Shelley Duvall, an actress best known for her work in such projects like Thieves Like Us, 3 Women, The Shining, Popeye, Tall Tales and Legends, and Faerie Tale Theatre , has largely kept out of the spotlight since her retirement from acting in 2002.
Shelley is now speaking out about a controversial appearance she made on Dr. Phil in 2016.
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Shelley Duvall was, at one point, an incredibly familiar face in the world of movies.
After a string of successful appearances in both film and television, Shelley retired in 2002 after her last performance in Manna From Heaven .
Shelley only made one public appearance after her retirement, and it caused a lot of controversy.
Many fans felt it was exploitative.
“I hated how exploitative and awful that Dr Phil interview was. Shelley Duvall was a big part of my childhood. I watched and rewatched Faerie Tale Theatre. I would hug her if I could,” one fan wrote .
Stanley Kubrick’s daughter, Vivian Kubrick, was one of many who vocally criticized the airing of the interview.
“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,” she wrote .
Shelley Duvall appeared on a 2016 episode of *Dr. Phil*, which was focused on mental health.
Shelley’s behavior on the show drew quite a bit of concern for her mental health.
Many viewers of the show, both famous and otherwise, felt that Dr. Phil was exploiting Shelley’s health for views, and that the interview should not have aired out of respect for Shelley.
Some fans, however, defended Dr. Phil for airing the interview.
“What @DrPhil is doing is highlight Duvall’s case in the same way that people go on talk shows and talk about cancer,” one fan wrote at the time. “It raises awareness about the issue of mental health and gets people focused on it as the important issue it is,” they added .
“He started calling my mother,” Shelley revealed.
“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,” Shelley went on to say, though she never contacted Dr. Phil or the show again.
A spokesperson for the *Dr. Phil* show responded to the controversy as well.
“We view every Dr. Phil episode, including Miss Duvall and her struggle with mental illness, as an opportunity to share relatable, useful information and perspective with our audiences. We don’t attach the stigma associated with mental illness which many do,” they said .
In a new interview, Shelley has spoken out about the controversial interview herself for the first time.
“I found out the kind of person he is the hard way,” Shelley said of Dr. Phil himself. “My mother didn’t like him, either,” she added.
Shelley also noted that, after the interview aired, “A lot of people, like [my partner] Dan, said, ‘You shouldn’t have done that, Shelley.'”
The spokesperson for *Dr. Phil* claimed the show was only attempting to help Shelley.
“With no one else offering help, our goal was to document the struggle and bring amazing resources to change her trajectory as we have for so many over 19 years. Unfortunately, she declined our initial offer for inpatient treatment that would have included full physical and mental evaluations, giving her a chance to privately manage her challenges,” they said.
The spokesperson went on to say their offer to help Shelley still remains.
“After many months of follow-up, in collaboration with her mother, she ultimately refused assistance. We were of course very disappointed, but those offers for help remain open today,” the statement ended.
While many fans of Shelley were not pleased with Dr. Phil or the show’s treatment of the star, they were happy to hear that Shelley was now doing well.
Many fans expressed their love and support for Shelley on social media.
“I was just thinking about her hoping she was doing well, especially after the hell Dr. Phil put her through a few years ago. This made my day! God bless Shelley Duvall,” one fan wrote .
We’re wishing all the best for Shelley and her family!
