steal
00:14:14him from me. Taking the deception even further, Ashley has concocted an elaborate story regarding
00:14:19her children, has framed photos of the girls in her house, and has a fabricated story to go along
00:14:25with every single stolen picture. I had made some mistakes in my life and I was sent to prison and I
00:14:31lost custody of them because of that. Ashley of course denies everything, despite very clear evidence
00:14:36to the contrary. For four years you followed our family, for four years everywhere we've gone.
00:14:44I mean how violated can you even imagine that we feel? Number 17. I'm one of the best anorexics out
00:14:51there. Dr. Phil has sometimes been questioned for its ethics. Is it okay to show interviews of
00:14:56troubled individuals to an impressionable viewer? Show how disciplined I can be and how
00:15:01I'm one of the best anorexics out there. In this episode, an anorexic woman named Jordan
00:15:08speaks to Dr. Phil about wanting to lose more weight. Jordan admits that she loves the attention
00:15:12she receives from her clearly distraught parents and the shocked expressions her appearance elicits
00:15:17when she passes people on the street. She says she does it because it pisses you off. Ultimately,
00:15:23it's sad to see someone enduring such obvious mental health issues, but hopefully her struggle with an
00:15:29eating disorder can educate others and inspire sufferers to seek help for themselves.
00:15:34Number 16. The woman who is 1000% certain of a three-year pregnancy. Most pregnancies last 40 weeks.
00:15:42Zona's alleged pregnancy has been going on for over 170, or so she says.
00:15:48My belly has continued to grow for the three and a half years, but it does grow at super low rates.
00:15:5440-year-old Zona appeared on Dr. Phil claiming to have been pregnant for three years and seven
00:15:58months despite having her tubes tied at 20. And like any expectant mother, Zona has visited doctors,
00:16:05all of whom could not find a baby. Zona chalks this up to their ultrasounds having too many megahertz.
00:16:11Because I have heard that I have stage 4 bladder cancer.
00:16:14Someone told you you had stage 4 bladder cancer and you did nothing about it.
00:16:18And despite Zona feeling movement and heartbeats, the OB-GYN Dr. Phil hired to study her
00:16:24said that Zona's anatomy is normal and that there was nothing in her uterus.
00:16:28We don't know what's going on here, but it's certainly not a baby.
00:16:32Number 15. Woman is being poisoned by her husband.
00:16:35If you thought this list couldn't get any more tragic, think again.
00:16:39He injected me in my eyes, on top of my eyelids, in between my eyebrows, my temple forehead, on my chin.
00:16:46A woman named Pat believes that her husband Mira is poisoning her to keep her sedated,
00:16:50so he can openly molest their daughters. As proof, she shows needle marks,
00:16:55which are nothing more than regular skin bumps.
00:16:57My wife has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
00:17:01She's so paranoid that she sleeps on the floor of her daughter's bedrooms,
00:17:04barricades the doors, and wears a softball helmet to protect herself.
00:17:08Mira claims that she's been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and has been committed in the past.
00:17:14My dad was like putting me to sleep and he gives me goodnight.
00:17:17And then my mom said, like, for him to get away from me.
00:17:22It's a horrible story of a family being torn apart by mental illness,
00:17:26and it makes for devastating television.
00:17:29Number 14. The 756-pound man.
00:17:33Because Robert hadn't weighed himself in five years,
00:17:36Phil brought in an industrial scale and discovered that he weighed an unbelievable 756 pounds.
00:17:42I just miss being able to ride a bike and play basketball with my friends and going out and being active.
00:17:49Robert's daily life was as difficult as you would expect.
00:17:52He desperately wanted to be active and was tired of feeling lonely and trapped.
00:17:57Robert was sent to Wellspring Academy and lost 260 pounds,
00:18:01although he had unfortunately gained it back by 2015.
00:18:04You can follow Robert's renewed progress and life through his YouTube channel,
00:18:08Raging Robert, which is still active as of May 2020.
00:18:12I am glad to see less of you.
00:18:15Me too.
00:18:16Yeah.
00:18:17Number 13. Racist against her own race.
00:18:21This segment bears a scary resemblance to the BAN episode of Atlanta,
00:18:25and it's so bizarre and surreal that it could easily be taken for satire.
00:18:29I know a lot of people take issue with my beliefs.
00:18:32I'm white.
00:18:33The guest is Treasure, and she believes that she's white.
00:18:36She spouts tons of disgusting racist language toward black people,
00:18:40and has the KKK's number on speed dial.
00:18:43Plus, they're so thug and criminal that I can't relate.
00:18:46Okay.
00:18:49Her ignorant attitude and racist views do not improve when we follow her onto the street either.
00:18:55I feel like people have the right to refuse service,
00:18:57and I feel like they would probably steal something, so of course they should get asked to leave.
00:19:01Shocking and strange, this interview is difficult to sit through.
00:19:04I mean, that's just so riddled with ignorance, I don't even know how to respond.
00:19:10Okay.
00:19:13Number 12. Haley.
00:19:14Looks just like him, and I'm sitting on his lap and everything.
00:19:17No.
00:19:18This young woman appeared on the show claiming first that she was Eminem's daughter,
00:19:22despite family members stating they all knew her real father.
00:19:26I know it's Jesus.
00:19:28I know you're crazy.
00:19:29There's no denying that.
00:19:31She later claimed that she was nine months pregnant,
00:19:33and would be giving birth to baby Jesus,
00:19:36despite taking multiple pregnancy tests that all came back negative.
00:19:40I don't care what the home pregnancy test or the doctor say.
00:19:44When I give birth to my baby, no one is going to deny him.
00:19:48The tension between this guest and her family was palpable,
00:19:51as the sister and mother both constantly deny Haley's claims,
00:19:55and dismiss her stories as cries for attention.
00:19:58Number 11. The teen who killed her own mom.
00:20:01It's not often that Dr. Phil interviews somebody this troubled.
00:20:04For this special episode, Phil interviewed Rachel Hudson,
00:20:08a teenager who murdered her sick mother.
00:20:10Like, I knew things weren't going to get better once my mom passed.
00:20:13Rachel explains that her mother was not well,
00:20:15having suffered multiple heart attacks and kidney failure,
00:20:19and that she wanted to commit a murder-suicide to relieve her family of their supposed burden.
00:20:24After killing her mother, she sent a photo of her body to her disbelieving father,
00:20:28who repeatedly asked to speak to his wife.
00:20:31You did not have the right to decide for your mother when she ended her life,
00:20:36however labored and difficult her life course was.
00:20:41I'm not good.
00:20:42It's a heavier story than Dr. Phil's typical brand,
00:20:45and it leaves a dreadful, lasting impression.
00:20:49Number 10. Danielle Bregoli.
00:20:51This is exactly how you act with a therapist. You don't talk.
00:20:54Nope!
00:20:55You have to be pretty darned memorable on this program to become a meme.
