Corey Feldman files lawsuit against We TV claiming he was held ‘hostage’ filming Marriage Boot Camp

Corey Feldman has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Courts against We TV and the production company behind the network’s hit reality series Marriage Boot Camp.

Feldman, 49, was allegedly held ‘hostage’ while filming Marriage Boot Camp: Family Edition in 2019, which resulted in ‘severe emotional trauma,’ according to court documents obtained by The Blast on Saturday. 

The Lost Boys star also claimed that producers knowingly exploited his ‘most traumatic moments,’ including being a victim of sexual violence, to boost ratings.

‘The harm caused by the Defendants’ breaches, fraud, and false promises have caused severe emotional trauma to Mr. Feldman. Such conduct has caused Mr. Feldman ongoing feelings of helplessness and suffering, which were reignited after decades of lying dormant due to successful therapy,’ read one portion of the filing.

 

The documents explained that ‘the show was initially ‘sold’ to Mr. Feldman on the premises of being able, through guidance from licensed medical professionals, to help heal the tumultuous relationship Mr. Feldman had with his brother Eden over the years.’ 

‘Instead, of healing this brotherly relationship the (show) instead created questions and exercises that would focus and would reveal past sexual assaults on the celebrities and how such sexual trauma affected them and their lives.’

Feldman claimed in the documents that the ‘doctors’ on the highly watched TV program give participants a ‘false sense of security’ and that producers ‘held him and his family hostage under duress in a location unknown to them [while filming], causing severe emotional trauma.’ 

‘Mr. Feldman’s brother and wife came on the Show at his request in reliance on the assurances given to Mr. Feldman by the Defendants to their detriment,’ one line reads. 

The lawsuit also made heavy note of Feldman’s role as an aggressive advocate against child abuse and pedophilia and that he has been ‘heavily involved in helping abolish the statute of limitations laws regarding sexual harassment and sexual abuse in both New York and California.’  

‘Feldman is now an ACTIVE advocate for his childhood best friend, the late actor Corey Haim and other children who have been sexually abused in the industry,’ the documents added.

And Corey alleged that, despite producers having ‘full knowledge of the importance and the nature of [his] lifetime work,’ they, instead, ‘falsified information to the public [and] they discredited Mr. Feldman as a liar on their show ‘Marriage Boot Camp: Family Edition.’

While describing his experience on the show, Feldman claimed that We TV and the show’s production company Think Factory Media ‘produced what is known as ‘reality’ childhood emotional trauma porn for their audiences, capitalizing the patient’s difficulty dealing with challenges and underlining the suffering by offering no palatable option for healing or even having a safety net ready for when they fall.’ 

He also claimed that they ‘Intentionally included and uprooted emotional trauma from the childhoods of their “celebrity participants,” almost glamorizing the abuse by making light of it, and forcing the trauma survivor to forcibly discuss life-altering traumatic episodes for the mere purpose of sensationalization and ratings.’

According to Feldman, there was an emphasis on highlighting participants’ ‘most traumatic moments’ and using them for insensitive ‘commercial breaks,’ which would specifically draw the viewer’s eyes to the words ‘rape’ and ‘sexual abuse.’ 

Corey added that clips of him from his time on Marriage Boot Camp: Family Edition are still being used to promote the series and that the highly circulated clips ‘continue to negatively impact Mr. Feldman’s reputation, credibility and causing him emotional anguish.’ 

All in all, the lawsuit claims that We TV, production company Think Factory Media, and several doctors from Marriage Boot Camp, who Corey is suing for damages, ‘knowingly put him in mental anguish and physical danger, treating and portraying (him) as a joke and a liar, through public victimization and discrediting him throughout the world not only causing severe emotional harm to him but also putting Mr. Feldman in disrepute, greatly diminishing his earning potential as both an actor and a musician and causing further destruction of his life’s work and his documentary.’