All Episodes
Previous Next
Oct. 11, 2024 - Dr. Oz Podcast
42:51
Whatever Happened to the Menendez Brothers? | Dr. Oz | S8 | Ep 110 | Full Episode
| Copy link to current segment

Time Text
Lyle and Eric Menendez.
They unloaded eight rounds on the mom.
The young, rich kids who gunned down their parents.
It seemed like they were normal.
Now Eric's high school sweetheart is speaking out.
What kind of boyfriend was he?
He was really sad for about a week, and that was all.
Plus, butt enhancement pills help you increase your butt and hip size naturally.
People are really wondering, do these supplements work?
We find out coming up next.
They are two of the most infamous killers in American history, Lyle and Eric Menendez, the wealthy, good-looking brothers who murdered their parents in cold blood more than 25 years ago.
What would make these two young men, who seem to have it all, turn into murderers?
It's a question that's been debated for years, and today we uncover some answers.
August 20th, 1989. Beverly Hills, California.
The brutal murder stunned the nation.
A wealthy couple slaughtered in their opulent Beverly Hills home.
Discovered by their two distraught sons.
Someone killed my parents.
Pardon me?
Someone killed my parents.
Entertainment executive Jose Menendez and his wife Kitty, a former beauty queen, have been ambushed in their living room and shot multiple times at point-blank range with shotguns.
Initial theories pegged the gory murders as mob hits or retaliation for Jose Menendez's aggressive business tactics.
As law enforcement frantically searched for suspects, motive, and murder weapons, public sympathy and attention poured over the couple's grieving sons.
18-year-old Eric and 20-year-old Lyle.
With telegenic good looks, athletic builds, and rich boy swagger, Eric and Lyle became media darlings.
And then, suspects, as investigators began to question their behavior in the months after their parents' deaths.
In their first six months as orphans, the brothers blew through an estimated million dollars, buying $15,000 Rolex watches just four days after the murders, moving into pricey penthouses in Marina Del Rey, and upgrading to luxury cars and designer clothing.
Lyle bought a Buffalo Wing restaurant, while Eric poured money into hiring a $60,000 a year private tennis coach.
But it would be a confession to a psychologist that would provide the prosecution with its biggest break.
Overwhelmed with guilt, Eric Menendez confessed his role in the murder of his parents to his psychologist Jerome Oziel, who was also treating Lyle, who later confirmed his brother's account of the brutal killings.
Both brothers were unaware Dr. Oziel had not only shared their confessions with his mistress, a violation of patient-doctor confidentiality, but had also allowed her to tape them.
When the couple broke up, the mistress turned informant, taking the tapes to the police.
And in March 1990, Lyle, 22, and Eric, 19, were arrested.
Their trial would be one of the first to be televised, captivating the nation.
Crime correspondent Melissa Moore joins us now.
So the Menendez brothers murder, this whole saga, happened 25 years ago.
It still captures the world's attention.
Why does it intrigue us so?
For multiple reasons.
One, we know, you know, that they committed the crime, but we don't know why.
I think that's what's still fascinating.
But more, I think what really captivated everybody is these are two boys that had everything.
They lived in a Beverly Hills mansion and They had private lessons.
They had credit cards.
They had everything.
I think what shocked me the most is how gruesome the crime scene was.
These two boys went in with shotguns, killed their father first.
The parents were sitting in the living room watching television.
They just ambushed them.
They killed the dad first, almost decapitating him.
With the mom, she was second.
They went straight to her.
They They unloaded eight rounds on the mom.
Oh my goodness.
And she still wasn't dead.
So they left the house, reloaded, came back.
And it's called a rat hole when a shotgun goes straight to the skin.
She had many rat holes on her body.
You mean when the shotgun's actually touching the skin?
Mm-hmm.
They went straight up to the skin.
Oh my goodness.
Not only that, they were very convincing in their grief.
And so they were able to stay in their home and be free for many months later.
So how did police finally tie the two brothers to these gruesome murders?
It would be seven months later with the tapes of the therapist.
So they went to the therapist and they confessed the crimes to their therapist.
And there was also a mistress that the therapist had that was eavesdropping.
What about patient-client privilege?
Normally a doctor can't release records about their patients, especially a psychiatrist or psychologist.
You know, that's a good question, Dr. Oz, because I thought the same thing, too.
I'm like, how is this possible that this could happen?
There was multiple factors that came into play with this.
One, the therapist, Lyle, had threatened his life.
