I once sat on the same couch with Montel Williams while he told me that, unlike all the others, his talk show would never stoop to the level of exploitation.
I've long since been disabused of that notion. Williams is as likely to have weird, sick people on as anybody else.Even a recent episode about identical twins was dominated by a pair of large, obnoxious professional wrestlers, of all things.
But Williams' recent behavior has gone beyond just exploiting those who appear on his show to exploiting his audience as well.
By now, the incident may be familiar to you. A recent guest was a self-proclaimed, HIV-positive serial rapist who said he'd raped at least 90 women.
Montel certainly seemed to believe him. He spent not one show but two with the guy - Jerome Stanfield of Baltimore.
At the end of the final segment on the second show, Stanfield was escorted off the stage by a security man. He was taken out in front of the New York City studio, where he was turned over to the police.
The cameras, of course, followed this. And, back in that studio - again on camera - Williams was being showered with applause and gratitude.
What a guy.
What happened next is something Williams isn't saying much about. Once in the hands of police, Stanfield immediately changed his story. Denied everything.
What's more, the police say there's absolutely no evidence that Stanfield committed even a single rape. A Baltimore detective described his story as a "hoax."
Does Williams care? Apparently not. According to authorities, Williams' staff made no attempt to verify the story before it aired.
Several times, Williams read a statement indicating that Stanfield "may not have been telling the truth." A spokeswoman for the show confirmed that those inserts were made after the shows had been taped.
In other words, Williams had reason to believe that he was part of a hoax being perpetrated on his audience, and he didn't do anything to stop it.
Obviously, Williams didn't care if Stanfield was a total liar out to find his 15 minutes - or in this case two hours - of fame. Williams had two shows he thought were compelling in the can, and he wasn't about to let the truth keep him from airing them.
He should apologize - pronto.
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It isn't. It first aired last fall.