Dr. Phil McGraw has been slammed for "exploiting" Shelley Duvall.
Dr Phil McGraw
The talk show host has conducted a sit-down interview with the 67-year-old actress, in which she discusses her battle with mental illness, but he has been criticised for "showboating the visibly ill" following the release of a trailer for the meeting, which will air on Friday (18.11.16).
In the clip, Shelley - who hasn't appeared in a movie since 2002's 'Manna From Heaven' - said: "I'm very sick, I need help."
She went on to discuss her belief that her 'Popeye' co-star Robin Williams - who took his own life in 2014 - is still alive, and claimed her own life is under threat because of the "Sheriff of Nottingham".
She said: "I love Robin Williams. I don't think he is dead. I think he is] shape shifting...
"The man who is threatening me is the Sheriff of Nottingham."
But the trailer sparked outrage on Twitter, with one fan insisting the actress was not "competent enough" to give proper permission to Dr. Phil for the TV appearance.
And Vivian Kubrick - whose father Stanley Kubrick directed Shelley in 'The Shining' - shared an open letter to Dr. Phil in which she called for a boycott of the "lurid and exploitative" programme.
She wrote: "Dear Dr. Phil, You are putting Shelley Duvall 'on show' while she is suffering from a pitiable state of ill health. Unquestionably, this is purely a form of lurid and exploitative entertainment - it's appallingly cruel.
"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.
"I recoil in complete disgust. I hope others will join me in boycotting your utterly heartless form of entertainment, because it has nothing to do with compassionate healing. Sincerely disgusted."
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