Dr. Phil: Golden-Voiced Ted Williams Headed to Rehab

Family of homeless Ohio sensation says he's still drinking

Ted Williams is reportedly putting the job offers on hold as he heads to rehab.

The golden-voiced homeless man from Ohio turned overnight YouTube star and media darling has decided to seek treatment for drug and alcohol abuse at a private facility, a rep for Dr. Phil McGraw told news outlets on Wednesday.

In a sign of Williams’ newfound celebrity, he was convinced to enter rehab after a “lengthy one-on-one conversation” with the TV shrink, People mag reported.

"If Ted is ever going to get better, he's got to be honest with himself and admit he's addicted to drugs and alcohol,” the “Dr. Phil” host said in a statement. "I've told him it's not going to be easy and it's going to take a lot of hard work.”

Williams shot to fame last week after a photographer for The Columbus Dispatch filmed a video of Williams showing off his pitch-perfect radio voice while panhandling on the side of a road.

The video went viral on YouTube and soon Williams was fielding job offers from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Kraft, among others. After being flown to New York as part of a media junket, NBC and CBS struck a deal to film his emotional reunion with his estranged mother. While in New York he reportedly taped spots for MSNBC and a Kraft Macaroni and Cheese commercial.

Williams said in interviews he’d turned to theft, robbery and forgery to finance his drug habit, but had since found God and was two years sober.

After being briefly detained Monday in Los Angeles for getting into a heated argument with one of his adult daughters, Williams and members of his family discussed the incident on “Dr. Phil,” for an episode set to air Thursday, Reuters reported.

Williams’ family reportedly revealed on the show that despite Williams’ sober claims he has continued to drink daily.

McGraw said in his statement that rehab “might be a long journey” for Williams, “but this is a step in the right direction."

Selected Reading: Reuters, People, USA Today

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