What did Dr Phil do to Shelley Duvall? Controversial 2016 interview explored in wake of The Shining star's death at 75

Following Shelley Duvall's death at 75 on July 11, 2024, some fans brought up the actress's controversial interview with Dr Phil. Shelley, who retired from acting in 2002, appeared in a 2016 episode titled From Hollywood Star to Near Isolation: Helping The Shining's Shelley Duvall.

Viewers and other actors accused Dr Phil of exploiting the then-67-year-old Shelley, who was suffering from ill health. They claimed the show deliberately documented and portrayed the actress in a way that made her appear as the caricature of a typical crazy person, who needed saving. Dr Phil was slammed for using the actress's health condition to increase his show's ratings.

When the episode aired, many viewers pointed out that Shelley appeared unwell. At one point, she even told Dr Phil:

"I'm very sick, I need help."

The talk show host responded:

"Well, that's why I'm here."

Elsewhere during the interview, Shelley claimed she had a "whirring disc" inside of her. The next moment, the actress jumped onto a completely different subject and said she loved her Popeye co-star Robin Williams, who died two years before the interview, in 2014. Shelley said she believed Robin was alive and living as a shapeshifter. Shelley also told Dr Phil the "sheriff of Nottingham" was threatening her.

Following their conversation, Dr Phil claimed on the show that the actress would receive medical treatment from skilled specialists for both her mental and physical illnesses. However, after the interview, Shelley Duvall refused the TV personality's proposed treatment.

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Stanley Kubrick's daughter, Mia Farrow, and others defended Shelley Duvall's honor against Dr Phil's interview

Before Dr Phil's interview with Shelley Duvall aired, Vivian Kubrick, the daughter of The Shining director Stanley Kubrick condemned Dr Phil on X:

"You are putting Shelley Duvall 'on show' while she is suffering from a pitiable state of ill health."

She called the interview "a form of lurid and exploitative entertainment" and described it as "appallingly cruel". Vivian continued:

"Shelley Duvall was a movie star...whatever dignity a mere unfortunate creature might have in this world, is denied her by your displaying her in this way."

Vivian expressed her sheer disgust and asked others to join her in boycotting Dr. Phil's "utterly heartless form of entertainment", claiming the show had nothing to do with "compassionate healing".

The interview sparked further outrage from Shelley's fans. Rosemary's Baby actress Mia Farrow wrote on X that it was "upsetting and unethical" of the show to exploit Shelley at a vulnerable time in her life. Farrow slammed Dr Phil in another tweet:

"Shame on @DrPhil. If he has a shred of decency, he MUST NOT air TV show exploiting a beloved and talented actor, Shelley Duvall

In a separate tweet, Mia Farrow wrote:

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

A few years after the controversial episode of Dr Phil’s show, Shelley addressed the interview to The Hollywood Reporter. Referring to Dr Phil McGraw, she said:

"I found out the kind of person he is the hard way."

Shelley recalled that her mother did not like Phil either and her partner Dan Gilroy also told her she should not have agreed to the interview. The actress claimed Phil began calling her mother:

"She told him, 'Don’t call my daughter anymore.' But he started calling my mother all the time trying to get her to let me talk to him again."

Dr Phil, on the other hand, told CNN in a 2023 interview that he did not regret what he did, adding:

"What I did regret is that it was promoted in a way that people thought was unbecoming... We worked with her for over a year off-camera after that fact. Providing her opportunities for inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care — I can’t tell you the extent we went to."

Shelley Duvall passed away in her sleep on July 11. She was suffering from complications caused by diabetes.