Dr. Phil is no stranger to family conflicts, and one such emotional dispute played out during the Season 10 premiere of the popular show, where a mother, Dina, claimed that her talented teenage daughter, Sammie, was throwing her life away for her 20-year-old boyfriend, Chris, who reportedly had a criminal record.
“My daughter Sammy is completely blinded by love,” Dina said, revealing that before she met Chris, Sammie was the star captain of her soccer team and part of the National Honor Society. She also shared that the teenager had everything a girl her age could want, including an Infiniti G35, a top-of-the-line cell phone with a data plan, and a $200 monthly allowance.
“Everything was paid for her. Gas money, clothing allowance, food, incidentals. We built this home specifically for the girls. This house has everything a teenager could want — a pool table, home theater, popcorn machine, tanning room — and now she’s throwing it all away for a boy,” the worried mother said.
Dina further revealed that although her daughter had brought previous boyfriends home to meet her, she had never met Chris.
Sammie, however, said she was “head over heels” in love with him and wanted her mother to meet him. According to Sammie, though, her mother always had her “guard up.”
Dina expressed concerns that her daughter was “addicted” to her boyfriend. Desperate for the relationship to end, Dina cut Sammie off financially. She stopped paying for her allowance, car insurance, gas money, phone bills, and even the interest on her loan. But according to Dina, none of it worked. Sammie continued seeing Chris despite her mother’s efforts.
“I wanted to squeeze her into saying, ‘Okay, I’m broke. I got nothing. I want all of my stuff back. I’d rather have that than him,” Dina admitted. When the host, Dr. Phil, asked whether she was surprised that her daughter chose her boyfriend over her lifestyle, Dina agreed. “I am surprised that she chose him over her education, her sorority, who she was as a person for 19 years, over a boy,” she said.
Sammie, however, said her mother became “unbelievably controlling” when she first started dating. According to Sammie, Dina would tell her “what to say to the guy, how to act, how to hug him, how to kiss him.” She claimed things became even worse after she went to college.
Sammie said her mother constantly texted and called her, and once contacted all of her friends after she fell asleep for just 30 minutes. “I am through with being controlled,” Sammie said on the show.
Dina admitted that she may have spoiled her daughter over the years. She said she always gave Sammie “all the financial things that she’s ever wanted” and often protected her whenever she got into trouble. “I have always picked her up,” Dina said.
However, she denied trying to control every part of her daughter’s life and said she had allowed Sammie to make many of her own choices over the years. Still, she believed Chris was “very distracting.”
Chris defended his relationship with Sammie during the episode. He said he stepped in and supported her after her parents cut her off financially. “I love her,” he said, while Sammie replied, “I love you too.” Chris insisted he was treating her well and said Dina had “nothing to worry about.” Sammie also made it clear that she saw a future with him despite her mother’s concerns.
The situation became even more concerning when Dina spoke about bruises she had seen on her daughter’s body. Dina said she was horrified after noticing marks on Sammie’s chest and arm and feared that the relationship may have become abusive. “Chris gets rough during s*x, and he bites all those bruises all over that beautiful skin, that beautiful girl,” Dina said.
Sammie strongly denied that Chris had ever abused her. “Anything that was on my body is not unwarranted,” she said. “He has never hit me, never done anything of the sort.” Sammie insisted the marks were consensual and defended her boyfriend against the allegations.
The episode sparked strong reactions from viewers online, with many sharing their opinions about Dina, Sammy, and Chris’ behavior.
“Money raised this child, not the mother,” one user wrote. “Mom, giving ‘material things'” doesn’t teach anything. They are just ‘things.’ Love cannot be bought,” another commented.
“Little Sammy is a liar. Boyfriend is abusing her and Sammy is covering for him,” one viewer claimed.
“As soon as the boyfriend walked out, the daughter shut down and denied everything. She is definitely afraid of him and afraid to say anything against him,” another person wrote.
“That guy Chris….. too many red flags!!!” another user commented. “The way he said he loves her in the beginning, well, that was a lie,” one viewer added.
