Shurtleff to appear on 'Dr. Phil' show

Look for Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff later this month on an upcoming "Dr. Phil" show devoted to polygamy.

Shurtleff, who was in Los Angeles Thursday for a taping of the self-help expert's syndicated television program, said he welcomed a chance to appear on the follow-up to Tuesday's "Brainwashed Brides" show.

That show featured Fawn Broadbent and Fawn Holm, teenage girls who fled their polygamous home on the Utah/Arizona border last year but have since had second thoughts about leaving their family and faith behind.

"I'm very excited to explain what we're doing," the attorney general said. His administration has focused on crimes related to the polygamous lifestyle, such as forced child marriages and tax and welfare fraud.

The hourlong show taped Thursday is scheduled to air on May 24.

In preparation, Shurtleff recently accompanied Jay McGraw, the son of host Phil McGraw, on a tour of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., home to members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

A synopsis of Tuesday's show described the community as "an unusual religious sect . . . where girls as young as 14 are forced to marry men three times their age and have as many children as possible."

The Fawns, as the two teenagers who left the community are called, have received counseling, courtesy of the show, from a specialist in helping people leave cults. They also appeared on the show taped Thursday.

Louis DiCenzo, who handles media relations for the "Dr. Phil" show, said Tuesday's program drew huge audiences in Salt Lake City and Phoenix. "The ratings were very good," he said, calling Thursday's taping "a good show. I thought it was a perfect follow-up."

Tuesday's program has already generated more than 1,100 postings to the show's Web site, www.drphil.com, including a number debating whether or not the girls were actually brainwashed.

DiCenzo declined to discuss the content of the upcoming show, saying that was against policy. He did say that a practicing polygamist, who asked not to be identified until the show airs, also appeared.

DiCenzo said the upcoming show will feature a segment taped during Shurtleff's visit to Hildale and Colorado City.

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