And because of that threat, they were able to break that bond, that law, and make that immiscible.
Why would Lyle admit that he killed his parents and then threaten the life of his psychotherapist?
Well, because he confessed to the therapist, he was, you know, collateral.
Compromised.
Yeah, he was compromised.
And it was Eric who said, I don't want our therapist to go missing, and then the spotlight would be on us.
They were, you know, immediately after the crime, after they killed their parents, I mean, you could hear the 911 tapes.
They're so convincing in their grief that you would think that they were innocent, and a lot of people did.
Yeah.
So if those tapes we just talked about weren't shocking enough, Eric and Lyle dropped a bombshell, and a big one.
They admitted killing their parents after years of sexual abuse from their father.
And this became the cornerstone of their defense.
After initially claiming intruders killed their parents, the Menendez brothers would change their tail in court.
I ran around and shot my mom.
Justifying their actions with what will become one of the most notorious defenses ever televised.
That they've been molested by their father since they were small children.
I just told him that I didn't want to do this.
And that it hurt me.
Dad said he would kill me if I ever told anyone.
The boys would also claim their mother Kitty had molested them too.
And that both parents had subjected them to years of psychological and physical abuse.
And that they murdered them out of fear for their own lives.
Took two trials to convict Lyle and Eric of first-degree murder and sentenced them to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
So did the jury not buy this defense?
I would have thought, at least explains why they would do something so horrific.
So both of the sons had their own juries, and the juries could not decide on what sentence to give.
They did believe in the abuses.
They called it the abuse excuse, and they did buy into that.
However, for the second trial, they had the same judge, but this judge would not allow testimony of sexual abuse to be in the court proceeding.
The second outcome was very different.
They convicted them with life in prison.
They spared them the death penalty, but they convicted them with life in prison without the possibility of parole.
I would think if for 18 years there had been abuse going on in the household, some family member would have heard something.
Someone would have been suspicious.
What did the family say when they were asked?
Well, I spoke to several different family members and some did agree that they were abused.
A cousin actually came forward in the trial and said that Eric had told her when they were little that he was being abused and they confronted the mom and she denied it.
There's other people who say absolutely not.
There was no abuse in that home and that became a big cornerstone of both trials.
However, I did talk to friends and even a former girlfriend named Tracy who was with Eric, dating Eric at the time that he committed the murder.
Hold that story on Tracy.
When we come back, We're going to do something really cool.
And we have an exclusive interview with the woman who was Eric's girlfriend, Tracy, right?
At the time of the murders, does she believe Eric and Lyle Menendez murdered their parents after years of sexual abuse?
Find out next.
Next, what did Eric's high school sweetheart know at the time of the murders?
What's her relationship like with Eric today?
Plus, an inside look at Eric and Lyle's life behind bars.
And later, our investigation gets to the bottom of butt enhancement pills.
You won't believe what we uncovered.
Coming up.
All New Oz.
Pop superstar Ricky Martin is here.
I never get this!
I'm gonna have you all the time!
He's opening up about marriage.
Kids.
They're a little bit like my religion.
And the surprising change he made to save his health.
The doctor said we need to really focus on this.
All New Oz.
That's coming up tomorrow.
Eric and Lyle Menendez, the handsome Beverly Hills brothers charged with the brutal execution-style shotgun killings of their wealthy parents.
They became tabloid sensations as the media voraciously covered their captivating courtroom drama with its scandalous mixture of murder, money, shocking family secrets, and incestuous sexual allegations.
Tracy McEnany is Eric Menendez's former girlfriend.
They were a couple before, during, and after the night of the murder.
A night that would end his parents' lives and forever change Eric's life.
Eric Menendez's former girlfriend, Tracy, joins us now.
So you were still in high school at the time of the murders?
Right.
I met Eric when I was in high school over the summer.
What kind of boyfriend was he?
At the time, he was a great boyfriend.
He was doting.
He would come over all the time, call all the time.
When I had my first job, he drove over to my house.
He picked me up, took me to my job, waited in the car for my entire shift, and then drove me home.
Very chivalrous.
Yes, definitely.
On that front, he would open doors for me.
He always paid for everything.
He was the perfect boyfriend when you're in high school.
Any idea at all, before his parents were murdered, that there might be some sexual abuse history in their family?
Not that I heard of.
Not that I was aware of.
Just the way he behaved, I didn't think there was anything wrong.
What would he say about his parents, his father in particular?
