Drew Pinsky

Short Biography

Biography by Nathan Southern [-]Dr. Drew Pinsky, M.D. -- often referred to in the media as simply Dr. Drew -- grew up as the son of a Pasadena, CA-area physician with plans to establish himself as a traditional internist. After medical school, however, Pinsky found his niche as one of the very few health and sex educator celebrities to score massive popularity among teenagers and young adults. As one of the hosts of the radio call-in series Loveline in the 1990s, Pinsky fielded questions, mostly from adolescents, on relationships, sexuality, and health, with a candor and explicitness that many found refreshing and eminently useful. The program netted such a massive fan base and viewership that it spawned not only an MTV spin-off in 1996 (with comedian Adam Carolla co-emceeing opposite Pinsky and adding a dose of levity to the proceedings), but its own website, a book, speaking tours, movie appearances by the co-hosts, and the like. In the mean time, Pinsky became certified in addiction medicine and began to lead the chemical dependency unit at Las Encinas Hospital in Pasadena. In 2008, VH1 tapped Pinsky to host its reality series Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, with unvarnished glimpses of celebs such as Jeff Conaway, Jaimee Foxworth and Daniel Baldwin undergoing grueling drug rehabilitation on-camera.