Dr. Drew Pinsky has hosted Teen Mom reunion shows since the very early days of the franchise.
While his interviewing techniques and hosting style have always been the subject of controversy, the harshest criticism of Pinsky’s tenure came last week in response to his treatment of Maci Bookout’s story.
In a segment that didn’t go over well with some fans, Drew talked about his relationship with Masi’s 14-year-old son Bentley and his father.
On Reddit and elsewhere, Pinksy was criticized for exploiting the boy and using his trauma to fuel an otherwise sluggish reunion.
Now Drew has responded to the backlash with a surprisingly candid interview with a British tabloid Sun.
“I think I asked Maci beforehand if I could go there,” Drew said in a video interview for the site, as reported by The Ashley’s Reality Roundup.
“So no [I don’t regret doing that.] See, everyone agrees to be open. We all talk about it, we go out there and these women are so kind to share their lives with you.
Pinsky explained that they aim to do more than just provide entertainment for the show’s audience.
The host, who holds a medical degree from USC, explained that she sometimes feels the need to “investigate” to help the cast “connect the dots” about their lives. .
“I’ll push to get an answer because that’s my job, but I figured it out and said, ‘OK, there are zones where we should be and where we shouldn’t,'” Pinsky explained. .
In response to allegations of being too fixated on Bentley’s questions, Drew revealed that he considers himself a journalist and therapist, and that he’s been doing deep research to uncover the truth about treatment.
“I don’t know when someone interrupts me [if they’re] Are they sabotaging me because they’re defensive and they should talk about that defensive structure, or are they sabotaging me because they’re in front of the camera and they don’t want to talk about this . Sun.
“I don’t want to infringe on anyone’s privacy concerns, but if they’re defensive, it’s my job to dismantle those defenses a bit and understand what’s behind it.” he added.
“After doing this for years, I became very good at moving between the two locations.”
As Ashley points out, this isn’t the first time Drew’s work has drawn harsh criticism.
In January 2021, Teen Mom star Ashley Jones called out the Doctor for inciting drama.
“[Drew is] I was sitting there like my dad was fanning the little girl drama at the end,” she said at the time.
“Indeed, his contribution to medical care as a Dr. could be greater…Dr. Drew’s nasty ass needs ‘Dr.’ to drop.” [from his name] Call yourself Wendy Williams because he’s a disgrace. ”
Drew did not respond to these allegations.
In fact, he usually keeps his mother in the face of criticism.
So the fact that he felt the need to respond this time can be taken as a sign that the situation at Bentley is really on the nerves.
