Dr. Phil Quasi Apologizes for Britney Spears Statement

Okay, so we couldn't find the clip of Dr. Phil on Good Morning America -- but we found the next best thing. (Courtesy YouTube)

Well... I guess you could call it an apology -- though Dr. Phil's apologies seem to always be followed with a "but."

After Britney Spears' family publicly denounced the TV shrink on his plight to "help" the troubled singer, Phil has begun to feel the searing burn of backlash. According to the New York Daily News, Phil has been trying to snag some celebrities for his 1,000 episode, but since the whole Britney disaster, no one has been biting.

Now on damage-control, Phil appeared on Good Morning America as well as The Today Show to offer his explanation of how the media and Britney's family "pounced" on him in the wake of the fiasco.

"I regret making the statement. It didn't help. It didn't work,'' Dr. Phil told Good Morning America's Diane Sawyer.

When Sawyer called his bluff and said, "Work?" Phil quickly cut her off and changed the subject.

On The Today Show, Matt Lauer also wasn't going to let him off easy, pressing him on whether he barged into Britney's hospital room for the sake of ratings, or because he really wanted to help. However, McGraw lied through his teeth and insisted self-promotion never crossed his mind. Chhha. Phil then took the opportunity to pimp his 1,000 episode milestone. Lauer offered congrats through gritted teeth.