Well, his mom, I knew.
He loved her.
He just doted on her.
He thought she was wonderful.
His dad, he let me know that his dad was really controlling, intimidating, that when people came over for dinner, Eric's friends or Lyle's friends, he would pull out the dictionary and start quizzing them, asking them questions.
And, I mean, I wanted to know part of that.
And so I had no desire to go meet his dad.
But it was mostly emotional, not physical abuse as far as you could tell?
As far as I could tell.
So where were you when you first heard that his parents had been killed?
Eric actually called me the night.
He called me about 1 o'clock in the morning, the night of the murder, and I was mad that he called in the middle of the night, and so I yelled at him, and he was crying on the phone, so he hung up.
And I woke up the next morning, you know, saw what was going on, and my dad, because I wasn't driving at the time, drove me down to Beverly Hills.
And so we were there that day.
There was kind of a group of us and we hung out and then Eric and Lyle were actually decided to stay at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
So we went over to the hotel.
They hired security guards.
They each had bodyguards because they were afraid that the killers were going to come back and get them.
And then Eric and I actually took his mom's car and we went for a drive up to a hilltop and we sat there and talked and at that time he was really sad and crying and emotional and you know but when you look back on it I don't know if it was necessarily sadness or if it were guilt or a combination of both.
Did you ever suspect that Eric and Lyle had killed their parents?
Did that ever cross your mind?
No.
I had no idea.
I mean, we hung out.
I was with them when they had their new apartment in Marina Del Rey.
There was no...
I mean, they were perfectly normal.
You know what I mean?
It seemed like they were normal.
And I had no idea.
Melissa, I hear that from you a lot, that after these kinds of bizarre murders, sometimes the perpetrators don't seem to be bothered.
But I know you have questions as well.
Yeah, Tracy, when did you start to worry that maybe Eric and Lyle did kill their parents?
Was it the spending spree?
What alarm set off for you?
Well, the spending spree, I didn't really even notice that much just because, you know, they lived in Beverly Hills.
They bought watches and Eric bought a Jeep.
So none of that gave it away.
Eric and I, once we went to jail, we continued writing letters and I started to suspect something was happening because he would update me in the letters about the trial coming up and what motions were, you know, going on.
And he specifically wrote, he said, I don't care if you come to the trial.
He goes, I just don't want you there when I testify.
Why do you think he said that?
Well, I mean, he tells me in the letter, he said, you're going to hear bad things about me, but it'll be okay.
He's like, people are going to say really bad things about me.
It came forward that he did murder his parents.
How did it impact you coming to terms that your boyfriend was a killer?
Back then, I don't think I knew how to process it.
Still to this day, it's really hard to comprehend that someone I knew and trusted and loved could actually do that.
But when you step back and you look at it, Eric was 18 and Lila was 21. They were grown men and they had a choice.
You know, they could have left.
This was a calculated choice that they made to go down, get guns, bring them home.
I mean, in all of that time, neither one said, hey, you know what?
Let's just, we're driving to San Diego.
Let's keep going.
You know, the border's not too far away.
You bring up a good point, because I know in the trial they're called the boys.
They're referred to as boys.
But in reality, they were grown men.
They were 18 and 21. They could have moved out.
Right.
They both had the option to leave.
Have you stayed in touch with Eric?
We will exchange letters every once in a while.
In his letters, though, he's very intentional to make sure that he doesn't want to upset his wife.
So he's very mindful of being respectful to her.
Are these the letters?
Yeah, these are, here's some photos as well, but these are the letters that I have from Eric from the time of the murder, mostly while he was in jail before the final verdict in the second trial.
And you shared some of these letters, and just as I read to them, and you were 15 when you received them, you're now looking at these same letters as a more mature woman.
What do you make of these?
The one thing that stands out more than anything is that there's no mention of sadness.
He's confident that he's getting out of jail in all of his letters, and he's never worried about it, and he never talks about his parents.
This letter is dated, postmarked 3 October 1989. Correct.
And so this is, you're both very young.
This is a love letter to you.
Right, it's about five weeks after the murder.
Did it strike you as weird that he's making plans with you to go away?
He's a love letter to you.
Right.
He's being passionate with you.
Yeah, I mean, now that I look at it, it's kind of scary.
And you would think that...
There's two ways.
The way I look at it, if you were raped and molested and sexually and physically, psychologically abused to the point that you were driven to kill someone, I think five weeks after you committed that murder, you wouldn't be writing love letters and planning vacations.
