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To those who know me, I don’t think I’ve made my distaste for “Dr. Phil” McGraw a secret. Thankfully, McGraw announced that “The Dr. Phil Show” is coming to an end.
McGraw has experienced a number of controversies over the years. Firstly, he’s not licensed to do what he does on his TV show. In 2006, he was forced to turn over his license to practice psychology, which has resulted in him forcing guests to sign agreements that they are receiving “advice” and not “counseling.” McGraw is an entertainer. The psychology community largely regards him as a phony, the National Alliance on Mental Illness has accused him of giving definitive advice without carefully evaluating the needs of his “patients.”
McGraw’s advice and demeanor are also generally pretty bad. In one of his more famous episodes, his guest, Bailey, was under the delusion that a stranger from the internet who had never expressed a desire for her was in love with her. Bailey insisted that her biological mother not be invited to the show. McGraw dismissed her request, called her delusional and kicked her off the show when she became angry, despite her apologies. McGraw then invited her mother onstage and mocked her.
Another one of McGraw’s guests is a man who goes by “Boomer the Dog,” and dresses and acts like a dog. McGraw spent the interview insisting that Boomer is missing out on life, including shaming him for being a virgin and never having been on a date. He also brought a man named Brandon onto his show, who was unemployed, 35, living with his parents and suffering with manic depression. Despite acknowledging his issues, McGraw lectures Brandon about how he’s unqualified for the jobs he wants; when Brandon asks McGraw how he can get to a point where he’s able to function properly, McGraw’s advice is to “just wake up in the morning.” A YouTuber by the name of “Big Joel” said it better than I ever could:
“Through Phil, we come to understand Brandon not as a person but as a failed career, a job undone,” said Big Joel. “Because before he ever stepped foot on that stage, we already had our vision narrowed to one conflict and one resolution…your bootstraps haven’t been pulled, and considering that, you should probably pull them.”
Dr. Phil’s advice essentially boils down to “just do it” or “stop doing that bad stuff.” McGraw’s bootstraps worldview manifests itself in his lazy advice and rude, unprofessional demeanor.
As well as the bad advice, McGraw exploits his guests for ratings and views. In 2013, McGraw had a man named Todd Herzog on his show. Herzog was suffering from alcoholism at the time, and according to him, the show provided him with two liters of vodka, as well as Red Bull, orange juice and Xanax. McGraw chose to continue the show despite his extreme state of intoxication and chose to breathalyze him. McGraw’s team has denied these allegations.
There was also an incident in which McGraw invited onto his show a man who was paying homeless people to fight each other on camera. The guest dressed up like McGraw, walked onto the stage and accused him of exploiting his guests, at which point the guest was kicked off the show. I can’t help but wonder, if Dr. Phil was so disgusted by this behavior, why did he bring the guest on in the first place? Did he bring him on just to kick him off and show the world what a good person he is? Or did the comparison hit too close to home?
McGraw’s exploitation extends to the celebrity world as well. In 2008, he visited Britney Spears in the hospital as she was dealing with a mental health crisis. He chose to issue a statement to the press and wanted to devote an episode of his show to her family, which they refused to allow. He also brought Shelley Duvall, the actor who starred in “The Shining”, onto his show. Duvall was struggling with mental health issues at the time and insisted that the late actor and comedian Robin Williams was still alive, which Phil responded to by insisting that he was not and that she was delusional. No shit. The interview was widely condemned, including by Mia and Ronan Farrow and Vivian Kubrick, the daughter of “The Shining” director Stanley Kubrick.
McGraw also brought a transgender woman named Diamond onto his show, whose family accuses her of being rude and acting out and whose brother insists on misgendering her. Despite his repeated disrespect of his sister’s gender identity, the episode is framed with him being the reasonable one and Diamond being the bad one. Phil doesn’t press her brother on his transphobia and takes his side, despite her brother referring to Diamond as “he” shortly after insisting that he doesn’t have a problem with Diamond being trans. Would a licensed family therapist act like this?
McGraw’s abuse and inappropriate conduct go beyond his onstage persona. He has been accused of sexual misconduct by three women, one of whom was a former patient he had hired as an intern. His ex-wife has also alleged that he was an abusive and controlling spouse. McGraw also recommends that parents send their troubled teens on his show to “Turn-About Ranch” in Utah, despite allegations of sexual, physical and emotional abuse taking place at the ranch by former guests Hannah Archuleta and Danielle Bregoli (known professionally as Bhad Bhabie). According to an article by NBCreporters Corky Siemaszko and Diana Dasrath, the Archuleta family has sued McGraw for pressuring them to send Hannah to the ranch. The lawsuit alleges that McGraw has financial ties to the ranch and that he was aware of the abuse, which McGraw’s team vehemently denies.
Assistant Professor of Media Studies Taylor Cole Miller from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse responded to the news.
“The #DrPhil tapings I went to were manipulative, unethical and representative of bad television production practices for a show that claims to be intellectually honest and moral,” Miller tweeted. “#JerrySpringer was a better show than #DrPhil. Riddance.”
These shows are generally exploitative anyway. Resolving your issues should be handled in private, or with a community of support – not broadcasted on TV for views. These shows are irresponsible and should never be aired again. And can we please cancel “The Steve Wilkos Show” too?