'Golden Voice' Ted Williams Headed to Rehab

Announcer admitted to drinking again on "Dr. Phil."

ByABC News
January 12, 2011, 5:09 PM

Jan. 12, 2011— -- Ted Williams, the homeless man turned MSNBC announcer, is checking himself into rehab, a rep for the "Dr. Phil" television show confirmed.

Williams, who quickly became a YouTube sensation after a video showcasing his golden voice went viral, admitted on "Dr. Phil" that he had begun drinking again. Dr. Phil suggested to the Ohio man, off-camera, that he should enter rehab, GossipCop.com reported. The episode will air on Thursday.

Williams' announcement came less than a day after he was briefly detained by police in Hollywood. A disturbance report was made after Williams and his daughter, Janey, got into a heated argument Monday night at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel and Spa, according to the Associated Press.

"It was minor. Both parties were angry but there were no signs of visible abuse," Los Angeles police Officer Catherine Massey said Tuesday. She said the two "were brought in, calmed down, talked to and released" and she did not know the nature of the argument.

Williams' spots for MSNBC's "Lean Forward" campaign begin airing late last week.

Just a few days ago, Williams, who seemed to be turning his life around, had reunited with his mother. He had not seen her in ten years.

"It was just a dream come true because, like I said, if anything transpired out of this whole madness that I am going through I did want this to happen, to be here, to be with her," Williams said on "Good Morning America." "I am still lost for words sometimes."

And "madness" is an understatement. Since the video of Williams went viral online, offers from tons of organizations from Kraft Foods to MTV poured in.

Williams was getting a second chance most convicted felons don't get. He has had several past arrests for theft, robbery, forgery and drug possession. His mother, Julia Williams, now 90, was ready to throw in the towel.

"I just gave up and I said I just can't go through no more," she said on "GMA." But Julia Williams said she relied heavily on her church, which she has been attending since 1957, to cope with the downward spiral of her son's life.

"Oh, I've been through this lots, but I have survived through going to church, I have survived," she said. "God has looked over me all the way and he's helped me through because I didn't have anybody. My husband died ten years ago."