Mackenzie Phillips and John Phillips Incestuous Affair Revealed
Mackenzie Phillips Reveals All in New Book, "High on Arrival," and on "The Oprah Winfrey Show"
Mackenzie Phillips, whose new book, High On Arrival, hit bookstores Wednesday, appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to talk about the new tell-all the same day. Phillips, the daughter of John Phillips and Michelle Phillips of the iconic vocal group the Mamas and the Papas, is probably best known for her work as an actress on the hit 1970s situation comedy "One Day At A Time," where she played as Valerie Bertinelli's character's older sister, Julie Cooper Horvath. Over the years, Mackenzie Phillips has managed to stay in the headlines, not because of her acting career, which has stuttered and stalled, but because of personal problems and family tragedies sensationalized by the tabloids. In her new tell-all, it seems that Mackenzie Phillips has learned that sensationalism and scandal sells best.
As a precursor to Wednesday's appearance, publicists let it be known that Mackenzie Phillips would be divulging a shocking Phillips family secret on Oprah's show. And, like any good "secret" in Hollywood, it was "leaked" prematurely to heighten interest and bring in as many viewers as possible. But those tuning in thinking the show was going to be about the sordid mess of familial drug addiction and usage, were shocked to find that the tale sank to even further depths of depravity.
"My father shot me up for the first time," was Oprah's promotional teaser for the show, but Phillips would go on to tell the talk show host that she would suffer a blackout during one episode of usage, only to regain consciousness having sex with her father. It was her wedding day.
She said that over time the sex became consensual.
John Phillips died in 2001. He battled addiction as well, even going into rehab with Mackenzie after she was fired from "One Day At A Time" in the early 80s.
But is any of what Mackenzie Phillips says true? Did John Phillips actually rape his own daughter? Did he get her hooked on drugs, an addiction she battles to this day?
The actress told People.com, which also published excerpts from High On Arrival, "Don't hate my father." It would seem that, even after his death, Mackenzie still seeks the approval of her father, not wishing the public to condemn him for his alleged actions.
Pop psychologists will no doubt say that the drug addiction, the incestuous affair with her father, the secret of which she held all these years, were all part of a downward spiraling lifestyle that fed on shame, self-loathing, and acceptance. With the blurring of parental and authority boundaries heightened by the wanton and uninhibited sex-and-drugs lifestyle, an individual might find themselves turning more and more to the careless world of addiction to stop the torment of self-reflection that sobriety brings. In short, many would think her bouts with addiction were quite understandable.
But is Mackenzie Phillips' evident narcissism the force that drives the need to reveal such shameful family secrets? Is it a catharsis? Could it be that her over-riding need for affirmation and understanding is that which pushes her to denigrate her father's name? Not to say that she might be engaged in the telling of falsehoods, but addictive personalities are known to say and do whatever it takes to manipulate events to get what they want.
In other words, how can the audience be certain that Mackenzie Phillips is not lying, using the age-old construct of lying about the dead because they cannot refute what has been asserted.
Chynna Phillips, Mackenzie's 41-year-old sister and part of the Wilson Phillips singing trio, corroborates her sister's story in an interview with Us Weekly. "After long nights of heroin use, she's claiming that she once woke up and that my father was on top of her having sex with her. Was he actually raping her? I don't know. Do I believe that they had an incestuous relationship and that it went on for 10 years? Yes."
Mackenzie made the revelation to her sister in 1997, eleven years after the affair ended. Chynna Phillips said she was dumbfounded by the news and immediately believed her sister. "But I knew it was true. I mean, who in their right mind would make such a claim if it wasn't true?"
And that certainly is the question of the moment: Who in their right mind would make such a claim if it wasn't true?
Whether her allegations are true or not, Mackenzie Phillips certainly got everyone's attention. And, true or not, she has her addictions to battle. But will the attention of scandal signal the return of the vicious cycle that will undoubtedly kick in once the attention is gone and the nearly 50-year-old is left with her memories and the knowledge that she has shared a family secret, true or untrue, with the rest of the world?
She is currently on a deferred drug rehabilitation program due to pleading guilty to a cocaine possession charge in 2008.