00:20:59Danielle Bregoli, now known as the rapper Bad Baby,
00:21:02both stunned and entertained the world when she appeared on Dr. Phil,
00:21:06and her signature catchphrase,
00:21:08catch me outside, how about da, instantly became a cultural sensation.
00:21:18But while that was funny and all,
00:21:19the then 13-year-old Bregoli was still a very scary and shocking guest.
00:21:24She openly admitted to stealing credit cards and vehicles,
00:21:27laughed while describing instances of physical violence towards her mother,
00:21:31and threatened to fight both her mother and the audience.
00:21:34I steal cars. I steal her credit card. I ain't gonna lie.
00:21:38There's no reason to lie. Everybody know I already lied.
00:21:40In June 2020, at the age of 17, Danielle successfully completed a 30-day rehab program,
00:21:46proving that the road to recovery is a long one.
00:21:49Number 9. Tyler Perry's Wife.
00:21:52I met Tyler Perry through his official Facebook account.
00:21:57A woman by the name of Karla appeared on Dr. Phil claiming to be Tyler Perry's wife.
00:22:02Only, you know, she isn't. According to her,
00:22:05Perry messaged her on Facebook and they instantly became friends.
00:22:09Now, he proposed to you on...
00:22:13Via video, he proposed to me.
00:22:15On video?
00:22:16Through an app.
00:22:17Mm-hmm.
00:22:17So you saw him?
00:22:18No, I didn't see him.
00:22:19Once Tyler proposed over the internet, he asked for money for his various charities,
00:22:24and Karla sent him $100,000, leaving her flat broke.
00:22:28Her daughters rightfully assumed that it was all a scam, but Karla wasn't having any of it.
00:22:33Do I believe I'm being scammed? No, I don't believe I'm being scammed.
00:22:35She also believed herself to be the mother of Perry's real son, somehow.
00:22:40It's a sad and upsetting story combining the worst aspects of celebrity worship and gullibility.
00:22:46He's real.
00:22:47It's possible.
00:22:48It is not possible that he's fake. I wouldn't be here doing this.
00:22:51I'm not that type of person to waste my time.
00:22:53Number eight, Peyton's racist father.
00:22:56My dad has called my son a critter, a monster, a creature.
00:23:00A lot of things can tear a family apart, including racism.
00:23:04Guest Peyton's dad is a member of the KKK, who served nine years in prison for manufacturing
00:23:09bombs to blow up an abortion clinic. He also refuses to acknowledge his grandson,
00:23:14Peyton's child, because he's half black.
00:23:17One drop of non-white blood, it ceases to be human, and since it's not human,
00:23:22it is not my grandchild.
00:23:24According to Peyton, her father has called her child critter, monster, and ape.
00:23:28In his words, his grandson is not human because he's not 100% white.
00:23:33And because he isn't human, he couldn't possibly be his grandson.
00:23:37It's a sickening, heartbreaking story, and one of Dr. Phil's most challenging to watch.
00:23:42I love my daughter with all my heart.
00:23:46But the thing is, I cannot go against my moral and religious beliefs and accept her child.
00:23:54Number seven, Mackenzie and her family.
00:23:58We constantly have to keep an eye on Mackenzie, because we never know what she's going to do next.
00:24:03Nine-year-old Mackenzie is a hard child to manage, as seen in home videos of her toppling furniture,
00:24:08screaming, and attempting to bite her mother.
00:24:10You're biting me! Stop it!
00:24:14Her mother also claims that she's punched her brother in the face,
00:24:17thrown scissors at a teacher, and attempted to topple her cousin's crib.
00:24:21She also relays a horrific story of the time Mackenzie stood in traffic, hoping to die.
00:24:26So when we were at my sister's house,
00:24:28Mackenzie ran into a busy road and just stood there, just holding her arms out.
00:24:32She's definitely a disturbed child, and her ongoing treatment,
00:24:36including heavy doses of pharmaceuticals, isn't any comfort or help.
00:24:40Worse still, her father allegedly beats her with a belt.
00:24:43What a tragic and shocking story.
00:24:46I don't have the vocabulary to tell you how outraged I am
00:24:53at the medications that have been thrown at this child.
00:24:56Number six, Tanya Ramirez.
00:24:59Your friend knew what you were doing.
00:25:01Yeah.
00:25:04Am I in the Twilight Zone?
00:25:07Now here's a story for the ages. A 29-year-old teacher by the name of Tanya Ramirez gave her
00:25:12phone number to a 17-year-old student. This student then appeared at her doorstep one night,
00:25:17and they had sex, and the student filmed the encounter with his phone. He then distributed the
00:25:22video to his friends, and it soon spread throughout the school, leading to Ramirez's termination and a
00:25:28second-degree felony charge. She, in turn, sued the student and his mother for defamation.
00:25:33If she's not a sexual predator, as she says that she's not, then why did you plead no contest to a second charge?
00:25:44To make matters worse, the student's mother called the sex tape not that good, implying that she,
00:25:50you know, watched her son's sex tape. You cannot make stuff like this up.
00:25:54Did you think he showed it around school for bragging rights?
00:25:57From what I've heard, yes, it was exactly what it was.
00:26:01Number 5. Patricia.
00:26:03My mother did a local news story telling everyone that she had stage 3 cancer.
00:26:09A woman by the name of Patricia claimed to have had stage 3 cancer, and according to Patricia's
00:26:14daughter, she told her story on a local news channel to receive attention and collect possible donations.
00:26:20I need Dr. Phil's help to tell her that she, in fact, does not have cancer,
00:26:25and that what she is doing is wrong. Patricia then told Phil that she had had brain cancer,
00:26:30had numerous tumors removed, and that her entire face was detached for the procedure.
00:26:35I have had 17 strokes, brain surgery, plates in my head, pneumonia, collapsed lungs, and two
00:26:42near-death experiences. And while she did, in fact, have some form of brain surgery,
00:26:47her medical records disprove almost everything else she said. According to Patricia's daughter,
00:26:53she, quote, made the story up after her husband died.
00:26:55I do care about my mom. She did have a major brain surgery. She had an ABM.
00:27:01Number 4. Aneska.
00:27:03Violence makes me feel comfortable.
00:27:06Here's another awful story featuring 12-year-old Aneska. According to her parents,
00:27:11Aneska is out of control, to put it mildly. How so? While she chases her siblings with knives,
00:27:17chokes her sister, and sets fire to comforters. They also say that she once killed the family
00:27:22hamster with a flashlight and squeezed a baby bird to death after finding a nest outside.
00:27:27When Aneska was seven, she went outside. She got into a bird's nest. She killed the baby birds.
00:27:34According to Aneska, the voices in her head told her to do it. This is, by any standard,
00:27:39a terribly sad and disturbing case, and Aneska is easily one of Dr. Phil's most troubled guests.
