14 DAY TRIAL // TLC's reality series “Toddlers & Tiaras” must be one of its most controversial yet but, most of the time, it's members of the audience who are outraged by it and not the mothers who turn on it. Susanna Barrett is the exception.
Mrs. Barrett is mother to Isabella, who is featured on one of the many episodes of the show. On a recent appearance on The View on ABC, she lambasted TLC and the show for being “wrong.”
Video of the entire segment is here. Please note that it doesn't play if you're outside the US.
According to the mother, she and her daughter have suffered a lot since their episode on “Toddlers & Tiaras” aired and she now wants the world to know that the show is “wrong” for reasons she fails to name.
“Isabella does other things other than pageants. And any time we go to do something else, it's 'oh you're from Toddlers & Tiaras, oh, oh',” Barrett said on The View in what seemed like a clear case of buyer's remorse.
Barbara Walters, though, would not let her get away with such vague accusations, so she pressed her for more details.
“You were only on one episode, it's not as if you were the star. [TLC] said 'why make a public announcement, why not just leave, they said. Isn't this a way of keeping your daughter in the spotlight?'” she told her.
Barrett denied that, repeating only that the show was “wrong” and that viewers at home got to see a twisted image of who she and her daughter really were.
“Because the children are featured over and over, they have more footage of my daughter in upcoming episodes. I have taken the steps to make amends to everything that has happened to my family in the past year,” she said.
“I've got to be honest with you, there's a lot of things that Toddlers has done that is completely wrong,” Barrett added.
In response, TLC says Barrett is so desperate for another 15 minutes she's basically clinging at straws to get that time in the spotlight.
“We have a number of families who are featured in each episode of Toddlers & Tiaras. Susanna and her daughter Isabella were featured in one episode of the 93 episodes that have been taped to-date. There were no plans to do another taping with them, despite Susanna's repeated requests to be featured again,” the network says in the statement.