The Insider goes inside

Mar 22, 2005 by Ian Evans

Pat O’Brien, host of the entertainment news show, The Insider, has checked himself into rehab for alcohol abuse. The former Access Hollywood host released a statement to the Associated Press that said, “I have had a problem with alcohol. I have decided to take action by checking myself into an intensive recovery program. Overcoming this problem is a top priority in my life, and I am excited to return to work as soon as I am able.”

Hollywood pundits and gossip sites like “ Defamer.com wonder if the timing of the rehab stint is meant to deflect attention away from a series of voicemails that are being passed around the entertainment industry. In the recording, O’Brien (or an O’Brien imitator) allegedly leaves a series of sexually explicit messages for a female friend.