John Amos has confirmed his daughter’s claims that he’s been hospitalized and is a victim of elder abuse, but the veteran TV actor said she is the primary suspect.
The “Good Times” star shared his viewpoint of the current scenario in a video posted to Instagram by his son, K.C. Amos, according to Entertainment Weekly.
“I’m not in the hospital as a result of anything that happened recently, other than the fact that about a month ago, I was hospitalized because I was suffering from water retention and a couple of other issues — all of which have been corrected, or at least addressed,” Amos said, EW reported. “I’m very confident in the doctors that I have here and the medical staff that my son has assembled all around me. So I feel very good about that.”
A week before Amos’ announcement, his daughter, Shannon Amos, publicly referred to her father as “the victim of elder abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation.”
She did not say who was responsible, only that she believed the alleged perpetrator was a trusted caretaker.
However, the actor continued by saying his daughter has taken advantage of him, which he believes was one of his primary problems before entering the hospital.
“She would be the primary suspect, if you would,” Amos added. “She is the one that I would attribute my elderly abuse to.”
The actor, 83, did not give specifics to support his claims of abuse, and it was unclear whether he had lately had physical contact with his daughter.
In a statement, Shannon Amos’ publicist, Anne Torres, said her client “is disheartened at the continuation of false and defamatory statements being made against her by, or on behalf of, or in connection with news reports based on social media posts by Mr. Kelly K.C. Amos.”
Torres added that her client demands anyone making, encouraging, persuading, and aiding and abetting others to make false comments cease and desist immediately to stop and avoid additional damage to her reputation. Shannon Amos holds all legal options possible, Torres says, because the evidence does not support the allegations.
Prior to its deactivation, a GoFundMe page Shannon Amos launched on her father’s behalf included a description of her experience returning from a trip and discovering him in the intensive care unit fighting for his life.
She aimed to raise $500,000 so her father could “catch and prosecute the alleged perpetrators” of the abuse. She also stated she had a close relationship with the Custer County Sheriff’s Office and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
Regarding the fund, she stated, “Our top priorities continue to be taking care of my father’s medical needs and giving him a safe place to live,” adding that someone had stolen everything of value from his home during a break-in.
At first, John Amos publicly denied reports he was “fighting for his life.”
Following his hospitalization for cardiac issues in Memphis last month, the actor’s spokeswoman, Belinda Foster, said for someone to suggest “he’s fighting for his life, that’s ridiculous.”
Foster said that John Amos didn’t know about the fundraiser his daughter started.
“He doesn’t need a GoFundMe,” she added. “He’s doing well, and he doesn’t understand why she put this thing together.”
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