In an era where people tweet about what they had for lunch and starlets bare their panties on TMZ, there may still be a limit on how much personal information we want to know.
On Wednesday, the blogosphere recoiled after actress Mackenzie Phillips revealed in an appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" that she engaged in a "consensual" sexual relationship with her father, John Phillips, best known as the leader of the Mamas & the Papas. (See accompanying article, "Phillips Admits to 10-Year Affair With Dad.")
"Worst part of Mackenzie Phillips sleeping with her father is that I have to know about it," tweeted user GerryDugan.
"Worst part of Mackenzie Phillips sleeping with her father is that I have to know about it," tweeted user GerryDugan.Across Twitter and on other social media sites, the resounding sentiment was that Phillips' story had crossed into "TMI" ... too much information.
"Mackenzie Phillips -- WTF? I cannot handle any more horrible details about your childhood/early adulthood. So, stop," tweeted Muriellian.
"OK Mackenzie Phillips, you could have kept that little tidbit of information to yourself. I don't care what your therapist said," added mckenziem3.
New York Magazine's blog Culture Vulture's Mark Graham said the music of the Mamas & the Papas might now be forever tainted for some fans.
"Have you had problems listening to R. Kelly ever since learning that he (allegedly) engaged in water sports with underage girls?" Graham wrote. "Well, then, if you're a fan of the Mamas & the Papas (and who isn't?), we suggest you find something to do this afternoon that doesn't involve watching Oprah.
"And just to be on the safe side, you might as well forget about reading newspapers and magazines, engaging your co-workers in conversations at the water cooler, or surfing the Internet for the next few days, as some very disturbing news about the late John Phillips has been making the rounds for the last few hours."
In a memoir published Wednesday, "High on Arrival," Phillips writes that as a 19-year-old on the eve of her 1979 marriage to Jeff Sessler, she was raped by her father. That sexual relationship later became "consensual," she said.
John Phillips died in 2001.
"My father was not a man with boundaries," she writes in her book. "He was full of love, and he was sick with drugs. I woke up that night to find myself having sex with my own father."
The actress is best known for her roles on "American Graffiti" and the hit TV show "One Day at a Time," in which she starred as rebel Julie Cooper alongside Valerie Bertinelli from 1975 to 1983. (Bertinelli showed up on Oprah to offer support for her surprised co-star.)
On Twitter, Phillips' name was one of the top trending topics on the site Wednesday afternoon as users wrote about their horror and disbelief about the actress' shocking tale. Some even questioned the validity of her story.
