Skip to main content

TV Junkie Rick Kirkham's Video Diaries...From Big-Time Reporter to Crack Addict and Back

UPDATE: I'm glad to see this ABC News report about Rick Kirkham...




by Paula Neal Mooney

I was up all hours of the night engulfed by an HBO documentary titled TV Junkie.


TV Junkie is the harshly honest and amazing video diaries of TV journalist junkie Rick Kirkham.



Rick was a super successful Inside Edition adventure-man reporter who spiraled into a sad and sick life of a crack addict, wife beater and failing father whom you expect to blow his brains out any minute as his video life unfolds.

What is so amazing is that Rick Kirkham tapes just about everything -- his wild flings on the road with women across the globe to his marriage to Tammy -- a sweet and loooonnnnggg-suffering Southern gal who weeps for her drug-addicted husband.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhvSz5G94xI&feature=emb_title https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhvSz5G94xI&feature=emb_title Rick doesn't even turn the camera off as he does crack, but instead gives a grippingly raw portrayal of his own hatred of his drug life.


"This is really weird talking to a camera doing this," Rick says as he does crack cocaine.
Kirkham also films the horrible aftermath: the draining hangovers, getting fired from great jobs, listening to phone messages from people he owes money to, etc.

Perhaps the saddest scenes are when Rick and Tammy fight, and Tammy once again calls the police to arrest Rick as his young son cries with confusion.




But TV Junkie ends on a positive note. Though his marriage didn't survive, Rick Kirkham is now a powerful speaker whose two sons come on stage with him as he tells the truth of his nearly 7-year recovery.

Check HBO's site here at the bottom of the page for "TV Junkie" showtimes.

What a testament to hope and God's preservation and renewal...


Tags: ,, , , , , , , ,

Paula Mooney's Musings

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hi Paula,

Rick is a very fortunate man to have recovered from Crack Cocaine addiction. Few people recover.
Anonymous said…
Paula Mooney,

You never cease to amaze me with your uncanny ability to keep cranking out excellent content. Thank you for sharing Rick Kirkham's story.

May Rick's testimony serve as a warning to the children and young adults who are contemplating playing Russian Roulette with Satan's candy.

Peace.
Paris David said…
Yeah, Jose, it's a true miracle that God delivered Rick from that mess.

Thanks, Manchild. I go to the Father and wholly lean on Him to know what to write.

Be blessed,
Paula
Paris David said…
Rick just emailed me. Aren't God and blogging amazing!!!

March 24,

Dear Paula,

I wanted to take a moment to say thank you for your kind review of our film, “TV Junkie”. Your blog and the many people who read it and interact with is but one of many helping to get the word out on addiction; That it is a form of subconscious suicide and it can be treated, it’s victim can return to a normal life.

The film ended fairly quickly showing my two sons, Ricky and Dusty a little older with me in the car. Just to let you and your readers know, the Kirkham “Boyz” as we refer to ourselves are all healthy and fine. Ricky is now a football player in middle school with lots of little girlfriends and Dusty, more like his dad, is constantly seeking out adventure. Don’t worry, he has the perfect parent to monitor his curiosity.

I am well and working again in television, albeit in private, producing some internet broadcasts for a Dallas company. However, most of my time is spent speaking to kids and young adults around the country on the dangers of addiction. It is something I have to do to complete my journey back from hell.

To all who have watched “TV JUNKIE”, thanks. Thanks for having made it so popular we are receiving thousands of emails and are presently helping, one-on-one, a number of people to get their lives back on track as well. If anyone needs more information please have them visit me at tvjunkie.tv where they can find just about any information they like.

This is the first blog I have ever written to. But after having a few friends forward your review to me personally I couldn’t not write just to say “GOD bless and thank you”.

Sincerely,
Rick Kirkham
“TV Junkie”
Dallas, TX
Paris David said…
And here was my reply to Rick Kirkham

Hi Rick -

Wow -- I can hardly believe you're writing me. It's like you stepped out of the TV and into my inbox!

Anyway, thank you for taping your life all those years, and for being man enough to show it all to the world.

I was just thinking that many of us have those ugly moments in our lives -- like when your one son was crying when you and Tammy were fighting.

But many of us just forgo showing that side of us and don't even talk about it, prefering to show the world our "pretty" sides.

You, my friend, are a brave soul and are being used so mightily to change lives for the better.

Seriously, God bless you abundantly on this journey to helping so many folks.

Amen.

Take care and much love,
Paula
http://paulamooney.blogspot.com
Anonymous said…
Hi, this is the frist time i see your blog, im from mexico and i saw the documentary like a week ago, and it really make me think about life and all thath worths, and a be a little more comprehensive to those who are addicts and they dont want to be, like Rick, cause you can see how much he desires to leve the drug, but in the moment of anxiety, it was something that just couldn't control at all..
It must be horrible.. Im very surprise too by the personal reply that he made, because he really is a great man, that has mistakes in his past, but who hasn't.. and now he is helping people, and helping his kids with all that they need in a father, and helpping us to understand that situation, and to make us wanna help too..
I really admire this man, and i've already write to his site to get the DVD, because i can't wait to show it to everyone that i know...