Your future.
And so it's interesting to me that nowhere after the murders, like I said, we drove around that day and he was really sad and he showed sadness for about a week.
And that was all.
He wasn't sad anymore.
You know, the photos that you showed of us by the Jeep, that was within a month of his parents being killed.
And so life just went on.
You know, they had the Jeeps.
He was playing tennis.
Life just went on.
Do you think that Eric Menendez was sexually assaulted by his father?
I do not.
But I don't know.
I mean, I'm not an expert, so obviously no one knows.
The only two people that know are dead and can't say what they believe.
But, I mean, something was happening in that house, but I don't know what it was.
Well, you've made a great life for yourself since then.
Yes.
And I applaud you for going back and examining what's happening in your life and helping making sense out of it.
Because it does help sometimes revisit those moments.
God bless you for being here.
Thank you.
Coming up, what's life like in prison now for Eric and Lyle Menendez?
And here's the big question.
Can they talk with each other?
Melissa has the inside information.
That's next.
Next, a behind-the-bars look at life today for the Menendez brothers.
He is haunted by what happened that night.
Why the brothers are fighting for a new trial.
What are the odds of them being acquitted and released?
Plus, a shocking confession the brothers made to their therapist about the murders.
Lyle and Eric Menendez have been in prison for more than 25 years.
So, Melissa, describe for everybody what their lives in prison are like.
Well, ever since their sentencing, they have been spending their lives separate.
Both boys are in California prisons, but not together.
They're miles apart.
They've rebuilt their lives in prison.
Both Eric and Lyle have been married.
Eric has been married for almost 20 years to a lady named Tammy.
And Tammy came into the marriage with a daughter from a previous marriage, and this daughter calls Eric dad.
Lyle is married.
He's been married twice and he's built a new life there too.
What do they do day to day while they're actually in prison?
Day to day?
Well, I heard that they're well-liked in prison, that they're doing some good in the prison by creating Programs for survivors of sexual abuse and also terminally ill inmates.
They created some programs for them.
I've heard also that for Eric, he's asked his mom for forgiveness and that she comes to him in his dreams.
So he is haunted by what happened that night.
I know they're trying to get another trial.
Is that likely to happen?
What are the odds of them being acquitted and released?
Yeah, well, so for the second trial that the boys had, they weren't allowed to have some testimony of the sexual abuse inputted for the jury to hear.
And so now with the new California law, this is really a hopeful moment for them because with this new law, they could emit, they could bring in testimony of sexual abuse.
All they have to do right now is request a new trial before 2020. You've done a lot of work on this.
You've interviewed a lot of people involved.
Who was the mastermind?
How did this come about?
Who put the plan together?
You know, every time I watch an interview or talk to somebody close to them, I flip-flop myself.
I think that's why I'm stuck on this case, is that sometimes I'm like, oh, you know what?
I think they were sexually abused.
They had to have something traumatic for them to become killers like that.
And just the gruesomeness of the crime scene, I mean, if you see the photos, they had to hate their parents to do that.
There's no doubt about that.
And then listening to the therapist and what he had to say for testimony, And so for myself, I find myself going back to the therapist and what was confessed to him in private.
That seems to give me the most closure, I guess, in this case.
And what they said to the therapist is that they hated their dad and that they were wobbling on whether they should kill the mother as well.
But because of their father's infidelity, they thought that they would be putting their mother out of her misery.
All right.
Well, thank you for bringing the case to us.
I appreciate it.
It was a wonderful job.
We'll be right back.
Next, marketed as a painless solution to obtain the most recent body trends.
People want big butts.
I cannot lie.
Our butt enhancement pill safe and effective.
It looks awfully suspicious.
The findings from our investigation will take you by surprise.
Coming up...
Pop superstar Ricky Martin...
And the surprising change he made to save his health.
My liver was acting up.
The doctor said, we need to really focus on this.
All new Oz.
That's coming up tomorrow.
All month long, we are taking on scammers, rigged systems, and people out to get your money.
And today, a brand new alert about a growing trend.
Butt enhancements in a bottle.
Less invasive, less expensive than surgery, these butt enhancement pills are blowing up the market.
You've got all kinds of celebrities out there, you know, Nicki Minaj, Iggy Azalea, Kim Kardashian.
They've kept this body trend really popular.
But for most of you, that tiny waist and big bottom can be impossible to obtain naturally, causing many women to go to great lengths to try.
