Drew Pinsky

In 1984, while still a medical student, Pinsky started appearing in "Ask a Surgeon", a segment of a Sunday night KROQ-FM show hosted by Jim "Poorman" Trenton and "Swedish" Egil Aalvik.[14] "Ask the Surgeon" soon combined with "Loveline", another Sunday night segment, into a show of its own, co-hosted by Trenton and Pinsky. Loveline went national in 1995, and the television version launched on MTV the following year, hosted by Pinsky and Adam Carolla.

The exposure on both radio and television made Pinsky the "Gen-X answer to Ruth Westheimer [Dr. Ruth], with an AIDS-era, pro-safe-sex message."[13] The MTV show ran for four years, while the radio show continued until April 2016 with cohost Mike Catherwood.

On November 27, 2007, Pinsky began Dr. Drew Live, another nationally syndicated talk radio show where he focused on a wider range of health issues. It originated from KGIL in Los Angeles, originally airing weekdays from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm PT[15] The show was canceled in December 2008.

On January 5, 2015, Pinsky launched a new weekday program, "Dr. Drew Midday Live with Mike Catherwood," on KABC in Los Angeles.[16] Leeann Tweeden became the co-host of the show starting on January 7, 2019.[17]

On April 21, 2016, Pinsky announced Loveline would wrap up on April 28, 2016. Adam Carolla re-joined him as co-host for the final show.[18]

Pinsky in 2009

Pinsky's first television appearance was as a contestant on Wheel of Fortune in 1984, though he did not win.[19] He also served as "health and human relations expert" on the first season of the U.S. TV series Big Brother in 2000.

He has also hosted several shorter educational television series, starting with Strictly Sex with Dr. Drew, which ran for 10 episodes on the Discovery Health Channel, followed by Strictly Dr. Drew which addressed everyday health issues. He later hosted the MTV series Sex...with Mom and Dad (2008–2009).

In 2008, Pinsky starred in Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, a reality television show which involves celebrities in a drug rehabilitation facility. The show was filmed at Pasadena Recovery Center, with Pinsky serving as the resident medical expert. The series premiered January 10, 2008 on VH-1 and was renewed for multiple seasons. A follow-up show to Celebrity Rehab with many of the same celebrities was Sober House, which began its first season in January 2009, and included celebrities from the first two seasons of Celebrity Rehab continuing their recovery in a sober living facility.[20] In November 2009, Pinsky starred in a spinoff of Celebrity Rehab, Sex Rehab with Dr.Drew, which depicted celebrities being treated for sexual addiction over the course of three weeks at the Pasadena Recovery Center.

In a 2011 episode of Lifechangers, Dr. Drew brought on a 16 year old Courtney Stodden and conducted an on-air ultrasound of her breasts to prove Stodden's claim she didn't have plastic surgery.[21][22] The ultrasound was conducted by Dr. John Diaz, a plastic surgeon.[23]

Pinsky makes guest appearances on various news programs where he usually gives his observations on the relationship between controlled substances and high-profile individuals. He has frequently given his views on the deaths of people such as Anna Nicole Smith, Heath Ledger and Michael Jackson, arguing that their fates should set examples of the seriousness of misusing drugs.[24][25]

Pinsky has acted in several TV appearances (either portraying himself or a fictional character), Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Dawson's Creek,[26] Family Guy.[27] The Adam Carolla Project, Minoriteam,[28] Robot Chicken,[29] My Gym Partner's a Monkey,[30] Code Monkeys,[31] and The Midnight Gospel.[32] Pinsky also appeared in the films New York Minute and Wild Hogs.

In early 2011, Pinsky began hosting his own show, Dr. Drew On Call on HLN that focuses on news involving health and addiction topics.[33] On August 26, 2016, HLN and Pinsky announced that the show's last episode would be September 22 of that year.[34]

On October 9, 2019, Pinsky competed in season two of The Masked Singer as "Eagle".[35]

In 2023, Pinsky appeared on the reality TV series Special Forces: World's Toughest Test. He was eliminated in the first episode due to a medical issue.[36]

Between February and March 2020, Pinsky made a series of statements concerning the COVID-19 outbreak where he downplayed the seriousness of the pandemic, stating that it was not as bad as the flu, and suggested that it was a "press-induced panic".[37] Pinsky apologized in April 2020, and he urged people to follow the advice of Anthony Fauci.[37][38]

Pinsky has raised concerns for several years regarding homelessness in Los Angeles County and has been critical of how the government has handled it, stating, "For some reason, the government has taken the position that this is a housing problem, which, of course, housing is a piece of this, but for most—and by most I mean the vast majority of people on the streets—their condition makes them unwilling or unwanting to go indoors. So, even when they correct the housing issue, they're still going to have the same problem on the streets."[39] He has also been critical of certain aspects of the Lanterman–Petris–Short Act, in that it limits the ability of authorities to intervene when mentally ill persons are at risk of death due to being unable to care for their own needs.[39] Pinsky said in an interview that he had correctly predicted a typhus outbreak in 2019 that occurred in the county as a result of rodents attracted to homeless encampments.[39]

Pinsky was nominated to a local Los Angeles homeless commission by Kathryn Barger, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in April 2021. He faced criticism from local homeless right advocates and a Twitter campaign. While supervisor appointments to local boards are rarely controversial, more than 100 people submitted public comments asking supervisors not to approve Pinsky. The board received less than five public comments in support of his nomination.[40] Critics claimed that Pinsky had overreported the number of homeless people with mental illnesses or substance abuse disorders. Others, such as homeless advocate and charity leader Rev. Andy Bales, defended Pinsky and called the hashtag campaign and public commenting an "echo chamber".[41] Pinsky's nomination was ultimately withdrawn.[40]

Pinsky has received criticism from several sources[42][43][44][45] for alleged conflict of interest in his promotion of the drug Wellbutrin.

