TMZ is reporting that Dr. Phil didn’t learn much from his interference with Britney Spears. He really is an ambulance chaser. He will do anything to get ratings for his show!
The talk show host has allegedly posted bond, which was set at $30,000, for one of the eight teens that was arrested for severely beating another teenager in Florida. The highly publicized case has been in the news for over a week now, and Dr. Phil must want some of that action.
A bail bondsman told several local media outlets that Mercades Nichols, who has been widely reported as the alleged “ringleader,” had her bond paid by the show’s producers. When Nichols left the jail, a man who claimed to be a producer for the Dr. Phil show helped escort Nichols and her mom.
Mercades’s grandmother recently told local reports that she didn’t have the money to bail her granddaughter out. According to reports, the producer then told reporters to leave the jail because the Dr. Phil show had exclusive rights to the delinquent’s story. He did not comment on if Dr. Phil had helped pay for her bond.
Recently the judge presiding over the case imposed a strict gag order — how this move will affect Nichols and her case is unknown for now.
UPDATE: A Spokesman for the Dr. Phil show has released the following statement:
“We have helped guests and potential guests in the past when they need financial assistance to come on the show – assisting with clothing allowance, lost wages, accommodations, travel and necessities. In this case, certain staff members went beyond our guidelines (re: the bail being paid). These staff members have been spoken to and our policies reiterated. In addition, we have decided not to go forward with the story as our guidelines have been compromised.”
This isn’t the first time Dr. Phil has had a show idea blow up in his face… this year! Dr. Phil doing damage control again!