And...
I don't want any of you getting duped.
Core team member and expert, Dr. Jane Cottle, is here.
She's investigated these button enhancement pills from every angle out there.
Look at the biggest brands after all the ones that are being popular right now.
What surprised you the most?
Well, Dr. Oz, I mean, people want big butts.
I cannot lie.
They really do.
It's a phenomenon.
You actually just showed some pictures of it.
And people are really wondering, do these supplements work?
And rightfully so, they're asking these questions.
That's the big question.
That is the question.
Is this just sort of fishy business?
Or is there real scientific evidence to back these claims up?
These are real products that are out there.
Look at some of the claims that these companies are making.
Dr. Otto, we're going to put them up on the board behind us.
These are real phrases taken from marketing material aiming to sell these products.
Folks, look at some of the words they use.
They use the word natural.
You know why?
Because they're praying On your instincts to be healthy.
He says, helps you increase your butt and hip size naturally.
If I want to be healthy, that's how you do it.
And you know, they all know you're busy.
You know you're busy.
So what do they say?
They say, you won't need to spend hours, long hours in the gym.
And they know you want to be beautiful.
So they tell you, you'll always get that second look.
I've got lots more like that, but when I see phrases like this, where they target your emotions, that raises a lot of questions to me.
But as we continued our investigation, we found things that we never expected.
So Dr. Cottle, let's go through some of the things that we found.
So this is a list of reviews.
Now, you know, when I look at products to buy online, I hope you guys all do too, we look at these reviews.
Some of these products that are being sold, the ones we just showed earlier, they don't have websites.
But you can easily order them online in marketplaces like amazon.com.
But even without websites, even without websites, these products have hundreds, right?
Hundreds, if not thousands...
Of people reviewing them and giving them really good grades.
I mean, positive stats on all the products that we ordered.
I mean, overwhelmingly supportive of getting more of them, right?
Four and a half stars, four stars, thousands of people.
So you did a deep dive into this.
How is it possible that these companies with no real exposure are getting so many people to review them?
Yeah.
Well, no, I actually feel the same way as you.
And this was really interesting, in fact.
There's actually a lot of evidence that suggests that some of these reviews are actually fake.
And that's really one of the concerns here.
So let's just sort of break it down a little bit.
One of the things, if you notice, many of these reviews are verified.
You see the verified purchase here, verified, verified.
They're all verified.
Yeah, that means they're all verified.
That means that someone actually purchased a product.
Which is a good thing.
We think, oh, well, that sounds good.
But if you look more closely, you see the dates.
January 23rd, the 23rd.
They're all written on the same date.
Now, keep in mind, this is a small sampling.
We have so many reviews.
This is just a small amount of them.
Internet experts actually say that when you see sort of similarities like this, it can be an indicator of a common scam, in which sellers will actually pay lots of people to buy the product and to write positive reviews about it.
And actually, this is more common than we might think.
It's not talked about a lot.
I was really surprised to see this, and actually the unit here, they found a website that actually uses a special algorithm to grade sellers on how authentic their reviews are.
And when we looked at some of these reviews, they all got the grades of a D or an F. So they didn't do so well.
That's exactly right.
They didn't do very well.
Now, of course, we can't say exactly who wrote these reviews, right?
We can't say that.
But it looks awfully suspicious.
I'm suspect from the claims, and I don't believe all these people will get such a huge result because I guess as a doctor, I would have heard about these if they worked.
That's right.
You and I both.
So there are a lot of these companies out there, and they always very wisely put before and after.
You've seen all these, right?
So I was curious how this actually works.
So we actually did a little deep dive.
So take this picture right here, alright?
So let's just focus on that one.
I want to know, where did that come from?
So we actually found the Instagram handle for that, and we found the original photos from which the company poached the pictures to show before and after.
And I was able to get her Instagram address.
So we contacted her.
I have the interaction right here.
This is my email to her and her response.
I asked her for permission to be polite to show her backside on our show.
It's an awkward email to send.
Here's what I got back.
This is what she wrote me in an email.
It says, I'm so sorry.
I have never used the product.
That's who said she was being, you know, that's how she did it.
The company said that that's the product she was using.
I don't know why they are posting my pictures.
Best wishes, Lynn.
Never saw it.
She did give me permission, by the way, to use these pictures in order to demonstrate that it wasn't done by another product, but by sweat and a lot of work, right?
And this is the thing that frustrates me.
It's so easy to hack this.