According to an October 2011 government complaint against GlaxoSmithKline, Pinsky was the recipient in 1999 of two payments totaling $275,000 from Glaxo Wellcome (a company that would later merge into GlaxoSmithKline) to promote the company's drug Wellbutrin.[42] Among other events, Pinsky made a 1999 appearance on the radio program 'David Essel - Alive!', discussing the sexual side effects of common SSRI medications and mentioned Wellbutrin as an example of depression medications that lack these side effects,[42][43][45] (along with Serzone and Remeron, two medications from different manufacturers).[44]

A transcript of this appearance and the invoice of the payment to Pinksy were later presented publicly as evidence during the criminal and civil actions against GlaxoSmithKline in 2012.[45] In response to an inquiry from the Wall Street Journal about the case and specific physicians including Pinsky, the company declined to comment on their financial relationship with specific doctors, but acknowledged that "during the period from January 1999 to December 2003, there were some occasions on which certain GSK sales representatives, speakers, and consultants promoted its antidepressant Wellbutrin to physicians for uses which were not FDA-approved in violation of federal law."[42][43] Pinsky himself was not mentioned in the statement, and was never charged with wrongdoing by any court or medical ethics board. When asked about the topic, Pinsky stated:

In the late 90s I was hired to participate in a 2-year initiative discussing intimacy and depression which was funded by an educational grant by Glaxo Wellcome…Services for the non-branded campaign included town hall meetings, writings and multimedia activities in conjunction with the patient advocacy group the National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association (NDMDA). My comments were consistent with my clinical experience.[42][43]

In 1999, Pinsky co-founded an Internet-based community and advice site for teenagers called DrDrew.com with Curtis Giesen. Among their early backers was Garage.com.[46] DrDrew.com soon ran out of funding, and the company was sold to Sherwood Partners Inc., a corporate restructuring firm, which sold the remnants to DrKoop.com in November 2000.[47] Pinsky re-acquired the site circa 2013 and began using it for general information about his books, radio and TV shows, as well as hosting his independent podcast, The Dr. Drew Podcast.[48] In September 2012, Pinsky announced on The Adam Carolla Show that he will be doing a podcast on the Carolla Digital network.[49]

In 2003, Pinsky authored Cracked: Putting Broken Lives Together Again, recounting his experiences as the medical director of the Department of Chemical Dependency Services at the Las Encinas Hospital drug rehabilitation clinic in Pasadena, California. He also contributed to the book When Painkillers Become Dangerous: What Everyone Needs to Know About OxyContin and Other Prescription Drugs, published in 2004.

In addition to his media appearances, Pinsky speaks at college campuses and other public venues.[50][51] When Adam Carolla and Pinsky were teamed as hosts of Loveline, Carolla and Pinsky spoke at colleges.[52][53][54]

Pinsky was the voice of 1-800-GET-THIN, advocating lap band surgery on radio ads and in a recording played for those who called 1-800-GET-THIN.[55][56][57]

He also appeared with his dogs in a PETA ad campaign promoting the spaying and neutering of pets.[58]

Pinsky also narrated for the 2014 documentary "Divorce Corp" and "Teen Species".

In early 2019, Pinsky started an online podcast "Dr Drew after Dark". The podcast is hosted at Tom Segura's studio "Studio Jeans".

Pinsky was featured in the first episode Netflix series "The Midnight Gospel".

On September 10, 2020, it was announced that Dr. Drew Pinsky joined Aditx Therapeutics as Senior Advisor to AditxtScore for Scoring the Immune System.[59] In October, he first appeared on the Frenemies podcast,[60] and appeared on the podcast again in December.[61]

Asteroid 4536 Drewpinsky is named in his honor.[62]

Pinsky was honored with the Larry Stewart Leadership and Inspiration Award at the 12th Annual PRISM Awards in 2008.[63]

• Pinsky, Drew; S. Mark Young (October 2006). "Narcissism and celebrity". Journal of Research in Personality. 40 (5): 463–71. doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2006.05.005.
• Noll AM, Pinsky D (June 1991). "Withdrawal effects of metoclopramide". West. J. Med. 154 (6): 726–28. PMC 1002885. PMID 1877215.

• Pinsky, Dr. Drew; with Robert Meyers; William White (2004). When Painkillers Become Dangerous: What Everyone Needs to Know about OxyContin and Other Prescription Drugs. New York: Hazelden Publishing & Educational Services. ISBN 1-59285-107-X.
• Pinsky, Dr. Drew (2003). Cracked: Putting Broken Lives Together Again. New York: Regan Books. ISBN 0-06-009655-1.
• Pinsky, Dr. Drew; with Adam Carolla; Marshall Fine (1998). The Dr. Drew and Adam Book: A Survival Guide To Life and Love. New York: Dell. ISBN 0-440-50836-3.
• Pinsky, Drew; Heischober, Bruce S. (2002). "Approaches to Management of Drug Abuse". In Neinstein, Lawrence S. (ed.). Adolescent health care: a practical guide (4th ed.). Hagerstown, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. ISBN 0-7817-2897-5.
• Pinsky, Dr. Drew; S. Mark Young (2009). The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissism Is Seducing America. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-158233-2.