00:27:45The brain's engine is out of sync and not in rhythm with itself,
00:27:50which might explain why she's having a lot of aggression and impulse control.
00:27:55Number 3. Burke Ramsey.
00:27:57When somebody comes in your room with a flashlight, and you never get up and say,
00:28:01what is going on here?
00:28:02In 1996, child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey was murdered in her house. The case remains unsolved,
00:28:09and after 20 years, her brother Burke broke his silence and granted an exclusive interview to Dr.
00:28:15Phil.
00:28:15I'm not the worry type. I guess part of me doesn't want to know what's going on.
00:28:20Some people took issue with it. Many viewers noted Burke's awkward and fidgety demeanor,
00:28:25and found him unsettlingly unreliable. This forced Dr. Phil to defend Burke on his show,
00:28:31claiming that Burke was just nervous. Burke is a shocking guest not only because of his emergence
00:28:36after 20 years with a horrific account of the night his sister was killed, but because his
00:28:40appearance caused so much controversy and discussion in the media.
00:28:43For a long time, the media basically made our lives crazy.
00:28:47Number 2. Nikki.
00:28:48Do you really want help, or do you just want to have a baby and then go back out on the streets?
00:28:53In this episode, we watch as a heroin addict is chastised by her family. However,
00:28:58Nikki is no ordinary junkie. She's an eight-month pregnant opiate addict.
00:29:02According to the narrative relayed on the show, though Nikki was very close to having a baby,
00:29:07she lived in a van and dabbled in prostitution so she could buy herself and her boyfriend heroin.
00:29:13And then go buy some drugs and come back and we'll be used together.
00:29:15How much did you get?
00:29:16I got 60 bucks.
00:29:18She also admitted to overdosing when she was seven months pregnant,
00:29:21and that she puts heroin before her baby.
00:29:23I've been doing this for 40 years, and you, girl, are circling the drain.
00:29:31However, Nikki returned to the show 13 months sober,
00:29:34seeming to be firmly on the road to recovery.
00:29:36Do you have a job?
00:29:37I do. I work at a treatment center. I manage a halfway house part-time for women.
00:29:45Before we unveil our number one pick, here are some honorable mentions.
00:29:49PTA Mom.
00:29:51She just started saying anything that she could, that I hurt her son, that I drug him out back,
00:29:56I bloodied his knuckles, that I punished him, that I called him names, berated him.
00:30:02The woman with the vodka-filled water bottle.
00:30:05Uh, you filled this up with vodka, didn't you?
00:30:09Yes, sir.
00:30:10And it's still got some in it, a little, little bit.
00:30:13Can I have it?
00:30:16Yeah, you can have it.
00:30:19There you go.
00:30:19The girl with the four-digit allowance.
00:30:22My mom's buying a Bentley for herself. Why can't I get a G-Wagon?
00:30:26Um, why do you need a G-Wagon?
00:30:29I just, I really want the G-Wagon.
00:30:32Well, I said you want it, but why do you, you said I need the G-Wagon.
00:30:36I really like the way it looks. I've wanted one for over two years now.
00:30:39Every time I see them, you see so many of them near my house,
00:30:42and I just, every time I see one, I'm in awe. I love them.
00:30:45Dick Masterson.
00:30:47You can't blame women for what they do wrong in the same way that you can't blame a dog
00:30:51for what it does wrong. It's your fault for not training it properly.
00:30:56Oh, come on.
00:30:59The booing sounds distinctly high-pitched.
00:31:02You think?
00:31:03Yeah, yeah. There's a lot of men that agree with me, I think, that I didn't hear from.
00:31:09Bailey.
00:31:09I will be your spectacle. I will be your laughing, laughing spectacle.
00:31:13You can all laugh at me. It's fine.
00:31:14Well, you know what? I think we're just going to shut this down because I'm not into all this
00:31:18melodrama and you playing the victim and everything, so you're saying the audience is making a spectacle
00:31:26out of you. That's not what I'm about. That's not what I do. I had you come here to help you,
00:31:32and you're saying people are ridiculed, making fun of you. You're going to be a spectacle.
00:31:38I don't want to be any part of that.
00:31:40Number one, Zachary Davis.
00:31:42Did you kill your mother?
00:31:46Yeah.
00:31:49You killed your mother?
00:31:52And why did you kill her?
00:31:55She wasn't taking care of my family.
00:32:00Meaning you and your brother?
00:32:02Yeah.
00:32:03Is that who you mean?
00:32:04It's not often that a convicted murderer gives an interview to Dr. Phil, but here you go. In 2012,
00:32:13teenager Zachary Davis killed his own mother with a sledgehammer. Dr. Phil interviewed him two months
00:32:18before his trial, one which eventually led to a life sentence for Davis. And this was easily the
00:32:23creepiest and most shocking interview in Dr. Phil history.
00:32:26Where was she when you did this?
00:32:28She was in her room.
00:32:31What was she doing?
00:32:33She was asleep.
00:32:35Okay, so your mother was asleep in her room, and you opened the door and went in there?
00:32:44Yes.
00:32:45Okay, and you need to help me understand here. You're standing outside her bedroom door.
00:32:52You've got a sledgehammer in one hand. You've got your hand on the doorknob with the other.
00:33:00And you open that door, what's going through your head at that moment?
00:33:06I don't remember.
00:33:09My mind was pretty much blank.
00:33:12Davis detailed why and how he murdered his mother, and throughout the interview,
00:33:17he simply stares at the doctor with emotionless eyes and speaks in an unnerving,
00:33:21jigsaw-esque, monotone voice. The interview is full of tension and horrific content,
00:33:27and we can barely stand to watch it.
00:33:30Are you sorry that your mother's dead?
00:33:36Yes.
00:33:38Why?
00:33:41I feel bad for doing it.
00:33:43But at the time you laughed, why feel bad now?
00:33:49No, I think it was a stupid thing to do.
00:33:54Let's face it, many TV moments do not stand the test of time.
00:33:58This is especially true for several incidents that occurred on Dr. Phil.
00:34:05And my idea of finesse has always been just give me a bigger hammer.
00:34:10You know, that's my idea of finesse.
00:34:12Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 Dr. Phil moments
00:34:18that did not age well.
00:34:20Here you have expectations. If you say something, you're going to get trouble right on.
00:34:25You're not going to have chances.
00:34:26For this list, we'll be looking at controversial moments from the talk show
00:34:30that age less like fine wine and more like room-temperature milk.
00:34:35Which is the best reality talk show of all time?
00:34:3810. The Polygamous Pastor
00:34:43Going into a 2015 episode of Dr. Phil, it seemed like the fact that a 61-year-old pastor named Tom
00:34:49Miller was practicing polygamy and had two wives would be framed as the issue. But there was a much
00:34:56more troubling problem. One of the women, Reba, was 19 years old and pregnant with Tom's child.
00:35:03When I found out I was pregnant, it was the most exciting thing.
00:35:08But she originally met Miller when she was younger.