So up next, what's in these pills anyway?
Unscrupulous marketing aside, can they really give you a bigger bite?
Is there any possibility at all?
Stay with us.
Next, do the pills hold true to their promise?
A bigger butt without weight gain.
And really, really fast.
The inside scoop about the ingredients lurking in these products.
It can cause side effects, increase certain risks of cancer.
Plus, how is it possible that companies are getting away with this?
Whoever said a doctor's visit isn't fun has obviously never been to the Dr. Oz show.
Is that right?
Make your appointment today.
Go to DrOz.com slash tickets and sign up for free tickets.
- Woo! Woo! - I am back with Dr. Jen Goddell investigating butt enhancement pills.
Now, we noticed the ingredient labels on these different pill bottles are very similar to each other.
Look on the back, they all say the same thing.
So, we wanted to know, could these ingredients keep the promise of the pills, which is a bigger butt without weight gain, and really, really fast.
So, we'll have to call investigating the ingredients.
Walk us through what you found, and...
Could they give us a bigger bottom?
Well, the evidence that we looked into and what we found is there's absolutely no evidence that suggests that these can give you a bigger bottom.
That's the first thing I need to say.
And actually, you know, many of the ingredients that we found in these supplements seem to be almost like a random list of herbs, fruits, and roots that really can act differently in the body.
We've got a few examples here.
Let's just go through them.
We did find some trends, which I'm going to point out to you.
This is saw palmetto.
And a lot of people are familiar with this conceptually because they think of it when it's used for an enlarged prostate and things like that.
But honestly, there's not a lot of scientific evidence actually that says it should be used for any health condition at all.
So that sort of seems random.
And big prostate, big butt, not the same thing.
Not the same thing.
Not the same thing.
We've got fenugreek right here.
This is actually a spice.
This can be used for digestive issues, reportedly used for diabetes, and also in breastfeeding women.
But again, there's no scientific evidence that shows that this works for any health condition.
Furthermore, it can act like an estrogen in the body, and that's something that I worry about and can be dangerous.
But no evidence that it can make your butt bigger.
We've got maca powder.
Maca powder.
Maca powder.
They have that in Peru, in the Andes.
Do they?
Do they?
Well, actually, this may act like an estrogen in the body as well.
So you're seeing kind of like a trend.
I keep mentioning this word estrogen that I've mentioned twice.
We get to wild yam.
There's a chemical in this that in the lab can be converted to an estrogen.
And then the aguaje fruit over here actually has a nickname called the curvy fruit.
So theoretically, it's supposed to make you more curvy.
That sounds good.
It does, but there's actually no evidence that suggests that it does this.
And some people say that it contains a plant estrogen, but we really don't have evidence of that either.
Might have estrogen impact.
Could that possibly work?
If you mimic how estrogen makes you more curvy, could it make your bottom side bigger as well?
I think that's a really good question.
Now, the products don't actually say that that's what they're going for.
They don't say that, look, we're putting in estrogen-like products, and this is what's going to make your butt bigger.
They don't say that.
They don't actually say how their products work really at all.
They don't even mention the word estrogen.
Estrogen.
These are just things that we noted as we were looking at the individual products.
You know, and something I've got to say about estrogen, you know, as a doctor, you know, and we know this, right?
Estrogen can have side effects.
It can mess with your hormones.
It can cause side effects, increase certain risks of cancer in some women, and cause other medical problems.
So this is not a small thing.
That's why it's a big deal.
And the big issue for me, speaking about big things, is there a pill?
Could you imagine taking a pill to make your hands bigger or your feet bigger?
Would you believe that was possible?
It's already growing.
It's the size it's going to be.
Logically, it's just not feasible that a single pill could only affect one part of your body so perfectly that your bottom would get larger.
It's just not going to happen, guys.
That's why I'm so surprised these guys are hooking into us.
But people love this stuff.
So how is it possible that companies are getting away with this?
How come folks are not being shut down?
I'm glad we're talking about this because, really, these fall under the category of supplements, and the supplement industry is really poorly regulated.
I mean, the FDA loosely regulates, but they don't test these products necessarily.
And, you know, what it means is it's kind of like the Wild Wild West out there.
I mean, that's why a lot of these companies are making outrageous claims, and we see all sorts of, you know, before and after pictures and things like that.
So it's really, you know, it's really a big deal and something we need to think about.
You know, something I often say is if it sounds or looks too good to be true It just might be.
This was a good example.
