TV’s Dr. Phil McGraw fired back at criticism following his visit to Britney Spears at the hospital on Saturday explaining it was a Spears family favor.

Appearing Monday morning on CBS’ "Early Show" to set the record straight regarding his weekend action, Dr. Phil said he only visited Britney "at the request of her family."

According to him, both Britney’s parents, brother and 16-year-old pregnant sister, were very frustrated that she wasn’t going to be held at the hospital for a longer period of time, and that’s when Dr. Phil decided to take a trip to Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles.

He was reportedly contacted by the Spears family on Thursday, little before Britney was rushed to the hospital on a gurney, concerning a child-custody dispute with ex-husband Kevin Federline, who currently has sole legal and physical custody of the couple's two children, Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1.
 
Britney’s mom was the one who called him on the phone, seeming "very upset, which you would expect -- any parent would be," Dr. Phil said, "She has a very close relationship with my wife, Robin," he continued, adding that the Spears' first reached out to him "over a year ago, and I have maintained a running dialogue with them over the last year."

By the time Dr. Phil arrived at the hospital, Britney was already cleared to be released and she was packing. According to reports, the singer wasn’t very pleased by his visit and even left the room at his appearance, although pictures of him accompanying her to the car emerged online immediately after she was dispatched from the clinic.

Dr. Phil was also scheduled to air a special Britney-intervention episode but decided to cancel it after both the singer’s parents pulled out from appearing on the show.

"As soon as Jamie realized Dr. Phil was making public statements about Britney, including assessments of her condition, he got angry. He started making phone calls to everybody in the family, telling them not to cooperate with Dr. Phil," a source close to Dr. Phil was quoted by Life & style as saying.

"Jamie was totally incensed that Dr. Phil—who he knows a little, because Lynne is friends with Dr. Phil’s wife—seemed to be using Britney for self-promotion.

"Dr. Phil had told Jamie everything would be off the record until the show was done.

"But after Jamie made his phone calls, Lynne and Bryan [their son] agreed not to appear on Dr. Phil’s show."

As a result to Spears’ family retreat from his show, Dr. Phil released a new statement to Entertainment Tonight saying "As was widely reported this weekend, at the request of concerned family members, I visited Britney Spears in the hospital. The details of that visit will, of course, remain private. We had planned to tape a 'Dr. Phil Now' show tomorrow, focusing not on the tabloid side of Britney’s latest problems, but instead on the very serious issues surrounding this case. Clearly, it is not just Britney's family struggling to find a way to protect adult children who cannot be ordered or compelled to seek help. Because the Spears situation is too intense at this time, and out of consideration to the family, I have made the decision not to move forward with the taping at this particular time. Britney and her family are in our prayers and we ask that they be in yours."