00:35:11Now, you met Tom when you were eight, right?
00:35:13I believe I was eight when I met him.
00:35:16Seeing him try to dance around the circumstances and possible consequences was incredibly uncomfortable.
00:35:23Looking back at the segment now, it's hard to understand why the show gave a platform to talk
00:35:28about his questionable relationship with Reba at all.
00:35:33We're just praying. We are just literally taking it day by day and trying to
00:35:39keep what's left of our family together.
00:35:41Sometimes, Phil McGraw has guests that need professional help much more than they need to
00:35:49be gawked at on the TV screen. 19-year-old Hayley is one such person who didn't need cameras to
00:35:56broadcast her issues. She claims she was nine months pregnant with Jesus Christ.
00:36:03I know it's Jesus. I don't care if my family disowns me. It really comes down to if you're a true
00:36:09believer in Jesus or not.
00:36:12While her family didn't believe she was pregnant, she was adamant. So,
00:36:17Phil issued an ultrasound stunt that showed no baby. Hayley refused to believe it while claiming
00:36:24rapper Eminem is her biological father.
00:36:27After getting treatment, she had come to terms with the fact that she was never pregnant,
00:36:44but Hayley's still stuck by her beliefs about her family tree.
00:36:49And if you show this, Dr. Phil, a still image of Hayley's next to what an ultrasound would look like
00:36:57this far along, at eight and a half months, the baby is almost fully developed.
00:37:02Number eight, making a victim's family member look bad.
00:37:07In 1996, the world was shocked by the slaying of the young JonBenet Ramsey.
00:37:13I was her age. She would be my age now. She would be pursuing her own career.
00:37:20Once you realize, like, she never got to grow up.
00:37:23Years after the culprit remained unknown, Dr. Phil decided to interview her brother,
00:37:28Burke, in a three-part show.
00:37:30When you look back, was Christmas like a really big deal at your house?
00:37:34Yeah.
00:37:35Instead of being sensitive and caring, the host is accusatory throughout.
00:37:41He questioned why Burke, a child at the time, stayed in bed when his family searched for JonBenet.
00:37:47What else did she say? Did you know she was looking for JonBenet?
00:37:50I remember her saying, where's my baby? Where's my baby?
00:37:53So after she left, what did you do?
00:37:56I just laid there and didn't really know what else to do.
00:37:59During the interview, Burke is clearly uncomfortable, with a nervous smile on his face.
00:38:04The expression calls many viewers to believe that Burke was hiding something.
00:38:09After his appearance, he stated he wouldn't do another public interview again.
00:38:14Dr. Phil's difficult and inappropriate questions easily explain why.
00:38:20Are you surprised that people continue to treat you as a suspect?
00:38:28It blows my mind.
00:38:30What more evidence do you need that we didn't do it?
00:38:33Number seven, family obsession.
00:38:36For years, Phil was captivated by one family.
00:38:40It all began in 2003, when a woman named Erin was preparing to separate from her husband.
00:38:46If you weren't the controller you were, you wouldn't have shaped against all odds a wonderful
00:38:52and loving home for those children. You wouldn't have kept this together.
00:38:56Upon hearing their young daughter Alexandra was pregnant, she decided to work on her marriage
00:39:02while attending to her daughter. But that was just the tip of the iceberg for their family drama.
00:39:08Over the years, Dr. Phil kept bringing them back as they dealt with domestic issues,
00:39:13addictive behavior and legal troubles.
00:39:16145 days ago, I was living in a seedy hotel room and I had no clothes, no money, no nothing.
00:39:25And today I sit here as a recovered drug addict and alcoholic.
00:39:30It almost felt like the family was dragged out every time the show needed a ratings boost
00:39:35or scapegoats to judge. Rewatching any of their episodes feels more cringeworthy than compelling.
00:39:42You said some things pretty specific about that. You said, Alexandra, how about if you take care
00:39:48of the three that you have now and then decide if you want to have more children?
00:39:54Yes, I did say that to her.
00:39:556. An intoxicated guest
00:39:58In late 2020, a news story came out about Jolene McCabe.
00:40:03She was reportedly assaulted by the police after getting into an argument with them
00:40:08after she relapsed and got drunk.
00:40:10Her drinking is constant. Her drink of choice is boxed wine and beer.
00:40:17In 2021, Dr. Phil decided to bring her and her husband out.
00:40:21But at the time, McCabe was clearly very, very drunk.
00:40:25So if you want help, you need to sit in that chair and you need to stay there or we're done.
00:40:31It's up to you. Do what you want. It's up to you.
00:40:33Sit down and stay there.
00:40:35Asking someone questions while they're intoxicated is an ethical issue that Dr. Phil should have avoided
00:40:42instead of exploited. But this isn't the first time that this has happened. When Survivor China
00:40:48winner Todd Herzog appeared, he too was heavily intoxicated.
00:40:52He later claimed that the show insured multiple substances were made available to him right before
00:41:03his appearance, but the show denied they were responsible.
00:41:075. Toxic Environment
00:41:10Several former staff members of the Dr. Phil show made accusations about the toxic work environment
00:41:16behind the scenes in 2022. Employees claimed that they were repeatedly mistreated and yelled at by
00:41:23senior staff. Prior to a segment, team members that worked on the show were allegedly encouraged to
00:41:29ensure the guests were in the worst state possible. There were also that senior staff didn't want guests
00:41:35to be people of color. Five employees alleged in the story that senior producers made fun of guests
00:41:40on the show, specifically people of color. For a series that's geared towards treating people well
00:41:46and making their lives better, it's not a good look to have so many negative complaints.
00:41:52While the show has largely called these dark claims out as false, it's hard to look at the program
00:41:58in the same light. Several former employees discussed the effect that working on the show had
00:42:03on their mental health, with one alleging, this show destroyed me mentally, emotionally and physically.
00:42:08Number 4. Imposter Pregnancy
00:42:11Sometimes the show likes to portray one person as a clear villain in a story.
00:42:15In 2022, that role was given to Gabby. She would promise couples they could adopt her baby,
00:42:21despite not being pregnant.
00:42:23I have heard stories about how Gabby affected some couples and devastated them. I regret that most sincerely.
00:42:32After lying to multiple people, Phil had some of the victims confront her on stage. But it was clear
00:42:39that Gabby had issues of her own. Her own struggles with infertility, health problems and her mental
00:42:45health all emerged. She needs help. It's obvious. And if nothing else, I just want her to be able to work
00:42:55through this. Whatever she's going through, just never hurts to ask for help. And there are people out there willing to help.
00:43:02After being on stage, Gabby gets overwhelmed and exits. The show still frames her as a willful villain
00:43:08when the reality is more complicated and tragic.
00:43:12If the show really wanted to dive into her issues, they wouldn't have opened Gabby up to additional pressure and scrutiny.