Here's the deal now.
There are ways, there are ways that people can't get bigger bucks.
And there's some right ways and wrong ways to do it.
So up next, what happens when the desire for a bigger butt goes too far?
We'll be right back with that.
Next, imagine going to a hotel room and getting injected by a stranger.
We expose the hidden dangers of back-alley butt injections.
I've had cases of oil being injected, of cooking oil, car oil.
An exclusive interview with a woman who fell prey to the pressure.
Pop superstar Ricky Martin.
And the surprising change he made to save his health.
My liver was acting up.
The doctor said, we need to really focus on this.
All new Oz.
That's coming up tomorrow.
My appointment was with an injector coming to meet me at an airport hotel.
We placed hidden cameras all around the room.
And then she arrived.
Followed by the largest pumped up butt I've ever seen.
That was a clip from our undercover investigation into the dangerous underground world of backgalley butt injections.
And I still can't believe how easy it was to gain access to the illegal procedure.
That woman you just saw showed up at a hotel room after my investigative team set up an appointment over Craigslist.
Over Craigslist.
Now, we're committed to staying on this story and bringing attention to this dangerous trend.
So today, in an exclusive interview, you're going to meet a woman who has fallen prey to the pressure of achieving the bigger, bottomed trend.
She's speaking out in hopes of stopping down these scammers for good.
My measurements are 36, 28, and 59. Courtney Barnes is the recipient of one of the many controversial and illegal butt injection procedures that have become increasingly popular in recent years.
It's been about six years now, probably almost seven, I got the butt shot procedure.
At the time, it was illegal.
It's still illegal now, but People do it.
In the worst cases, these back-galley butt injections can be life-threatening.
In many other cases, they can lead to serious long-term negative side effects.
My butt does not sit up as much as it used to.
I could see a little discoloration.
Courtney was originally seeking a curvier figure, but the attention she's been getting since her procedure isn't always positive.
And it's really difficult for people to take you serious and I feel like having a really big butt, you're like over-sexualized.
Now considering a butt reduction, Courtney visited plastic surgeon and butt augmentation specialist Dr. Constantino Mendieta.
Hey young lady, how are you?
I'm so well.
It's a pleasure to meet you.
I can feel lumps and bumps in here.
Oh, I can definitely feel the lumps and the bumps.
Oh wow, I can feel a lot of lumps and bumps.
The dangers with these injections is that people are using different kinds of products.
And the product that they use has different consistencies or different purities.
So you have no idea what's being done.
So Courtney was not alone.
She has no clue how much was injected.
She has no clue what was injected.
I've had cases of oil being injected, cooking oil, car oil.
She's starting to get some skin changes in the buttock area.
So I think Courtney is headed for some problems down the road.
Having learned the risks the hard way, Courtney has a message for other women considering back alley butt injections.
I wouldn't recommend it.
It was a risk.
I do feel like I was naive at the time.
I just guess that I'm blessed to, you know, be a voice to tell girls it really is a serious risk.
So Courtney joins us.
Thank you for being here.
Thank you for having me.
Now, I heard you say that getting the injections was a little bit about vanity.
So when you look in a mirror right now, what do you see?
I mean, of course I see a little sagging and I see some discoloration from the procedure.
And of course, it's not physically, visually pleasing to me, but that was the first time I learned you could, when seeking perfection, you could have imperfections.
We know that what's in your bottom isn't really clear, right?
It's a mystery.
So do you have trepidation?
You get worried about what's going to happen.
How do you live with that uncertainty?
I mean, of course it's scary.
You know, of course it's scary because I don't know.
And these things are set up like real operations.
You know, they give you painkillers.
They take the medicine out of a vial.
Like it's really, you know, it looks, it's illegal, but it looks a little legit.
So, but it's definitely an uncertainty, but I'm here today to share my story, maybe save a life because I'm living and a lot of other girls, they weren't that fortunate.
There have been bad problems with this.
Come on back.
I want to show something to everybody.
So I'm going to show what happened with you.
You come over next to me.
We're going to demonstrate together what happened to you.
And I'm going to show what people can do today.
Because we know we can do this in more legal, legitimate ways.
So when you inject something into your backside, depending on what it is, if it's a foreign material, it goes in there deep by the muscle.
And it can irritate the area.
And it can also cause scarring and inflammation.
That causes it to sort of sag a little bit, get dimpling, cause discoloration.
You can actually sort of see the darkening there.
