DoctorOz: Corey Feldman on Hollywood Abuse & Legal Reform for Survivors | Oz Celebrity

Corey Feldman was one of the first silence breakers to expose the pedophilia epidemic that he says has been hidden by Hollywood for years. Today, the shocking aftermath Corey says he's been facing since exposing his truth. He's also opening up about a controversial new movie about his dark and troubled past. Who are you? Corey Feldman has been at the forefront of the movement to expose pedophilia in Hollywood, sending shockwaves around the world. When he released the names of his alleged abusers right here on this show. That's him. Yeah, that's him. It's the guy. John Grissom. Yeah. Is that him? That's him. The man who abused you. Alfie Hoffman. Corey has been working on his Truth campaign to protect other children and teens from sexual abuse. Corey says all of this is an effort to put a spotlight on the shadowy secrets of Hollywood that too many kept silent about for too long. I am a very, very small percentile of survivors, and I am a survivor, okay? Today, Corey Feldman is bringing us new information he thinks will finally change the cycle of abuse and help get justice for all victims out there. So it's been a time of reckoning for America and for you personally in a very big way. You've come out and named abusers at great personal risk. How has this affected your personal life? Well, both good and bad. You know, for the most part, I think it's... positive obviously whenever you're in the news you get a million phone calls a million texts everybody wants to kind of be in the middle of everything and they they send you their support and their love which is always nice because you get to hear from people that you haven't heard from in a very long time. My wife and my son have been the top two supporters of everything and I am so very very grateful to both of them and this woman has been like a rock she has been A goddess. She is a true angel. I mean, she really, really is an angel. She wakes up with me every morning and I read the news and it's, you know, my phone's blowing up because something else is in the headlines. And I just, you know, when it's good news, it's great and we sit there and we rejoice together. But when it's bad news or it's frustrating news or somebody else, you know, lied or said something, it hurts me so deeply. You want people to understand what you've been through so that they can finally give you the support that you need. Last time I was on your show, the woman that we spoke to, she said, out of all the situations that I've ever seen, and she works in the legal world, she said, I've never seen something mishandled as badly as yours. You were really treated wrongly. And that really meant a lot to me because thank God I'm not the only one that's thinking this. But one other thing I want to say is the other thing that's changed Is when I walk into a store, or I go to a gas station, or whatever I'm doing, somebody comes up to me and says, I support what you're doing. Thank you for what you're doing. God bless you. And that means the world to me. Every day, more and more powerful men are exposed for being abusive. It's catalyzed a gargantuan movement across the country. What has surprised you about all this? Again, there's good and bad with all of it. I feel that, first of all, I'm surprised that I haven't gotten the support from the Hollywood community. And I mean, look, we're making a movie for Lifetime. It's not to say that nobody in Hollywood is supporting me because God bless the Lifetime Network for making the movie and telling some truth. So there are parts of Hollywood, pockets of Hollywood that are there. And there's also people who've stood up for me publicly that are childhood friends. But when you look at the big picture, the whole of it, I still feel there is a muted effort to keep my stuff down here where everything else seems more important. Although there have been changes since 25 years ago when you very clearly showed the tapes. Absolutely. Then it was like there was a wall. I mean, I might as well have been talking to a wall. That seems to have moved in the right direction. Absolutely. Absolutely. Are you comfortable now that authorities are taking these ideas seriously? Well, it's progress, not perfection. Fair enough. You know, we've got a long way to go. Alright, so I want to expose our audience to another project you're working on that has also drawn some criticism. It has to do with a controversial new Lifetime movie called A Tale of Two Corys, which is about Corey and his late best friend Corey Haim. Here's a preview of the movie. Hey man, it's Corey. Corey Haim. Hello. Corey? Hey. Hey man, how are you? I'm good. What are you doing this weekend? Um, well my dad's supposed to pick me up on Saturday. Cool, because I'm going to the beach with my dad, so maybe we can meet up and play a game of football? Yeah, that sounds like fun. Awesome. It'll be great to finally meet the other