Birkhead Files Medical Board Complaint Over Anna Nicole Film — SkimNews
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Larry Birkhead told Entertainment Tonight that his family is "not involved" with and "absolutely objects" to the film "Trust Me, I'm a Doctor," set to premiere Oct. 16 and based on Dr. Sandeep Kapoor's 2017 book of the same name.
- Birkhead filed a complaint against Dr. Kapoor with the California Medical Board, citing emotional distress on his daughter Dannielynn and a promise he says Kapoor made that his public-facing days were over.
- The film "Trust Me, I'm a Doctor" stars Kal Penn as Dr. Kapoor, Abbie Cornish as Anna Nicole Smith, and Linda Hamilton as attorney Ellyn Garofalo; it was written and directed by Thane Economou.
- Birkhead criticized Cornish's casting as Smith, noting prior dramatizations — including a Lifetime movie and a Law & Order episode — have similarly failed to "embody the spirit and the looks" of Anna Nicole.
- Dr. Kapoor was cleared in 2010 of all six counts by the California Medical Board after an autopsy determined the methadone he prescribed was not a contributing factor in Smith's Feb. 8, 2007 accidental overdose death at age 39.
Why it matters: Birkhead filed the California Medical Board complaint rather than pursuing litigation, citing a promise of privacy he says was broken. With 'Trust Me, I'm a Doctor' premiering Oct. 16, the board's process now overlaps the film's release window — and Birkhead, who has watched every prior Anna Nicole dramatization fail to satisfy him, is signaling this fight extends well beyond one casting choice.
Ask SkimNews
