Oprah Winfrey’s friction with Dr. Phil reportedly began with his poor handling of Britney Spears’s crisis in the early 2000s. Winfrey, who was monumental in launching Dr. Phil’s career at one time questioned his ethics.
Winfrey’s friendship with Dr. Phil allegedly had gone sour over how he dealt with the 2008 case when Spears spent at least a few days hospitalized, following a public meltdown over mental health issues. She was sent to a hospital shortly after her battle over custody of her children against her ex-husband Kevin Federline. Reportedly, Dr. Phil went to her hospital room against her will, creating quite a commotion.
TMZ at that time had reported Phil’s intrusion and quoted a shrink saying, “It is incredible that the hospital allowed Dr. Phil in her room. It’s a total violation of her rights.”
Many were appalled when TMZ got it out that Phil had walked into Spears’ room uninvited and spent over 15 minutes speaking to her, unsolicited. He was even at odds with Oprah who had initially catapulted him to stardom. She was furious with him for not making an apology but using the moment to promote his show.
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According to The National Enquirer’s source, “Oprah is furious. She expected Phil to apologize before the situation got out of hand. Instead, he used the spotlight to tout his struggling talk show. … Oprah thinks he has completely lost his sense of right and wrong.”
Following the backlash, Phil released statements defending his actions saying that he met with the pop star at the behest of her family. He revealed to Entertainment Tonight that he visited Spears and concluded, “She is in dire need of both medical and psychological intervention. She was released moments before my arrival and was packing when I entered the room. We visited for about an hour before I walked with her to her car. I am very concerned for her.”
Oprah Winfrey wanted him to issue an apology to Spears for his embarrassing actions that broke the talk show host’s trust. This incident was a turning point in their relationship. Reports indicate Oprah said she questioned his ethics and felt disappointed by his way of dealing with the issue.
