Caylee (AP)
(
)
Casey Anthony’s parents have agreed to give their first TV interview next month to Dr. Phil — in exchange for an undisclosed contribution to their foundation.
TV shows have been quietly chasing Cindy and George Anthony since the shocking acquittal of their daughter last month in the still-unsolved murder of their 2-year-old granddaughter, Caylee.
CBS, which produces the show with Dr. Phil McGraw, yesterday claimed the Anthonys themselves would not profit from the foundation.
But this will be at least the third nonprofit set up by the Anthonys. The last one took 80 percent of its charitable donations for “administrative costs,” according to reports.
CBS yesterday refused to say how much the new foundation was getting.
“The Anthonys sought no compensation for their interview,” Dr Phil said in a prepared statement.
But they had “ask[ed] only that a donation be made to a charitable organization currently being formed to honor their granddaughter.”
Last month, a lawyer for the Anthonys announced the couple was starting Caylee’s Fund and said it would be open for business by Aug. 9, the day Caylee would have turned 6.
But a search of federal tax records yesterday showed no sign that the fund had filed for tax-exempt status. The organization’s Web site, cayleesfund.com, is “under construction,” according to a notice.
After Casey Anthony’s acquittal, reports that she was looking for a big media payday set off a firestorm of protests — and pledges from nearly every news organization not to pay.
CBS News claims it never pays for interviews. But it is a different arm of CBS that is paying the Caylee Fund for the Anthonys’ interview.