Lindsay Lohan's Dad Defends His Behavior

Feb. 24, 2005 -- -- Lindsay Lohan's father says he doesn't think his behavior has hurt his daughter's career, despite the fact that he has -- wittingly or unwittingly -- insinuated himself into his daughter's spotlight and caused embarrassing headlines.

"She's got more offers than ever now," Michael Lohan told ABC News' John Quiñones. "Don't they say any publicity is good publicity?"

Lindsay Lohan, 18, has been called the "queen bee of the teen girl set." She burst onto the scene in 1998 when she was just a freckle-faced 12-year-old in "The Parent Trap."

Since then she has made star appearances on the silver screen in "Mean Girls" and "Freaky Friday," and was host for the New Year's Eve show on MTV. She also recently released an album, "Speak," which debuted at No. 4 on the pop charts.

Meanwhile, her father has in recent months subjected her to a litany of embarrassments.

In May 2004, Michael Lohan was accused of assaulting his brother-in-law and pleaded guilty. He says his brother-in-law was drunk and provoked him.

In July 2004, he was arrested on charges of skipping out on thousands of dollars at a hotel. He says his wife never told him there was a hotel bill sent to his house. "I didn't know about until I came to court and they put cuffs on me," he said. A judge ordered Lohan to pay the bill.

In October 2004, he was accused of punching a sanitation worker and pleaded guilty. He says he pushed the sanitation worker after the worker hit him with a garbage bag.

This week, Lohan was charged with drunken driving after crashing into a telephone pole.

Us Magazine editor Janice Min says the press involving Lindsay Lohan's father is not good for her career. "She has to avoid becoming the girl who got stuck in a crazy battle between her parents or the girl whose father is crazy and they needed a restraining order," Min said. "She has to get back on track as Lindsay Lohan the movie star."

Michael Lohan told Quiñones, "The nature of the beast is bad publicity. People don't write about good things. They write about bad things."