Stat’s report also tells the story of Todd Herzog, a former Survivor winner who later made a dramatic, drunken appearance on Dr. Phil. He says he had been sober for two days after the show put him up in a hotel room, but when he got to his dressing room he found a full bottle of vodka. He drank the whole thing, and later took a Xanax that was given to him by someone associated with the show. On top of that, a medical professional from the center that Herzog agreed to go to on the show couldn’t do anything at the taping because his staff is only licensed in Texas, not California, essentially meaning that Dr. Phil brought him to the show just to watch a man endanger himself.
The show’s supposed disregard for medical supervision is the larger issue of Stat’s exposé, with the former guests accusing the show of doing basically nothing while people who need help have to fend for themselves. Plus, a lot of the medical facilities associated with the show are closely tied with host Phil McGraw himself. Representatives from Dr. Phil mostly dismissed these concerns when questioned by Stat, saying that they’re making a TV show and can’t be responsible for constantly monitoring addicts—especially since, as they judgmentally note a few times, addicts tend to do whatever they can to get the thing they’re addicted to.
The Dr. Phil staff has also since denied the whole Stat report, saying that it “does not fairly or accurately” describe the show’s methods and that nobody working on the show ever gave Herzog alcohol or encouraged guests to seek out illegal drugs.
