Getting the dial tone. Dr. Drew On Call is ending after five seasons on HLN, the network announced Thursday, August 25, with the news coming not long after host Dr. Drew Pinsky's controversial comments about Hillary Clinton's health.
Dr. Drew On Call is a current-affairs series that launched in April 2011 and is hosted by the board-certified physician and reality TV mainstay. Its final episode will air Thursday, September 22.
In a statement, CNN exec Ken Jautz said that he and Pinsky "have mutually agreed" to end the series. "Dr. Drew and his team have delivered more than five years of creative shows, and I want to thank them for their hard work and distinctive programming," Jautz said. "Their audience-driven shows, in particular, were innovative and memorable TV."
The decision follows Pinsky's comments made on the McIntyre in the Morning radio show's August 17 episode about the Democratic presidential candidate, who suffered a concussion in 2012 after hitting her head following a bout with a stomach virus. Donald Trump and some conservative pundits have claimed recently that the former Secretary of State and Senator is in poor health.
"Based on the information that she has provided and her doctors have provided, we were gravely concerned not just about her health, but her health care," Pinsky, 57, said. "She's receiving sort of 1950s-level care, by our evaluation."
"When she hit her head [in 2012], she had to wear these prism glasses when she came out," the former Loveline host continued. "That is brain damage, and it's affecting her balance. Now clearly, it hasn't affected her cognition, but tell us a little more about that. That's profound."
Pinksy continues to host a podcast and makes frequent appearances on MTV's Teen Mom franchise.
This is a time of transition for HLN, as Nancy Grace — who has been with the network for more than a decade — is leaving in October when her contract expires.
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