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Sources:
"The Oprah Winfrey Show," Harpo Productions
Usmagazine.com
Published by Saul Relative
WVU graduate, with degrees in History, English, Secondary Education, Computer Programming, and Psychology (and nearly a degree in Political Science). Originally from West Virginia, with stints in Virginia,... View profile
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20 Comments
Post a CommentI think it is easy for the public to sit in judgment but if this situation has never happened to you, you can't possible fathom the process of dealing with it. People seem to jump to be experts on how someone else should deal with life issues, while they are ignorant of the entire situation.
This article is written well. I believe Mackenzie is telling the truth, and both her stepmothers need a wake up call.
I believe that for Mackenzie%2Cat age 50%2C it is time to come to terms with the grief of her post traumatic stress. I don%27t believe she has anything to gain by lying about this. It is not about money. She has plenty.%0D%0A%0D%0AShe has been in the public spotlight all of her life. It is quite normal for her to share this in the spotlight. Her story can help someone through their tragedy of sexual molestation and insult. It is an insult to be preyed upon by an adult in authority. It is about their control over that innocent person. Perhaps their own innocence was stripped. I pray her story aids others to come out with it and heal by saying what happened. %0D%0A%0D%0AFor myself%2C I continue to heal when I tell my story of my ex husband%27s meth use and how he used it against me. I become more clearer about what I will not tolerate when it comes to drug use with my own children.%0D%0A%0D%0A
Cathy
I work with children at risk and can assure all those out there that don't believe, that incest is on the rise in our society. I worked with 7 girls recently, 6 of whom had been sexually molested by biological fathers. It's becoming our society's dirty little secret. It ruins the lives of these kids and causes life long consequences and agony. Some of these fathers have the gall to think there's nothing wrong with it. I object to McKensie's using this to her gain, but wonder if her admission will make our society aware of what is going on.
This very well may be part of her treatment, and a healing experience. We should be mindful that she was born into notoriety, and pushed into the public spotlight at a very young age. Her story began in the light of public strutiny, and it is absolutely natural and even karmic that she would be compelled to make these unfortuate details public as well. What is really sad is how many people are still unwilling to believe and understand that these situations do occur, and it can take a lifetime to recover from the damage that is inflicted upon a young person in this way. Mackenzie has obviously suffered in silence for a long time, and I admire her courage in coming forward.
I saw Mackenzie on Oprah yesterday, and I think it's important that we keep an open mind and realize that yes, it's very possible that what she's claiming really happened, but it's also possible that she might not be telling the truth. I'm sure it's important for someone who has suffered traumatic events such as she described to reveal those secrets and try to deal with them. What I take issue with though is the decision Mackenzie made to reveal those secrets in a book and on national TV. I think it would have been more appropriate for her to reveal this and work through this with a personal therapist. I don't think that hurting and humiliating the rest of her family this way was the correct and moral way of dealing with her demons.
my daughter was sexually molested by a coach she admired and respected and it turned into an affair. The abuser is now in jail but my daughter says the same things that Mackenzie says in her book, whe you are betrayed by someone you trust, the line between hate and love is muddled and it takes years and years to sort it out, if it ever does get sorted out. My daughter cuts and has abused food in attempts to transfer the emotional pain. Mackenszie is right, this type of thing has to be talked about, I admire her for coming forward. I hope my duaghter can be brave enough one day to do what Mackenzie is doing. she made the fist step by testifying at the trial but she's got a long way to go before she comes to terms with what happened to her.
Untiul you've expereienced anything like this, don't judge, it's an unimaginable experience for the victims and the families.
This is a tough one. While I do think John Phillips was a dirt bag in the sense that he was a junkie who didn't care about his family, the incest part is quite shocking. I guess coming from this daughter (another junkie) who decides to write a book and bare her soul after all this time, it's a little suspect. Why did he pick her and not any of the other daughters? I m not saying that it didn't happen, but that she is not a very credible source and the accused his not here to defend himself.
You are a terrific idiot, without compassion. And by the way, John Phillips was a drug addict, who once said that during a two year period he didn't go 15 minutes without shooting up. Mackenzie denigrated his name?... John Phillips denigrated his own name, and his daughter is much too kind and forgiving.