Bhad Bhabie Speaks Out About Abuse She Says She Experienced at Facility Dr. Phil Sent Her to
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Danielle Bregoli, also known as Bhad Bhabie, has accused Turn-About Ranch, the teen residential facility that Dr. Phil sent her to back in 2016 as part of a sensationalist, “scared straight” ratings grab, of inflicting physical and emotional abuse on herself and other underage residents.
In a video uploaded to her YouTube channel on Friday, the 18-year-old rapper, who springboarded a music career and celebrity brand out of her viral Dr. Phil appearance, says that she is speaking out in solidarity with Hannah Archuleta, another individual whom Dr. Phil sent to Turn-About Ranch who says she was sexually assaulted by a staff member while there in 2019, Newsweek reports.
Per Vulture, Bhad Bhabie alleges that Turn-About staffers:
- take teen residents to the ranch “in the middle of the night” without telling them where they’re going: “They just take them, they handcuff them, they put them in the car. It’s basically like kidnapping.”
- punish residents by taking away “necessary privileges like sleeping on a bed, eating good food, [and] not being cold” and by forcefully restraining residents, “which is against the law,” Bregoli notes.
- allowed residents to bully and fight one another: “If you reported another kid getting bullied by their peers or something, they would just say, ‘Well, maybe that’s what they need.’”
Bregoli and Archuleta’s claims are reminiscent of Paris Hilton’s abuse allegations against Provo Canyon School, a boarding school for “troubled teens” that is also located in Utah. In fact, Gloria Allred, who is representing Archuleta, has said that her client was inspired by Hilton to speak out, Vulture notes.
Early in the clip, Bregoli gives Dr. Phil an ultimatum: “I am going to give you from now until April 5 to apologize not only to me but to Hannah and any other child you sent to Turn-About or any other program like this. And if you don’t, I’m going to handle things my way.” He has yet to comment at press time.