Jeremy Kyle has been branded a 'bully' by former guests and employees have complained about the work environment on his show.
The host presented his own reality show from 2005 to 2019, when it was cancelled following the death of Steve Dymond, who killed himself after failing a lie detector test on the show.
A new two-part documentary on the controversial ITV series, called Jeremy Kyle: Death on Daytime, is start on Channel 4 this weekend.
In the documentary, former producers, who worked on the show booking guests, reportedly allege the host was 'incredibly nasty and demeaning' while filming.
Advert
It's also claimed that staff weren't allowed to 'leave their desks' and were expected to work up to 15 hours a day to make sure that bookings were sorted.
Expanding on the intense pressure, one ex-producer even claims that they weren't allowed to eat until they had booked people for the show.
Former guests and relatives have also spoken out about their treatment.
Dominique Bishop's daughter Kristie appeared on the show in 2018 and again 2019, seeking help for her drug addiction.
However, she sadly passed away in March 2020 from an overdose after relapsing.
Dominique, 54, says Kristie was 'bullied' by Jeremy and that it was 'the most traumatic experience I ever had'.
"She opened herself up and he bullied her and he put on a show. But that was my daughter and that's really, really hard to watch now," she said.
Reacting to the documentary, an ITV statement read: "The Jeremy Kyle Show was broadcast for 14 years. In that time, more than 20,000 people took part in the show seeking help to resolve relationship issues, or to address drug or alcohol related problems. The central purpose of the show was conflict resolution, and the show achieved many positive outcomes where people were able to resolve personal problems.
"The Jeremy Kyle Show had extensive and detailed duty of care processes in place for contributors built up over 14 years. It had a dedicated guest welfare team of mental healthcare professionals with decades of experience in NHS mental healthcare, who were focused on the welfare of guests throughout the production process.
"Guests were supported by the programme and welfare teams prior to filming, throughout filming and after filming. Should they require ongoing help then appropriate solutions were found for them, which could include residential rehabilitation, counselling, anger management, family mediation, child access mediation or couples counselling.
"Due to the gravity of events in May 2019, namely the death of a guest a few days after taking part in the show, ITV decided to end production of the show.
"It would not be appropriate for ITV to comment further on that in advance of the inquest to be held later this month.
"ITV does not accept the central allegation of this programme of a “bad culture” within the production team. ITV would never condone any of its production staff misleading or lying to guests.
"All guests on the Jeremy Kyle Show were aware of the nature of the show and the presenter’s style before taking part in recording. Most of those who applied to appear watched the show themselves. All guests gave their informed consent, in writing, to take part. Since 2018, ITV had taken significant steps in relation to its duty of care of participants. ITV issued detailed new guidance to all its producers on protecting participants in October 2019… "
LADbible has contacted Jeremy Kyle's representatives for a comment.
Topics: Jeremy Kyle, TV and Film, UK News
Dominic Smithers