Nicholas Brendon Walks Off Set Of ‘Dr. Phil’: What Put The Troubled Actor On Edge?


Nicholas Brendon is battling his inner demons, and he’s not ready to share them with the world. Despite reaching out to Dr. Phil McGraw for counseling and an appearance on the Dr. Phil show, the troubled 44-year-old ended up walking off the set before his interview finished.

What went wrong?

Apparently, as Brendon shared in a Facebook post, the actor expected things to go much differently.

“I felt that Dr. Phil went for the jugular, talking about some of my recent mistakes, with no build up. I felt that he wanted me to lay the darkest parts of myself on national TV right from the start, and I’m not willing to do that.

[Buffy: The Vampire Slayer] never chased ratings, and neither should I.”

Although Nicholas was apparently offended at the hard-hitting approach possibly being used for ratings, he didn’t exactly storm off the set.

“There was no drama,” a Dr. Phil spokesperson told Entertainment Tonight. “He simply chose to leave and did so in a respectful manner.”

“Unfortunately, [Nicholas] chose to disengage before a dialogue with Dr. Phil ever began.”

Even though Brendon decided to end his participation on the show early, that doesn’t mean everything came to a halt. His family members stayed behind and continued to speak on the actor’s situation and how it affected their relationships with him.

According to Entertainment Tonight, Nicholas Brendon has been arrested three times this year and charged with “public intoxication, grand theft, and criminal mischief.” The Criminal Minds actor also divorced wife Moonda Tee in February after five months of marriage. With his life spiraling out of control, Nicholas chose to enter rehab in June to treat his drug and alcohol addiction and depression.

Although Nicholas Brendon is getting help, he seems to prefer a more private approach to treatment. With this in mind, the actor might have realized going on the Dr. Phil show wasn’t the best idea. Nicholas admitted that a signed contract has prevented him from spilling the particulars about what was said, but he wanted to assure his fans that leaving the set didn’t mean he was walking out on rehabilitation.

“Rest assured I am in private treatment, and we are going deep so I can live a long and happy life.”

Not everyone was sympathetic to Brendon’s feelings on the matter.

A Los Angeles Times commenter named Ms. Lee wrote, “What did he think was going to happen on the show? They were going to kiss his butt just like they do on set? Give me a break.”

The Dr. Phil show released a statement about the incident.

“Dr. Phil has nothing but the highest respect for Nicholas and wishes him the best in his quest for physical/mental health and sobriety, and stands ready to assist him in any way possible… The episode was completed as scheduled. An air date will be announced in the future.”

[Image Credit: Photo by Araya Diaz/Getty Images for Ms. In The Biz]

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