Well, that was too much.. sorry, but i still have every scene in my head.. is shoking.. and so real

Good job in the resume, i really like it..
Natalia (monterrey, México)
Paris David said…
Thanks, Natalia.

I hope you get Oprah down there in Monterrey, México because I just saw that Rick Kirkham is going to be on Monday's Oprah show.

I'm so excited to see it.

I didn't want to sound harsh on Rick when I wrote this post; I don't think it came across how much of a good guy I could tell that he is.

It's just perfectly clear that the demons of drug abuse really beguiled him to use drugs that Rick really didn't even want to use anymore.

Anyway, Oprah is billing it as "The TV Reporter with a secret."

Should be good and help many more folks.
JerseyBoy said…
I know for fact that Kirkham was a lying, cheating, narcissistic scum bag long before his drug use.

He got what he deserved. RIGHT SCUMHAM?
Anonymous said…
I don't like religion, but sometimes it's nice to see that a fictional fairytale can give some sort of artificial strength to someone.
Anonymous said…
is my first time looking this blog too as the guy from mexico. You write very well. Continue like this post
Anonymous said…
yeah that is right..most people just went deeper and deeper,and can't be save no more..
Anonymous said…
The irony of life. Rick's unknowingly became an instrument so that others may learn and change. Happy Easter!
Anonymous said…
yeah seen this too, its a terrible affliction.
Nixon said…
Pretty amazing story... I am glad to see that he's well.
Hanna said…
I just watched the movie. I woke up in the middle of the night and while zapping found it. I had to make an google search, because I did not see the end - due to snowfall interferring. I wanted to know what had happened with Rick and through your blog found out that he made it. Thanks

Popular posts from this blog

Paula's List of Blogger Salaries...Are you on the list?

Update: For those who continue to enjoy this post, check out my website about 50 real online people making more than $50k per year , and my page where I update my online salary . UPDATE: Before you read any further or especially link to this old list, please check out "Paula's New List of Blogger Salaries (and Webmasters, Affiliate Marketers, Content Scrapers, Domainers and any other title you can think of) June 2007" by clicking here! ~ Thanks, PAULA NEAL MOONEY by Paula Neal Mooney One of my favorite features in Parade magazine is the issue where they grab a random sampling of people and report their incomes -- from the millionaires to the working poor. Since I'm fascinated with how much money bloggers and webmasters are making nowadays, I've created a similar list -- a random sampling of people making money on the net. Who's on Paula's List of Blogger and Webmaster Salaries? I spent hours and hours scouring the internet for the last-reporte

Paula's New List of Blogger Salaries (and Webmasters, Affiliate Marketers, Content Scrapers, Domainers and any other title you can think of) June 2007

FIND OUT HOW MUCH BLOGGERS REALLY MAKE ONLINE -- CHECK OUT THIS NEW WEBSITE ABOUT MONEY-MAKING ONLINE CALLED 50 OVER $50K... by Paula Neal Mooney The time has come. The time is now. Paula N. Mooney will you please publish that list now?! (Yes, I fancy Dr. Seuss' iambic pentameter.) My WebMaster blest me with a viral post called "Paula's List of Blogger Salaries," and the response was so wonderful, here lies an update. It's bigger and better than ever before with more pics, and double the amount of bloggers, webmasters, domainers, affiliate marketers (or a smidgen of some or all of those titles) and their reported incomes. How Much Do You Make? Money is funny. The abundance of it, the lack of it, the subject of cash in general gets attention. While some invoke their choice not to post their online income nor discuss it at all, I've always been of the Suze Orman mindset ever since I read her first book. Suze encourages people to talk ab

Digg.com's Autobury Secret Blacklist...Are you still being banned by automatic burying?

UPDATE: PLEASE CLICK THIS LINK TO DIGG THIS STORY AND TELL DIGG TO PLAY FAIR... by Paula Neal Mooney Many of us know the power of Digg.com, dreamed up by Kevin Rose, who touted it as a "user driven" site that says it allows the general public to determine the stories they want to see make it to the front page by voting for interesting articles they find across the web. The more votes the public gives an article, the better chance it should have to make it to the front page. Theoretically... The power of Digg's front page Digg.com -- according to Alexa -- is now more popular than The New York Times. Getting one of your articles or blog posts to the front page of Digg.com will get your website seen by plenty of eyes. John Chow experienced a one-day traffic record of 55,856 page views when one of his posts hit the front page of Digg. Digg Bans Domains...then Supposedly Unbans Them One day, Digg banned me -- I'm still not clear why. I found out they banned a whole bun