The Fate of DJ AM's MTV Show is Still Undecided

Should MTV Air DJ AM's Reality Show?

August 31, 2009

On Friday I was sad to hear the news of DJ AM's tragic passing. As the aftermath and details of his death continue to make headlines, the fate of his reality series is still up in the air. Gone Too Far was set to start airing on MTV in early October, following AM as he stages interventions for friends and loved ones of young adults with drug problems — check out the clip below where he talks about the inspiration for the show. His death has already been linked to drug use and abuse, so I wouldn't be surprised if MTV pulls the plug on the show entirely. What do you think — should the network still air the existing footage of DJ AM's reality show?

TV DJ AM Gone Too Far

26 Comments

nyccowboy 3 years 32 weeks

I agree that it shows exactly how messy recovery is. Relapse almost always happens. It shows that it takes one night of "doing what I have always done" and you can die. This boy had demons like us all, at least he was able to reach out to others and help them out. That takes alot of courage.

LittleMzFit 3 years 36 weeks

Have a little respect for the deceased & his family/friends...at least for a little while (a few years?).

lwimbush 3 years 37 weeks

maybe air it but re-edit it as a cautionary tale? i don't know.

3 years 37 weeks

I don't know how much good it will do given that it will seem incredibly hypocritical.

plus_2_kid 3 years 37 weeks

Inappropriate? It sounds incredible Appropriate. Shows how complicated and messy addiction truly is, how someone can help someone but not themselves. Shows how an addict may have all the intentions and resources to quit but something still eludes them.Of course they should air this. But as a "tribute"? No - as a lesson.

plus_2_kid 3 years 37 weeks

Inappropriate? It sounds incredible Appropriate. Shows how complicated and messy addiction truly is, how someone can help someone but not themselves. Shows how an addict may have all the intentions and resources to quit but something still eludes them. Of course they should air this. But as a "tribute"? No - as a lesson.

CaterpillarGirl 3 years 37 weeks

If they are going to air, it, air it now before everyone forgets who he is...which will be by the end of the week.

ilanac13 3 years 37 weeks

i respect the premise for the show and what they were trying to do, but given what we're hearing about the circumstances about his death and everything that we know, i just think that it's in bad taste. i think that maybe sometime in the future it would be better, but anytime in the next few months would just be in bad taste in my opinion.

Asche 3 years 37 weeks

@Weffie: I do agree with the commercial-free part. I think something like this would do much better on something like PBS or HBO, etc...something either free or subscription based that isn't turning a profit based on how many people 'tune in to see the dead guy'

3 years 37 weeks

AIR IT! SHOW PEOPLE THE EFFECT OF DRUGS! I think its important for people to realize its not just poor people or people that dropped out of school b/c of drugs that die - SMART people can die from it too. Not to sound mean but you need to scare people nowadays to show them what can happen.

caroline 3 years 37 weeks

Well Anonymous, obviously you never had the privilege of seeing him perform or meeting him.. because otherwise you'd understand.. he was an amazing talent and great person.I think the music community as a whole "misses him"

caroline 3 years 37 weeks

Well Anonymous, obviously you never had the privilege of seeing him perform or meeting him.. because otherwise you'd understand.. he was an amazing talent and great person. I think the music community as a whole "misses him"

billyart101 3 years 37 weeks

I didn't even know he died. And after having the great fortune of surviving a plane crash? I don't know the details, but if drugs were involved i'm sure it was pain medication prescribed to help his recovery from that tragedy. I don't think anyone would intentionally waste such a miracle.

3 years 37 weeks

I don't see how anyone who didn't know DJ AM could possibly "miss him".

caroline 3 years 37 weeks

i think that definitely it should be aired.. he was very proud of the work he was doing with those kids, and if MTV handles the footage the correct way, it could be a very profound and informative program.. maybe have Dr. Drew or someone do an intro to the show, talk about how hard addiction is to overcome, and that it's a lifelong battle.. if anything his death could serve as the ultimate warning..

annebreal 3 years 37 weeks

I think we're giving MTV too much credit about their decision making process. If they think it'll get any ratings and return on their investment of filming and producing the show, it'll make air.

runswimmerrun 3 years 37 weeks

I said yes - not as a tribute, but because he taped the show because he wanted it on the air. It was his wishes, right?

weffie 3 years 37 weeks

@Asche: I agree that it it should be shared with the community, but nothing plays commercial-free on MTV so there would be some kind of profit involved. The way I phrased it before did sound like I thought simply airing it was exploitative, but I only meant to direct that to the money-making side of things... I'm with you in thinking that the show was created in the spirit of helping others and it should be given a chance to do that.

TidalWave 3 years 37 weeks

I'm conflicted. It shows just how difficult it is to get overcome an addiction (or impossible) but I think it could come off silly/hypocritical and make him look bad.

Asche 3 years 37 weeks

@Weffie: It's not profiting from a death. The thing about the addiction community--whether you at AA, NA, etc--is that people come together to share their stories, gain strength from each other, and help those (and be helped) during times of temptation. Hence, I think it is appropriate to air this show.

Asche 3 years 37 weeks

Yes. As an addict, I think it's what he would've wanted--for others to hear his story, see his struggles, and ultimately learn something from his demise.

Cherrylicious 3 years 37 weeks

He did the show to help others even tho he had his own addictions. I think he would want it to be aired but the profit should be donated to fighting drug abuse.

weffie 3 years 37 weeks

It would be pretty sick of them to profit from exploiting his death for ratings (let's leave that to CNN lol)... I hope if they did air it they would donate most or all of the advertising revenue to a related charity.

LaLaLaurie06 3 years 37 weeks

I think it would be sort of mean to air it. Here he is on the show staging interventions and telling other people not to do drugs, but he might possibly have died from drug abuse himself? I'd wait to see what the final verdict is on his cause of death before moving forward with the show.

blondie829 3 years 37 weeks

I think they should air it...nice tribute and a reminder about the risks of drug abuse.

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