00:43:28Number 3. Nick Gordon's Breakdown
00:43:32Three years after the death of Whitney Houston, her daughter, Bobbie Christina Brown, was found unconscious
00:43:38in an eerily similar way within a bathtub. While she was in a coma, Dr. Phil decided to interview her partner,
00:43:45Nick Gordon. He was still struggling with the loss of Whitney and Bobbie.
00:43:50Calm down, okay? I can't. Yes, you can.
00:43:53Mom, I lost, I lost the most legendary singer ever. And like, I'm scared to lose Chrissy.
00:44:01Pray for, pray for Chrissy, right? Right?
00:44:04We're ventilating. Just breathe. Oh my gosh, I made him more famous. Okay, so let's do it.
00:44:15Oh my gosh. All right.
00:44:17When Gordon appeared, he was heavily distressed and extremely off balance.
00:44:22To make matters worse, Dr. Phil told his guests to man up while highlighting sensitive issues.
00:44:27You can't help Bobbie Christina the way you are.
00:44:31You can't help Chrissy like this. This is not helping.
00:44:33You're right. You're right. You're right. You're right.
00:44:35You gotta get yourself cleaned up. You gotta man up. You gotta straighten up.
00:44:39I've been so strong for so many people for so long.
00:44:44So, so please don't tell me to man up.
00:44:46Gordon went to rehab after the episode. Unfortunately, he passed away from an overdose in 2020.
00:44:54The 30-year-old died New Year's Day of an apparent drug overdose.
00:44:58Gordon, you may recall, was the long-time boyfriend of Bobbie Christina Brown.
00:45:03She's the daughter of the late Whitney Houston and singer Bobbie Brown.
00:45:06Bobbie Christina died four years ago and Gordon was never criminally charged in the case,
00:45:11but he was found responsible in a wrongful death lawsuit filed in Metro Atlanta.
00:45:16Gordon's tragic passing makes this interview nearly impossible to watch now.
00:45:22Number two, exploiting Duval.
00:45:25The show seems to have a habit of exploiting vulnerable celebrities at their lowest points.
00:45:31In 2016, Shelley Duval appeared to be the target.
00:45:36After ending her acting career, she was contacted by a producer for The Dr. Phil Show
00:45:41to conduct this interview. The program chooses to focus on Duval's most unrealistic claims,
00:45:47her theories about deceased actors being alive and concerns about fictional enemies,
00:45:53a broadcast for all to see.
00:45:55I loved Robin Williams.
00:45:56I don't think he's dead.
00:45:58Where do you think he is?
00:45:59Shape-shifting.
00:46:00Do you see him?
00:46:01Yes, yes.
00:46:02In the wake of the interview, the show was blasted by Duval's loved ones and general critics for how insensitive it felt.
00:46:10And the daughter of The Shining director, Stanley Kubrick, also posted an open letter on Twitter,
00:46:16calling the interview lurid and exploitative entertainment.
00:46:20From the outside, that promo looks like they are using a woman who potentially is not mentally sound,
00:46:26and they're sensationalizing the problem, and that to me just doesn't feel right.
00:46:30Totally agree with you. And how our Dr. Phil does offer to help her in getting the proper treatment.
00:46:35As for the style of the show and the way he's going about all of this, it doesn't feel right,
00:46:39and it does have that tabloid-y kind of feeling to it.
00:46:42In 2021, Duval said that several of her loved ones warned her against talking to Dr. Phil at the time.
00:46:50Their concerns were certainly justified.
00:46:53Star's descent into mental illness.
00:46:55The man who threatened me is the Sheriff of Nottingham.
00:46:59I think there's a whirring disk inside me.
00:47:02I'm very sick. I need help.
00:47:04Well, that's why I'm here.
00:47:07Number 1. Turnabout Ranch
00:47:09When young people appear on the show, they're often recommended to go to the Turnabout Ranch
00:47:15in Utah to sort out behavior issues. That was the case for Danielle Cash Me Outside Bregoli
00:47:22after her appearance in 2016. She later spoke out that she and other patients were mistreated by staff.
00:47:29Bregoli detailed what went wrong in a shocking video.
00:47:33This place is all about taking away privileges. Like, okay, yeah, the phone is a privileged TV,
00:47:37like, all that. But they take away, like, necessity privileges, like sleeping on a bed,
00:47:41eating good food, not being cold.
00:47:44I remember the first time I got in trouble. Now, this is my first time being here. Like,
00:47:53I don't really, like, yeah, y'all explain to me the rules, but I'm 13. Like, I don't really know,
00:47:57like, exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. There's been times where I reported another
00:48:03student acting inappropriate or just anything like that didn't even have to do with me, and I would
00:48:08get in trouble for just witnessing it. If you reported another kid, like, getting bullied by, like,
00:48:13their peers or something, they would just say, well, maybe that's what they need.
00:48:17In February 2021, Hannah Archuleta, who appeared on Dr. Phil in 2019,
00:48:22sued the ranch for their misdeeds. During her time there, she claimed that she was assaulted
00:48:28numerous times by a staff member. When Hannah tried to tell other staff, she was punished for it
00:48:35with inhumane tasks. I expected to be treated with understanding. Instead, I experienced retaliation
00:48:42from the ranch after I spoke up and what appeared to me to be a punishment for reporting my abuse.
00:48:49The lawsuit alleges Hannah was forced to perform hours of extra manual labor in extreme conditions
00:48:55while sleeping on a wooden plank. These shocking claims make any mention of the ranch on the show
00:49:02incredibly dark. Now, my attempts to reach the ranch's executive director were unsuccessful today.
00:49:10Dr. Phil is known for always being in control on his show, or so he would like you to think.
00:49:17Here are times other people got, shall we say, the upper hand.
00:49:22Say I'll do this with you, that being what?
00:49:26Whatever you want to do. Again, it's your show, Doc.
00:49:28Welcome to Ms. Mojo. And today, we're counting down our picks for the top 10 times Dr. Phil got owned by his guests.
00:49:35Is that not what happened? I got a rewind button, and we can damn sure play it back.
00:49:40I don't ignore anything you say, Dr. Phil.
00:49:41Is that not rude?
00:49:42That's why I'm here.
00:49:43Is that not rude?
00:49:44Maybe.
00:49:44You were nothing before I came on this show.
00:49:47Thank you for that.
00:49:49No problem.
00:49:50For this list, while the TV therapist is used to being in control, we'll be looking at the times when his guests got the upper hand.
00:49:56Which Dr. Phil moment did you find the most eyebrow-raising?
00:49:59Let us know in the comments.
00:50:01Number 10. Zero Chill
00:50:03Dr. Phil is a show that tackles a lot of sensitive topics.
00:50:06It's normal to see tensions running high on the set, but things can really get heated when someone comes on camera determined to argue.
00:50:13Let me please have an intelligent conversation without you two bickering back and forth.
00:50:19With the touchy subject of kids in the mix, Phil's guests were more interested in sniping at each other than working out their differences.
