Famed TV doctor Dr. Phil found himself at the center of controversy and the butt of many Twitter jokes after he tweeted and deleted what is being considered a very distasteful question.
According to USA Today, Dr. Phil, who has been married since 1976, tweeted Tuesday, "If a girl is drunk, is it OK to have sex with her? Reply yes or no to @drphil #teensaccused "
Rather than answering with a simple “your or no,” Twitter fans replied with such responses as, “Aren’t you married?” and “Are you asking for a friend.”
The question even created a trending topic under the hashtag “DrPhilQuestions.”
A spokesperson for Dr. Phil responded to the Twitter backlash in a statement Wednesday with Buzzfeed saying, “This tweet was intended to evoke discussion leading into a very serious show topic. It was not intended to be taken lightly.”
Continuing the statement reads, “It’s based upon a recent news story, hence the #teensaccused label. It was a poll question, not a statement or a joke. As he has maintained over many years, Dr. Phil believes that the position of those incapacitated in any fashion; be it drugs, alcohol, age or mental illness can not and do not have the capacity to give their consent to anything, especially sex, which could have life changing repercussions."
"This was a research post in preparation for a show, not a personal post and Dr. Phil deleted it the second he saw it. It was clearly ill-advised. We sincerely apologize that it suggested anything other than what was intended, data gathering. As you can imagine, Dr. Phil is very upset that this happened,” the statement concludes.
Thus far Dr.Phil has not addressed his tweet, but has instead continued to post a series of questions for upcoming show subject matter.
Image: CBS