Last week, Bhad Bhabie demanded an apology from Dr. Phil after a 19-year-old woman alleged that she was a victim of abuse at the "troubled teen" center. After opening up about her own experience at the Turn-About Ranch, prompted after Hannah Archuleta accused a ranch staffer of sexual assault, the “Hi Bich” rapper says she’s received comments from trolls who suggested she boosted the allegations only to benefit herself.
“The video I put out about Hannah, it's not about y'all liking me," she said during an Instagram Live stream over the weekend, adding that people were quick to make comments about her wig in the video before the allegations. "I don't give a fuck who the fuck likes me, it's not about my hair I don't care if I had a fucking 4C wig on, I don't care about none of that. This damn straight ain't about no fucking money 'cus I ain't made a dollar from this nor will I accept a dollar from this cus it's not about money anyways."
She explained that she was inspired to talk about her experience after Archuleta came forward and that she hopes her video can help people get more comfortable talking about such sensitive topics. “The same way when Hannah spoke out, it made me more comfortable,” she added.
After the allegations regarding the Turn-About Ranch surfaced online, Bhad Bhabie said she believed what Archuleta had said. During her own time, she said she was deprived of sleep, meals, and warmth. She also recalled several instances in which teenagers were physically restrained and subjected to harsh punishments by the staff. At one point, it had gotten so bad, she asked her mother to take her out of the program and offered to go to therapy instead.
“It’s just our word against the staff’s word when you’re there, because there’s no witnesses, there’s no cameras, you don’t have a phone; there’s none of that,” she explained. “That’s why I was so scared to speak out, because I was like, ‘No one’s going to be believe me.’ ... “I’m not really sure why Dr. Phil still sends kids here. It really doesn’t make sense. Are you trying to help them or are you trying hurt them even more?”
