The Celebrity Truth

Following a worldwide outcry, two US television shows have reneged on plans to air a controversial video of Heath Ledger taken in a Hollywood hotel, showing the actor surrounded by people indulging in various drugs and discussing his previous battles with drugs.

The video, reportedly shot at a party held at the Chateau Marmont following the 2006 Screen Actors Guild Awards, was scheduled to be shown on ‘Entertainment Tonight’ and again on ‘The Insider’, with the shows said to have paid $225,000 for the tapes.

The footage of the late actor, who was found dead in his New York apartment on January 22, shows him talking to other partygoers saying, "I’m gonna get so much shit from my girlfriend. We have a baby together Matilda, Matilda Rose."

Ledger also talks of his past drug use, saying, "I used to smoke five joints a day for 20 years."

According to reports, legal pressure is said to have been applied to the shows, which has planned to air the footage on the following night’s program. 

A statement posted on the gossip show’s website’s on Thursday (January 31) showed their about-face:

"Out of respect for HEATH LEDGER‘s family, "Entertainment Tonight" and "The Insider" have decided not to run the Heath Ledger video which has been circulating in the world media."

Tabloids and gossip blogs from around the world have dedicated endless space over the past week detailing the late actor’s alleged drug use, with family and representatives asking for continued privacy.  

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Photo courtesy of Focus Features.