But there's a safe way to increase the size of your buttocks, right?
You can take fat, called fat transfer.
You inject it at the same place, comes out of your belly.
Now this fat doesn't move because it's naturally yours.
See, it doesn't sag.
You don't get the scarring inflammation like we did over there with the fake stuff.
That's why if you're going to get a butt enhancement, this is the way to do it.
When you see people doing it the right way, this is how it's done.
But back then it wasn't available to you.
Yes.
My journey really started almost 10 years ago, and fat transfer just wasn't available.
All my friends were getting butt injections, and, um...
You know, you trust people.
That's the thing.
I feel deceived.
Women like me are victims, and, um...
No one thinks about it.
Word of mouth is the biggest form of advertising.
I didn't look on Craigslist.
I didn't, you know, but I trusted people.
And I actually had a relationship with the person who injected me over years.
We had a six-year relationship.
I'm seeing her, you know.
It's just a really sensitive situation.
So if you've got, I know that it's emotional, if you were looking at someone right now and there are lots of people watching you, what do you want to tell them about getting injections into your butt?
Of course I'll say don't do it.
You don't know who to trust.
That's the thing.
You don't know who to trust.
You really can't trust people, period.
No matter where you go.
I'm not only talking about the U.S. You cannot go to Dominican Republic.
You cannot go to Colombia.
You cannot go anywhere.
The procedure is unsafe.
The medicine is unsafe.
Everything about it is unsafe and the reality people don't really think about.
I'm an extreme case.
I went extreme, but there are women who have not went this extreme and they are no longer living or they're permanently disability.
So I'm here today knowing it could be worse, but don't get it.
You don't know who to trust.
You can't trust the person who told you.
Can I tell you something?
The beauty you have is deep inside of you and no one injected it there.
And we will get your wish.
You will save some lives because you came on today.
So God bless you.
Thank you.
All right.
Thank you for hearing your story.
We'll be right back.
Stay with us.
All New Oz.
Pop superstar Ricky Martin is here.
I never get this!
I'm gonna have you all the time!
He's opening up about marriage.
Kids.
They're a little bit like my religion.
And the surprising change he made to save his health.
The doctor said we need to really focus on this.
All New Oz.
That's coming up tomorrow.
Take a look at that juicy burger sizzling on the grill.
I bet your mouth is watering, isn't it?
What if I told you that patty actually has more protein and more iron than the last burger you ate?
It's even better, right?
Well, get this.
That burger, it's not meat.
Not meat at all.
It's actually 100% plant-based.
Remember, that show was incredibly popular.
It's from our Meatless Burger program, and we were making burgers using strictly plant-based protein.
My producer, Dean, breaks down this next big thing.
Let's say you love eating meat, but you're also one of those people that hates the idea of your delicious burger coming at the expense of another animal.
For your entire life, you've been forced to make a decision.
Give up your favorite mouth-watering meal or pretend that your perfect patty didn't come at the expense of a fellow mammal's premature passing.
Well, you carnivores with a conscience may be in luck, because there's a company that might have a solution.
Lab-grown meat.
Here's how it works.
Memphis Meats, the Silicon Valley startup behind the revolutionary alternative, first starts by obtaining regenerating cells from the cow.
They then feed those cells the same nutrients the cow would get while allowing the cells to develop in a tank similar to what you would find in a brewery.
Once the cells fully mature, presto, you have your magically grown meat ready to be cooked and consumed.
Memphis Meat says their process is much more environmentally friendly than growing and slaughtering beef the old-fashioned way.
They claim their test-tube meat emits 90% fewer greenhouse gases, consumes less nutrients from the earth, and doesn't require antibiotics and other additives used in current meat production.
Memphis Meats just debuted their first lab-grown meatball, which appears to look just like the ones your grandma used to make.
The only downside is that it cost $1,000.
The company promises their cost will eventually come down in line with what you normally pay for real meat, but they also admit they're still a few years away from actually being on shelves.
But with our need to protect the planet becoming even more urgent, solutions like lab-grown meat will certainly be the next big thing.
We reached out to Memphis Meats, and their co-founder said, in the next few years, they expect to be selling pork, beef, and chicken that tastes identical to conventionally raised meat, and it won't be that same price point.
So what do you guys think?
Maybe I'll try it.
Maybe she'll try it.
Well, you guys can figure it out yourselves when it comes out.
Coming to a store near you soon.
That's our show for today.
Remember, happy and healthy.
▲
Export Selection