Anderson Cooper’s daytime talk show is only 3 weeks old, but already the show, and its host, is mired in a PR disaster.
According to Gawker.com, a teenager is in a coma as a direct result of instructions given to him by one of the show’s producers.
Details are sketchy, but we hear the show booked a teenager to appear on a show about how the adolescent mind works. In advance of his appearance, a source says, a producer “encouraged [the] kid to go out and ‘film the crazy stuff you do.'” In the course of following those instructions, the teen filmed himself skateboarding adventurously and fell, sustaining a severe head injury. We are told he is comatose, and that Cooper is “distraught.” The show never aired.
At first Cooper was tightlipped about the whole accident. But on Monday he finally issued the following statement:
I was very saddened to hear the news of this accident, and want to express my deepest concerns for the teenager who was injured. I take this situation seriously, and my thoughts and prayers for his health, well-being and recovery are with him and his family.
Anderson’s producers were quick to add that they didn’t provide the teenager or his family with a camera. But they did encourage the boy to film the crazy stuff that he “normally” does. And it was probably understood by the teen that his daily routine had to be over-the-top in order to be included on the show.
