Skip To ContentBuzzFeed HomepageQuizzesTV & MoviesShoppingVideosNewsTastyMake a QuizSign InSearch BuzzFeedSearch BuzzFeedlol Badge Feedwin Badge Feedtrending Badge Feed

Browse links

Pop Culture

TV & MoviesCelebrityBest of the InternetAnimalsMusicRewindBooksLGBTQ

Quizzes & Games

LatestTrendingFoodLoveTriviaQuiz PartyPyramid SchemeNEW!

Shopping

LatestHomeFashionTechBeauty & Personal CarePetsSports & FitnessBuzzFeed Merch

Video

LatestCocoa ButterNEW!Mom In ProgressWorth ItUnsolvedMultiplayerPero Like

Lifestyle

StyleBringMe: TravelGoodful: WellnessNifty: DIYParentsFoodWeddingsSex And LoveTasty HomeNEW!

Community

Make a Quiz or Post!Featured PostsLeaderboard

From Our Partners

Summer Treats & EatsHot As Hell SummerA Taste Of SummerGifts For Every DadFamilia Forever

About

About UsAdvertiseInvestor RelationsJobsNewslettersEditionUSUKAustraliaBrasilCanadaDeutschlandIndiaJapanLatamUS residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data.Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information © 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc PressRSSPrivacyConsent PreferencesUser TermsAccessibility StatementAd ChoicesHelpContactSitemap

BuzzFeed Tasty

Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place!

BuzzFeed Goodful

Self care and ideas to help you live a healthier, happier life.

BuzzFeed Bring Me

Obsessed with travel? Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me!

HuffPost

News, Politics, Culture, Life, Entertainment, and more. Stories that matter to you.Celebrity·Posted 5 minutes ago

Dr. Phil Has Doubled Down On His Seriously Controversial 2016 Interview With Shelley Duvall After He Was Accused Of Exploiting Her Mental Health Issues

Dr. Phil episode “A Hollywood Star's Descent Into Mental Illness: Saving The Shining's Shelley Duvall” was branded “appallingly cruel” and “shameful” when it aired.

by Stephanie Soteriou

BuzzFeed Staff

FacebookPinterestTwitterMailLink

Shelley Duvall is a Hollywood icon who rose to prominence in the 1980s thanks to her breakout roles in movies such as Popeye and The Shining.

Archive Photos / Getty Images

She relocated to Texas in the mid-1990s, and in 2002 she retired from acting following her appearance in Manna From Heaven.

Betty Galella / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Shelley completely disappeared from the spotlight after that, with fans being left at a loss to her whereabouts as even journalists struggled to track her down.

Ron Galella, Ltd. / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

But in November 2016, the actor was on our screens once again for a controversial hour-long episode of Dr Phil.

CBS

This episode was called “A Hollywood Star's Descent Into Mental Illness: Saving The Shining's Shelley Duvall,” and the promo video for it was even more troubling.

CBS

In a 30-second trailer ahead of the episode’s air, Shelley was filmed divulging her paranoid thoughts to host Phil McGraw, which included her belief that she has a “whirring disc” inside of her and that she is being threatened by “the sheriff of Nottingham.”

CBS

She also insisted that her Popeye costar Robin Williams, who passed away in 2014, was still alive as a shape-shifter.

Ron Galella / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

At one point, Shelley looked directly at Phil and said: “I’m very sick, I need help.”

CBS

The full episode made for uncomfortable viewing, and the consensus at the time was that Dr. Phil had exploited an incredibly vulnerable person for TV ratings.

CBS

To make things even worse, the episode didn’t even end with Shelley getting the help that she needed. While Phil initially claimed that the best specialists would treat her physical and mental illnesses, he later revealed that she’d left the treatment center after just three days.

CBS

“Shelley still refused to take any medications and she would not sign the paperwork required to treat her,” he said in the episode. “She was accompanied by trained professionals and was safely returned to her family and boyfriend at home.”

CBS

“We are happy to report that we are now working directly with Shelley’s mother and are providing Shelley treatment from a group of local professionals who, due to her refusal to take medication, will use alternative methods to treat her,” Phil added.

CBS

Actor Mia Farrow was among the furious viewers to criticize the show at the time. She tweeted: “There shd be laws to protect mentally ill people from TV talk show predators like @DrPhil who is exploiting Shelly Duvall for his own gain.”

There shd be laws to protect mentally ill people from TV talk show predators like @DrPhil who is exploiting Shelly Duvall for his own gain

— Mia Farrow