00:50:24And I am in the middle of what I think is a pretty intelligent and fact-based conversation with her about stopping that, and you want to interrupt me so you can engage with her.
00:50:35The host's exasperation is clear in his body language.
00:50:38However, he finally reaches his breaking point and lets loose with uncharacteristic sharpness.
00:50:43You know, my dad used to tell me, never pass up a good chance to shut up.
00:50:47Phil pretty decisively takes back the reins here, but the fact that he was frustrated enough to lose his cool, even for a second, qualifies this as a minor own for his combative visitors.
00:50:57Number 9. The Sexy Vegan
00:50:59It was just a typical day on set as Dr. Phil talked to Susan about her son's troubling behavior.
00:51:04That is, until the son himself made an appearance.
00:51:07I am the beautiful vegan messiah
00:51:11The man who called himself the Sexy Vegan crashed the interview to dispute his mother's version of events, leaving everyone in the studio temporarily stunned.
00:51:21It was when he challenged Phil directly that the host tried to regain some control of the situation.
00:51:25I got 9.99 out of 10 after 327 women raiding me. Let's see your talent! Let's see your f***in' talent, you ugly piece of f***in'.
00:51:33the sexy vegan was obviously not interested in a dialogue though eventually it became clear that
00:51:40nothing constructive would come out of his chaotic appearance i don't have to do okay take him out
00:51:45security get him out of here however brief it was the sexy vegans cameo completely derailed the show
00:51:50and left phil looking visibly annoyed number eight casual confessions one of the most disturbing
00:51:57guests to have appeared on dr phil has got to be a man named john who was there to discuss his
00:52:02cannibal fantasies and violent behavior it's an uncomfortable subject and members of the audience
00:52:08seem visibly squeamish during the segment most unsettling is john's very casual demeanor
00:52:13throughout you don't seem to be remorseful about it you talk about it in a very matter of fact i think
00:52:17i'm more sociopathic than i like to admit to be honest with you phil keeps plowing on through
00:52:22questions trying to find an angle where he can make the topic more approachable if that's even possible
00:52:27john isn't any help though he remains completely unaffected in contrast to everyone around him
00:52:33it's it's amusing to me and i have a very uh morbid sense of humor clearly though phil tries to go about
00:52:39business as usual john is the one steering the mood of this moment number seven a flash of aggression
00:52:44it's not really clear why thomas agreed to come on dr phil in the first place the habitual flasher is
00:52:51hostile at phil's attempts to talk about his issue before he reveals that he doesn't even believe phil
00:52:55can help but you've never overcome uh exhibitionism so what would you know about it the host argues
00:53:01back but thomas holds his ground we're not sure if he was right but his argument wasn't exactly a
00:53:06bad one this is a behavior that unless you have experienced the humiliation of this behavior you
00:53:11couldn't possibly know what it's like though a flustered phil quickly throws to a commercial that
00:53:15wasn't the end of the story as cameras kept rolling during the break the confrontation between the
00:53:20two men continued to heat up despite phil's efforts to curb the tension thomas decided he'd had
00:53:25enough leaving the doctor to admit defeat number six nicholas brendan confronting addiction and
00:53:32mental health is difficult for anyone but it's much harder for someone doing so in the public eye
00:53:37nevertheless nicholas brendan seemed prepared to be candid about his struggles when he appeared on
00:53:41dr phil it's not horrible you know i'm sorry i'm tackling it you know i'm not ashamed of it yeah
00:53:47yeah you're not ashamed of what of why i'm here yeah i'm talking about it the former buffy actor's
00:53:52demeanor noticeably shifted when phil abruptly dove into the details of his difficulties um what what else
00:53:58did you want to talk about i don't know what do you want to talk about it's your show in a later
00:54:03interview with the la times brendan would say that he felt phil's confrontational style quote
00:54:07went for the jugular and he was not about to simply accept it i'm not here to kind of have
00:54:12people laugh at my life people aren't gonna laugh in my life doc it's not i'm not gonna do this you
00:54:17know he attempted to counter phil's points even as he became more upset however when the host revealed
00:54:23he'd been monitoring brendan's drinking the actor pulled the plug i got a report last night that said
00:54:30that um you were at a bar last night we're done i'm not doing this the interview ended on his own terms
00:54:36with phil left behind to watch number five in-laws out of line we all know the cardinal rule
00:54:43never get between a parent and their child i am mama bear okay my son and his welfare comes first when
00:54:50a man's mother and sister appeared on dr phil with concerns about his toxic relationship the host
00:54:55pointed out that the man in question seemed a little old for them to be meddling in his love life
00:54:59the two women had very strong feelings about his fiancee though it wasn't long before just the thought
00:55:05of her was bringing up violent impulses phil moved in to quell the situation but mama bear made it
00:55:10plain that his influence had limits okay i respect you but i respect my cubs even more
00:55:16my babies i respect my babies okay despite not having an answer to that phil continued to do his
00:55:24best to calm everyone down of course all bets were off when the fiancee herself appeared who the
00:55:30do you think you are whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa number four dmx the late rapper had
00:55:37quite an eventful life both on and off the stage when he sat down to talk about the highs and lows
00:55:42on dr phil he brought a refreshingly direct perspective on his past troubles seems like you've
00:55:47been arrested 25 times for nothing no i wouldn't say that i wouldn't say that i wouldn't say that you have
00:55:52been guilty of something of course i've been guilty of a lot of things the easy mood took a slight shift
00:55:57when the host brought up dmx's children namely how many he had and how far behind the performer was
00:56:03in his child support payments it seems hugely illogical to have 12 children with six different
00:56:13women do you make any effort to not get women pregnant i mean do you ask about birth control do
00:56:22you use birth control dmx would explain that it was as a result of his reduced income
00:56:26leading phil to ask why that would be the case i don't know well if you did know what would it be
00:56:32it's kind of a weird question that doesn't make sense
00:56:36i still don't know like if i did know what would it be that was that was a smooth move
00:56:43always gonna have a drug problem i don't have to get high
00:56:47we applaud dmx's smooth handling of this odd question keeping his cool but calling it out all
00:57:00the same phil might say he isn't a gotcha interviewer but he seemed to be fishing here
00:57:06number three monster-in-law fighting in-laws was nothing new on dr phil however collude living with
00:57:13the son-in-law she hated was stretched to the end of her rope all her frustration came out on air when
00:57:18phil did not seem to be taking her seriously anybody that stays as as as animated and and uptight and
00:57:28i'm not uptight and i just agitated and you're not even living in my shoes are you kidding me
00:57:34and agitated as you are 24 hours okay let me let me tell you something you see he's not
00:57:39imagine how rude and disrespectful it is for me to be talking to you and you to just spin off and
00:57:48start talking to somebody else tell them not to say a word phil became agitated in return calling her
00:57:53out for her habit of ignoring him not that collude was bothered by that it's rare to see phil so
00:57:58completely unable to rein in one of his guests i'm not going to tell them anything i am talking