Corey everyone keeps talking about. Yeah, it would. All right, well, I'll see you then. Yeah, sure. So clear the air on this one. You're an executive producer. Yep. You help put the pieces together on this. Yep. How is this endeavor different from the other movie you're raising money for? What was the purpose of this Lifetime special? Well, thanks for clearing that up. Just for the record, I was always planning on making two movies ever, you know, before this campaign even started. When I made the book, I always planned on making the book into a film. The book is choreography. It is an autobiography. It is my life story. And as we all know, my life has been a many feathered bird. It's a very tangled web, you know, with Michael Jackson, with, you know, the different. Elements of my life, the different people that I've worked with, the experiences that I've had. People abused you. People abused me, all of it. Your friends. But I mean, putting aside the whole pedophile section of it, there's other elements of my life. The abuse of my family life growing up, what it was like being a slave child that had to work to please his parents and having the parents take his money and take advantage of him and all of those things that happened. All of it needs to be... Very well detailed in a film that shows you the emotional side of that and in a very explicit way so that people can understand the emotions that a child would feel experiencing these very adult and mature things. So that's the movie that I want to make. That's the film. That's the choreography of the movie. A Tale of Two Corys was something that was pitched to me after I had I had already said I want to make a movie about my life story. And some producers who actually worked on the two Corys for A&E approached me. And they said, look, we were there. We saw it. We knew what happened. We want to make a story. And I said, look, I'm not interested in that. I'm trying to make my own movie about my own story. And I'm honestly trying to stay away from that topic a little bit when it comes to talking about my best friend and all of that because I'm not supposed to mention his name. But anyway... Uh, due to a promise I made to his mom. Uh, but anyway, so I said, I don't really know if I want to delve back into that. And they said, well, we just want your blessings. We want you to come on and, you know, make sure that things don't get out of hand and we'd like, you know, that endorsement from you. So I said, okay, I will be a part of it, but only under the circumstances that, number one, I want to make sure that I keep an eye on the script because I know how TV movies can be. Uh, and first of all, understand that it is a TV movie and it's, it's actually a pretty good TV movie. The kid actors that they chose did a phenomenal job. They are incredible little actors and I'm very proud of them. So when people criticize you for talking about Corey Haim, for example, how do you respond to that? So they said, look, have you reached out to Judy? You know, is she going to be a part of it? Judy Corey Haim's mom. Right. And they said, no, no, she doesn't want to have anything to do with it. And I said, well, make her an offer. See if she can come on board. I would love to have her consult. She didn't want to have anything to do with it. So I said, look, I have a very hard time getting through a script if it's all going to come from my perspective. I can't tell you what Corey was thinking and feeling if he didn't tell it to me. I only know what he told me, but I don't know the rest of the story. So I want this to be as accurate as possible if I'm going to put my name on it. So I said, what I need you to do for the writers, I told the writer staff, I want you to go back and I want you to get excerpts from interviews from throughout his life. And I want you to base his character and his thinking off actual stuff that he said. And that was very important to me. Do you think Corey Haim's mom is okay with this movie? Probably not. She's not okay with anything that identifies the truth, to be completely honest. But that said, I think she's in a lot of denial. I think she's in a lot of pain. And I think that, look, nobody wants to go on television and be made to look like a bad mom. Nobody wants to look like a bad father. My parents certainly aren't going to be happy about this film. But does that mean that we don't tell the story? Because certain people are not going to be happy about it? Or is it more important that people know the truth of what really happened to us? So granted, we can't tell the whole truth in a TV movie. It's not possible. But there is enough information there where it certainly definitely captures what the experience was like for these two boys who had very different lives, but had many similarities that were almost uncanny and met at a point in their life where they needed each other and they became real best friends. And it follows that friendship from beginning