In preparation for an upcoming show on teen sex and drinking, The Dr. Phil Show posted a question on twitter, asking “If a girl is drunk, is it OK to have sex with her? Reply yes or no to @drphil #teensaccused.”
The question was interpreted as a statement, and instead of answers, disapproving tweets circled the twittersphere expressing anger at the host for suggesting that “it might be OK to have sex with someone without consent.” One tweet stated: “If Dr. Phil is drunk, is it okay for him to tweet?”
A representative of the show explained that Dr. Phil is “very upset that this happened” and Dr. Phil himself deleted the question from twitter. Soon after, The Dr. Phil Show issued a statement, explaining: “This tweet was intended to evoke discussion leading to a very serious show topic. It was not intended to be taken lightly.”
Following the tweet, Dr. Phil refused to appear on CNN to defend the offensive tweet, and was replaced by Jerry Springer as a stand-in to discuss the controversial issue.
Dr. Phil and representatives of the show learned through their error that when taken out of context – as all soundbites will eventually be – edgy or controversial statements/questions can and often do backfire!