00:58:03freedom of speech and it is rude for you to just turn away and ignore what i'm saying to you collude
00:58:09isn't the least bit intimidated by the celebrity therapist her raging dislike for her son-in-law is
00:58:15the only justification she needs is that not rude maybe okay then don't do that i can't help it
00:58:21is he opening his mouth i have to say something that's why i'm he's not opening his mouth but look
00:58:27at his smirk he's not even respecting baby steps baby steps number two phil versus phil we can only
00:58:35imagine what dr phil thought when the creator of a trashy show called bum fights showed up to his set
00:58:41in full dr phil cosplay he did however have a strong opinion on the guy's professional choices
00:58:46i don't want to talk to you why not that's despicable i don't want to talk to you
00:58:52if you if you think if you if you think i exploit people every time you bring a guest on this show
00:59:03you exploit them and spread whatever the problems they have to the whole world undeterred the phil
00:59:09had his own critique to offer if you if you think i exploit people every time you bring a guest on this
00:59:15show you exploit them and spread whatever the problems they have to the whole world you think
00:59:19that's helping them yeah keep telling yourself that you can go
00:59:22you know what who do you think you are huh bye come on huh no i'm not finished talking to you
00:59:35yeah you're no i'm not yeah you're we're not saying that the man who made a show about homeless people
00:59:39fighting is any kind of hero but we can't deny that he has a point the debate ended
00:59:45abruptly after that though phil has his doppelganger escorted off set and carried on with the show
00:59:50good point or not it should be obvious to anyone that this guy was way more interested in controversy
00:59:56than principles he clearly could not have a serious dialogue about this ridiculous topic i think what i
01:00:04saw on these screens is absolutely despicable i think it's deplorable and i think it is an insult to
01:00:10my intelligence and those of my viewers for somebody to stand up and say i'm trying to help
01:00:16people by doing this number one danielle bregoli returns with one phrase this teenager would
01:00:22rocket from obscurity to the heights of memeable infamy catch me outside how about that catch you
01:00:28outside what does that mean what i just said catch her outside when she'll go outside and do what she
01:00:36has to do however it was in her return appearance on the show fresh off her stint at turnabout ranch
01:00:42that bregoli stood out as the untamable force she is far from the contrite success story that phil
01:00:48might have wished for danielle seemed unaltered by her time away from home he put it this way
01:00:53y'all could put me in a program for six years and i'm gonna come out the same person i came in
01:00:57how is it being back home
01:00:58i don't know it's just home she made it clear that she was not impressed by phil or his treatment
01:01:06in fact by her own estimation phil gained more from her than she did from him
01:01:11i guess what's good for you is i made you just like how oprah made you you were nothing before
01:01:14i came on this show thank you for that no problem are you going to pursue kind of a internet image
01:01:25yeah i guess so as long as it doesn't interfere with who you really are
01:01:31the doc had to concede that you just can't win some battles
01:01:35as for bregoli we have to admit she does seem to have a strong sense of herself if nothing else
01:01:41we're going to end things today with a look at all the guests that went on to become
01:01:46uber successful or viral sensations after appearing on dr phil
01:01:51welcome to miz mojo and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 dr phil guests who got
01:02:03famous after the show jesse says she made nearly a half a million dollars in three years
01:02:10from her 132 000 followers for this list we're looking at the most well-known interviewees who
01:02:17achieved a degree of stardom after being advised by dr phil mcgraw on his counseling talk show
01:02:22do you think any of these guests deserve their fame number 10 amy and sammy business owners amy and
01:02:30sammy went notoriously viral thanks to a questionable display of behavior on kitchen nightmares
01:02:35sir the tip that you left the young lady server the owner takes the tips
01:02:39that's horrible no no no no no no considering their newfound status as the unlikable villains
01:02:44who pissed off gordon ramsay they were the perfect interviewees for dr phil i've eaten a lot of places
01:02:49some nice some not so nice but i i don't think i've ever had somebody come out and offer to whip my ass
01:02:55when they sat down to discuss a wave of backlash the two were defensive rather than apologetic all
01:03:02those people you see they were actors for kitchen nightmare and they were yelp they were not customers
01:03:08at all they maintained that they were misrepresented on kitchen nightmares and were not the tip-stealing
01:03:14aggressors they were portrayed as the interview ended with amy claiming that she wants to move forward
01:03:19and she did so when she and sammy moved to israel even with negative attention and complaints from
01:03:24customers amy continues to work on baking projects and promote her business on instagram
01:03:30number nine christian aaron before appearing on dr phil christian aaron was a youtuber with a
01:03:35respectable following i got them all right now because i'm doing last minute shopping for a
01:03:39playlist i was going to do like i was going to bring a camera and like actually film and like
01:03:42start like my new series that i'm doing but i decided i'm not going to do that right now
01:03:46that following would grow thanks to a controversy that surrounded the influencer both during and
01:03:50after his interview while speaking with dr phil aaron detailed his social media addiction and
01:03:56unhealthy obsession with what the world thought of him i've completely like completely lost my
01:04:01identity outside social media his moment of infamy on the show preceded an identity theft accusation
01:04:06which garnered the youtuber even more media attention when is the last time you truly felt authentic
01:04:12when i lived in new york so last year though aaron has made headlines for less admirable reasons
01:04:18he's still extremely active on his channel and has ventured into the fashion industry with a clothing line
01:04:24number eight nadia sulaiman nadia sulaiman became better known as octomom after she birthed octuplets
01:04:31as if this feat wasn't incredible enough the new mother of eight already had six children at home
01:04:36was it a mistake to try to have another child when you had six at home was that a mistake during her
01:04:44initial interview on dr phil the mom of 14 received criticism regarding her choices and capability as a
01:04:51parent and so you you wanted this this big family are they born with a job of filling your void she was
01:04:57single and unemployed at the time which begged the question how could she sufficiently care for all her
01:05:03kids so why why did you try to have i didn't i tried to have one more dr phil expressed that sulaiman
01:05:12shouldn't be judged but rather supported fans wound up following his example octomom now has a large
01:05:19social media following and shares peaks into her family life with fans number seven telly zelly
01:05:25despite doing exceptionally well in school and earning a scholarship a student named chantelle dropped out
01:05:31to pursue a rapping career everything about my daughter has changed she's even changed her name
01:05:36in doing so she became telly zelly the self-proclaimed female version of drake who appeared on dr phil
01:05:42with her disappointed mom the aspiring artists unapologetic attitude was evident before she even
01:05:48started speaking when i was on the apollo theater at that stage i was like while dr phil and viewers were
01:05:54shocked by telly's lifestyle change she actually did go on to release music after the show she was
01:06:00featured in touch money seizes surgery and released the single lean me alone love earlier in 2022
01:06:09while she certainly isn't on drake's level she has made a name for herself