to end. And that's what that movie is about. A lot of surprises in your life. Up next, the surprise that Corey never saw coming from this movement. He says it is helping him to finally heal. Stick around. We're back with Corey Feldman, who's exclusively speaking out about the shocking pedophilia problem in Hollywood. Since Corey took the first step to speak out publicly about sex abuse, child sex abuse, on this show, he received an outpouring of support for Corey. Hi, my name is Michael, and I'm a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. I would like to thank Corey Feldman for standing up, for speaking out. And for helping to empower his fellow survivors all around the world. Thank you, Corey, for helping us all to heal. My name is Matt. I just want to say thank you for sharing your story with us. It's helping me as a survivor of childhood sexual abuse myself. Hey, Corey. My name is Brian. Long-time survivor. I was put into sex trafficking from the time I was six to the time I was nine. I appreciate what you're doing, and I appreciate the fact you're talking about a subject no one wants to hear about. I cannot thank you enough. Hi, my name is Tara, and I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. I want to say to Corey Feldman that you are an inspiration to all of us. I want to encourage you to keep going, and I also want to tell you that you have the power because you have the truth. After years of self-doubt, what's it like to hear that? It's very beautiful. It's lovely to know that I'm helping people. I'm sorry. I get very emotional watching that stuff. You know, we were all emotional watching it together, my whole team. Just seeing a little glimpse of your life as you've been doing these shows. And when we got all these messages coming in, Sometimes you forget that. You're sitting at home by yourself and someone sends something mean to you and you read about it. I want to try to bring this alive for you a little more. I want to bring in someone who says Corey's courage in helping him move forward helped him heal from sexual abuse. Rob, please come on up and join us. Thank you for what you're doing, man. Yeah. Rob, thanks for being here. Why was it important for you to join us? We could have had a studio full of people. You know, I'm an introvert. I'm hidden in cybersecurity. And, you know, you're out there in the public. And I caught a glimpse of it and I started to see what you're doing. I'm like, man, that's me too. And you're bringing us out of the, you're bringing us out. There's a whole bunch of us, and I want you to know I support you. Thank you. What's your story, Rob? Share with everybody if you're okay. So. It's okay. Thanks. Thanks. At the age of about seven, my parents had hired a babysitter. This babysitter was a daycare worker. I'm a poker and... He took advantage of us, for lack of better words. How did he take advantage of you? He molested us. There was a lot of us. All at once or one at a time? No, no, no. It was one at a time. One time. This went on for about... Did he act like your best friend? I would be putting it mildly. He, like, presented himself very well as a daycare worker and then also a college student who eventually became a teacher. Oh, my goodness. This was, you know, everybody trusted him. I mean, and he took advantage of that. He took advantage of a lot of us. And for me personally, it went on for about two and a half years. You know, Ages of seven to ten. I'm very sorry. How did it affect your life? How did it affect you emotionally? You know, it stole my innocence right off the bat. You know, I was seven years old. Yeah. And, and, I'm sorry. I can't even imagine. You don't have to apologize to me. Just being here is one of the bravest things I can imagine. Both of you. I mean, all the people we've heard from. People in that tape and many others. So, right off the bat, you know, I'm seven to about ten and a half. This is going on. I remember the first time. Vividly, I remember the last time. Been a couple years into it, a very, very close friend of mine, who knew about it, told my parents, and told my mother, and then she told my father. And... It destroyed my parents for a very short period of time. It was like my dad... But they were there for you. Oh, yeah. My parents, I have a really, really good support unit with parents. You should be grateful for that. Really good. Did your dad think he had failed you? Oh, my dad. My dad's a strong man. He's an upstanding man. And he bawled. Did he want to tell him? Um, um... Yeah, that's definitely a fair statement. I'm going to go ahead and give you a quick statement. They took me to the police. I was within the statute of limitations. I was about 12. And, you know, they had me talking to so many different people. It was really hard because it kind of subsided and then it was brought back up. And you think, oh, good, I don't have to deal with that anymore. I'm done with it, right? Well, kind of. As they're