Dr. Drew Ends 'Celebrity Rehab' Because Of Criticism, Not Deaths
Mindy McCready, Mike Starr, Rodney King, Joey Kovar, and Jeff Conaway were all cast members on Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew. And, after leaving the show, all five of those stars are dead.
In an interview with the Zach Sang & the Gang radio show, Dr. Drew Pinsky confirmed that his reason behind cancelling the show had little to do with the stars of the show dying and a lot to do with the flack he receives for their deaths.
"I'm tired of taking the heat," Dr. Pinsky said. "It's ridiculous."
His statement, of course, begs the question: was he really doing the show to help celebrities beat addiction? Or was he there to exploit them?
Pinsky received tons of criticism about placing his famous cast members on a worldwide platform at low, very vulnerable moments in their lives. He has always maintained that he did the show to help the cast, not to hurt them. Just like any other rehab program, the thinking goes, there will be failures and there will be successes.
To his naysayers, Dr. Pinsky maintains that "a lot of people are sober because of 'Celebrity Rehab' who wouldn't have been sober without it."