Rocker Bret Michaels claims the producers of the 2009 Tony Awards intentionally broadcast a stage mishap that nearly killed him in a bid to boost the show’s ratings.
Michaels — who suffered a brain hemorrhage after getting creamed by a piece of moving scenery — yesterday filed papers charging CBS “could have prevented the footage . . . from airing via the standard seven-second broadcast delay.’’
But “the defendants took no such measures — presumably because the incident would lead to greater publicity and ratings for the show,” the Manhattan federal court filing says.
The Poison front man — who is suing for up to $50 million — says that beside his injuries, he suffered “humiliation when video of the incident immediately spread across the Internet.’’
Defense lawyers didn’t return requests for comment.