01:06:14number six michelle knight unlike others on this list michelle knight became famous by no choice of
01:06:19her own i looked at myself in the mirror above the sink i looked hideous i could not believe it was
01:06:26me a survivor of the early 2000s ariel castro kidnappings she was held prisoner for over a
01:06:31decade until escaping in 2013 he would ask me why do i think that and i would be like well think of it
01:06:39if you were in their shoes how would you feel if somebody took your daughter did the same things you're
01:06:47doing to me when sitting down with dr phil to discuss the unfathomable mental physical and
01:06:53emotional toll of what happened to her knight quickly gained widespread sympathy concern and
01:06:58admiration after a string of intense interviews with the show's host the survivor made it her
01:07:03mission to help and champion others i'm a motivational speaker that goes around the world
01:07:08speaking on the behalf of missing and exploited children human trafficking in finding strength and
01:07:15moving on she changed her name to lily rose lee and wrote two incredible books about her story
01:07:21lee now works as a vehement advocate and motivational speaker not to mention a true role model number five
01:07:29naya tuyasasopo today online profiles and catfishing are something we are hyper aware of
01:07:35but back in the early 2010s the online scam wasn't as widely known i want to talk about why you felt
01:07:43moved to create an alter ego arguably the highest profile catfishing incident of the time was that
01:07:52of mantai teo a football star who was in a relationship with lene kukua the persona deceptively created by
01:07:59naya tuyasasopo tuyasasopo not only fabricated a fake online persona
01:08:04but actually led teo to believe that lene had passed away the incredibly cruel ordeal earned naya
01:08:10an interview with dr phil where an interrogation ensued what do you take away from this that's
01:08:16positive naya recently received more attention with the release of netflix's untold the girlfriend
01:08:21who didn't exist a documentary in which the former catfisher revealed she is transgender
01:08:26regretful of her past actions and trying to move forward i learned so much about who i am today and
01:08:35you know who i want to become because of the lessons that i learned through the life of lene
01:08:45number four jesse taylor prior to her interview jesse taylor was a social media personality and youtuber
01:08:51with a decent instagram following she ended up on the talk show after having had a viral breakdown
01:08:57when her account was deleted the one thing she seemed to love more than anything you said quote i'm
01:09:02nothing without my following yeah i could never work a normal job i'm worthless do you really believe
01:09:10that i was really upset that's a real video i said what i said no you seem sincerely upset there
01:09:16because they had taken away everything that's your vehicle for making money for that exactly
01:09:22and it's not just the money it's like with you know you you understand i get respected more like
01:09:28when i get that following with people at parties and stuff like i can cut the lines you know at the
01:09:32airports i don't wait in line i just flash my account and i just i get whatever i want she explained
01:09:37to dr phil that losing her instagram made her feel like she was nothing which prompted discussions of
01:09:43social media obsession like no because can i tell you something clout actually matters like
01:09:47if you don't got clout you ain't got you feel me you know what i'm saying sadly i do
01:09:55nonetheless the young singer's meltdown and appearance on the show ignited a surge in her
01:10:00online fame i just don't have like any family i don't have any guy that cares about me for more than
01:10:07a night and i don't have anybody i could talk to she now has a new instagram and is super active on
01:10:15both youtube and tiktok number three nicolette gray fittingly dubbed a spoiled beverly hills brat
01:10:22by her mother nicolette gray sat down with dr phil to show the world just how entitled she was oh yes
01:10:28thousand dollar pair of shoes five star vacations hotels and restaurants multiple credit cards multiple
01:10:35yes she doesn't even know what the limits are she just spends until they melt i guess
01:10:40uh gym membership with the trainer complaining about her insufficient allowance and poor parental
01:10:46guidance she was instantly perceived as ungrateful and severely detached from reality i want my mom to
01:10:52understand that i can't live off of a thousand dollars a month and i grew up on a certain lifestyle
01:10:57she can't just take that away from me immediately if someone took her lifestyle away from her
01:11:01she wouldn't like that and i grew up on it it's all i ever know i can't deal with this and so
01:11:08i can do it for help just when we thought it couldn't get worse gray began to cry when she was
01:11:13advised to get a job even though viewers were stunned by her behavior the teenager still managed
01:11:19to gain traction as a vlogging youtuber and influencer she also launched a jewelry business these endeavors
01:11:26seem to fund the luxe lifestyle gray felt she deserved so we don't expect to see her crying
01:11:32over having to get a job anytime soon number two ava louise when talking about controversial guests
01:11:43ava louise cannot be left out of the conversation after going viral for licking a toilet at the start of
01:11:49the pandemic dr phil invited the shocking college student on a show where she proved to be an even wilder
01:11:55personality when you put something up on instagram how many people look at it well i usually get like
01:12:00at least like 26 000 and that changes your life yeah oh my god usually they have like things that
01:12:07calculate how many likes to get that the year but i've definitely gotten a lot it's up there 100 000
01:12:11maybe probably yeah and so these are views that you had yeah views i've had way more like just today
01:12:18like i had like 60 like almost 67 000 people like this week looking at my profile yeah yeah
01:12:25while explaining her desperate desire for insta fame louise argued that death is preferable to
01:12:31being ugly which prompted dr phil to advise the delusioned influencer to quote get real what are you
01:12:37running from so bad that you've got all of this image all of this blah blah blah i'm wonderful i'm you
01:12:46know because me thinks you protest too much i mean maybe i'm just running from my ugly self my old self but
01:12:54i don't think i need to run anymore dr phil i think i'm where i need to be since opting not to take the
01:13:00host's advice louise has continued to unapologetically be herself on social media she is super active on
01:13:07instagram and tiktok and isn't afraid to stir up controversy on podcasts louise has also seen success
01:13:14as a singer with skinny legend anthem becoming a tiktok phenomenon
01:13:24number one danielle bregoli if there's one guest we could never forget it's danielle bregoli the car
01:13:31stealing knife-wielding twerking 13 year old who was interviewed with her fed-up mother in her 2016
01:13:38appearance bregoli delivered the phrase catch me outside how about that in her distinct accent
01:13:43essentially challenging the whole studio audience to a fight after they laughed at her behavior
01:13:48catch me outside how about that catch me outside how about that catch you outside what does that mean
01:13:59what i just said catch her outside means she'll go outside and do what she has to do
01:14:03these words catapulted the troubled aspiring rapper to fame with her catchphrase going viral and
01:14:10inspiring her single cash me outside
01:14:25just a year after dr phil she became the youngest female rapper to make the billboard hot 100
01:14:31a record deal reality series and makeup brand followed making bad baby a name known nationally
01:14:38for better or for worse
01:14:39well that's gonna do it for this special deep dive into dr phil hope you enjoyed yourself and i'll see
01:15:02you next time do you agree with our picks check out this other recent clip from ms mojo and be sure
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