Montel Williams is a paid spokesperson for the pharmaceutical industry, but if you’re a high school intern for Savannah Morning News, you probably shouldn’t ask him any tough questions.
Courtney Scott, a teenager working as an intern for the paper, asked Montel if he thought pharmaceutical companies would be discouraged from research if their profits were restricted. Montel, who suffers from MS, was personally offended by the question.
From Pharmalot:
“I’m trying to figure out exactly why you are here and what the interview is about,” he replied to Courtney Scott, the intern. Williams then asked if she suffered from any illness, to which she answered no. “I’m here as a patient advocate talking about the fact that medications available today are saving people’s lives, that’s what’s saving mine and after that, this interview is done,” Montel reportedly said before storming out, adding that he suffers from multiple sclerosis. He snapped his fingers, said thanks and walked away, according to the newspaper.”
That would have been weird, but no big deal, if Courtney hadn’t happened to run into Montel later on that day while at the Westin “for an unrelated assignment featuring gingerbread houses at the hotel.”
Montel thought the high school student was stalking him and freaked the hell out:
As we were preparing to film, Montel walked up with his bodyguard and got in Courtney Scott’s face pointing his finger telling her, ‘Don’t look at me like that. Do you know who I am? I’m a big star, and I can look you up, find where you live and blow you up,’ ” Cosey said. “At this time he was pointing randomly at all of us.”Moore and Scott corroborated the statement.
“He was really mad. He was angry at me,” Scott said. She is a 17-year-old senior at Jenkins High School working for the Morning News in an apprenticeship program through Savannah-Chatham public schools.
“I wasn’t expecting him to come at me and go off, I was expecting him to say, ‘No hard feelings from before.’ I’m not sure if he meant ‘blow me up’ and ruin my career or really blow us up, but it was threatening.”
We cannot imagine how random and terrifying it would be to have Montel Williams threaten to personally explode you. He’s since apologized and has invited Scott onto his show in order to publicly say he’s sorry.
Don’t go, Courtney! It’s a trap!
Should PhRMA Blow Up Montel Williams? [Pharmalot via WSJ Health Blog]
Montel ‘blows up’ at local reporters [Savannah Now]
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Ok, I’m kinda confused here. If Montel really is a shill for big pharma, he either doesn’t know it, is doing a crap job, or big pharma companies are stupider than I thought about their message.
As almost anyone (including the author of this post, I am sure) knows, big pharma’s answer to Courtney’s question is “yes,” plain and simple. They’ve never shied from that argument, so why would they now? That’s a softball for pharma companies, not a “tough question”. It’s a tough question for patient advocates who are concerned that the argument might be true.
If Montel were really on message for them, he would have said, “absolutely” and then launched into a speil about why drugs are expensive and that’s why pharmaceutical companies are so good when they decide to give some away.
The fact that Montel went nuts has nothing to do with pharma companies and everything to do with Montel being nuts.
Those MS drugs can make you pretty moody.
(I can say that because I’m on them, too.)
I’m not surprised. It’s Montel. He’s one of the biggest assholes out there. You know, the type that hides behind a facade of being considerate human beings on TV?
I have yet to hear him say he’s sorry for making Sylvia Browne what she is. Nah, he prefers bringing her back here and then so they can both continue fooling idiotic gullible people.
Montel makes me sick.
I think somebody over at the Partnership for Prescription Assistance needs to fine Montel some happy pills next time he goes out for a PR visit.
Truthfully though…we all know how vicious 17 year old intern writers are. Animals.
@agb: Ok asking a very good question that a real professional reporter should be asking is not snooty.
What a douche.
Jenkins High School? The one in Washington? Dude…my old school!
Montel’s a great deal for big pharma — his little roadshow helps distract the same idiots that watch his show from how badly they’re getting cornholed on drug prices.
Funny thing – Montel’s rating’s spike every time Sylvia Brown’s on. Like double his usual rating. That speaks poorly of the viewing public.
He wants to blow her up on TV!
Wow, if this really happened, I just lost a little respect for Montel.