bringing it back up and whatnot, you know, what else did I have to do but play video games or watch movies? And, man, you're right there. Yeah, no, I mean, you're right there, and I'm watching your movies. I mean, you know, I was able to escape into some of those fantasy lands. I got to be a goonie, you know, in my own world. So what do you have to say to Corey? He's sitting here. Look at him. I'm out of this. I'm going to let the two men talk to each other about this. What do you have to say to him? There's a lot of us, man. There's a lot of us. And, I mean, construction workers, IT guys, there's a bunch of us, and we're here for you. And I really appreciate you using your platform to do this. It's helping me, and it's helping a lot of others. There's a lot of us. I just feel... They hear that. I don't think you feel enough of this love coming back to you. No, I do. I do. I mean, I don't know if you can tell, but I'm just holding back my tears. I don't know. I guess in my mind, I try to be humble. And I guess as a victim, it's part of the mechanical, systematic thing that happens in your brain where as you're talking to me, I'm going, see, mine's not that bad. I have nothing to complain about because you were seven. You know what I mean? Like, that's a serious problem. We're a brotherhood, man. All survivors. God bless you. Thank you. We'll be right back. Stay around. We'll be right back. We're back with Corey Feldman unraveling what he says is the shocking aftermath of coming forward about his abuse. We also bring in Marcy Hamilton, who has dedicated her career to changing the laws behind the statute of limitations on child sex abuse. So what is next in your fight for justice, Corey? Well, I mean, obviously, the big thing is I got to get the film made. And once the film is made, it's going to, I think, really open up people's eyes who have no idea about what a kid feels like. On top of that, there's more that needs to be done. I'm hoping to God there's going to be some legal changes. Number one, I'm, you know, deciding whether I want to maybe Go after some of these people on my own. So I'm talking to my lawyers. I'm having some discussions about that. So, Marci, you've been fighting your whole career on this. And before I get to the statute of limitations and the legal system changes, how do you think Corey's case has been handled to date? I have to say that of all the survivors I've spoken to over the years, your case has been handled the worst by the legal system. Really? They've let you down again and again and again. So even if your statute of limitations had expired when you went forward in your early 20s, if they had prosecuted him and they had looked for all the other victims which you know were out there, you would have been vindicated. They let it go. It's outrageous. How do we change the legal system to better protect our children so we don't have cases like Corey Feldman's or Rob's, but also if they do come forward, we get these guys off the street who are hurting these children? What we've done is we've created a system for the predators. We have to flip it so it's for the victims. So we need, if all we do, I mean, we need to do a lot, but if all we do is eliminate the statute of limitations, Yes. Victims get to choose when they're ready to come forward instead of the courts. So that's it. So how do we do it? So, you know... You know about the petition I've started, right? Absolutely. That failed. It failed demonstrably. Well, the problem is this is state law and it's 50 states, which is not easy. But we've had a movement now for 10 years. We've made real good progress, but there's so much more to go. And what's amazing is the Northeast. So, some of the worst states are New York, if you can believe that. New Jersey, where I live. New Jersey, Pennsylvania are states where the justice is just nothing like it is. The two best states are Delaware and Minnesota. So, Marcy and the work that she's doing is getting all of us to remember that a 12-year-old kid, 13-year-old kid can't process what just happened. Of course not. It's going to take a lifetime to figure it out. What's seven years? What's 10 years? They're not going to be ready. But we're going to get there. And I think we're all going to feel really proud of this. But Marcy, you came here. We have a really important message for Corey, so the stage is yours. So, one of the things that we do at Child USA is we try to support survivors as much as we possibly can. And we are building a wall of heroes online, and I would like to ask you if you would be our first hero. Oh, God bless you. I'm very sweet of you. Thank you so much. This is the part where you say, yes, I'd be honored. Of course! Thank you very much. Appreciate it. A Tale of Two Corys airs on Lifetime on January the 6th at 8 p.m. I'll be right back. Thank you for watching. Don't forget to subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss out on new videos to live the good life.