Dr Phil: Woman Behind The Donald Sterling Scandal
Dr Phil scored a daytime exclusive interview with V. Stiviano, the woman at the heart of the Donald Sterling racism scandal, which has put the ownership status of the LA Clippers up in the air.
Dr Phil reminded everyone that the 80-year-old billionaire was caught on tape making racist comments to V. Stiviano, which were released via TMZ Sports, setting off a firestorm that had shockwaves across the country.
Dr Phil: V. Stiviano + Donald Sterling
The media has speculated about V. Stiviano’s relationship with Donald Sterling, and in the recordings Sterling comments in which he requested that she not bring black people to his basketball games. Stiviano herself identifies as half-black, half-Latina.
Magic Johnson has also been in the middle of this situation, since he was in an Instagram photo with Stiviano that was referenced in the tapes. President Obama spoke out against Sterling’s comments, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling for life from the NBA.
Dr Phil: Donald Sterling & Magic Johnson
Dr Phil talked to V. Stiviano about whether she paid taxes on her salary from embattled LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling, and how she came to work for him. (s_bukley / Shutterstock.com)
Donald Sterling has denied that he is a racist, and in an interview with Anderson Cooper, Sterling mostly trashed Magic Johnson in his potentially senile ramblings. Rochelle Sterling, Donald’s wife, is reporting suing Stiviano, whom she said received over $2.5 million from her husband.
So far, Stiviano has yet to reveal much about her life. She has been seen around Los Angeles wearing welding masks and visors, but she hasn’t said much, other than to deny that she had a romantic relationship with Donald Sterling.
Dr Phil: How Did V. Stiviano Meet Donald Sterling?
Dr Phil’s first question was why V. Stiviano wanted to speak with him. She said that she wanted the chance to tell the truth about her part of this scandalous story. She said that she shared information with her friends that she should not have, which set these consequences in motion.
Stiviano met Sterling through a mutual friend at a Super Bowl event when she was an intern at the district attorney’s office. She wanted to be a lawyer, and Sterling invited her to work for his nonprofit charity.
Dr Phil: V. Stiviano Job Interview
When she followed up, he did not remember her and asked her to send some pictures, which she did. After an interview, in which he reviewed her resume, she thought he was impressed with her credentials.
Dr Phil said that Sterling’s recollection is different, elaborating that the two adjourned to a private area where favors were exchanged. Stiviano categorically denied that this took place, insisting that their relationship was purely professional.
Dr Phil wondered why he would lie about her behavior. “Only he would know that. I can’t get into his brain,” she said. Later, she began working for Sterling “off the books,” which she explained meant that she was not a W2 employee.
Dr Phil: Did V. Stiviano Pay Taxes?
When Dr Phil pressed V. for details about whether she was taxed on her income from Sterling, she repeatedly said, “I cannot answer that.” She “did not have a set title” as his employee, which is interesting because she talked about being his archivist in her initial statements.
Stiviano explained that her day-to-day duties were very different. She was his personal assistant, maybe, though she declined to specify that or get into information about her pay. Dr Phil reminded everyone about the reports that she was gifted expensive cars and a condo.
Dr Phil: LA Personal Assistant Salary Range
“I don’t type very fast,” V. Stiviano said of her talents as an assistant, which Dr Phil said would only fuel speculation about her relationship with Sterling. “He loved me as a person, and I did things that most people in his circle would never do.”
V. Stiviano said that Donald Sterling was living in a bubble and has never been to a grocery store or picked out his own socks. But since he is a billionaire, she said he could afford to give expensive gifts if he chose to do that.
Dr Phil wondered whether other employees benefitted from his largesse, and Stiviano claimed that others received cars and homes as well. Yet again, V. Stiviano maintained that there was no intimacy between her and Sterling.
He said that a personal assistant’s salary might be $85,000-150,000 for someone who is on call 24 hours a day for their employer, performing the duties that V. Stiviano described. That sounds like a great gig, but Stiviano apparently had an even better deal.
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