What To Know
- TV psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw and his title show have been at the center of many controversies over the years.
- Here, we’re breaking down the biggest complaints, lawsuits, and moments of backlash the show received.
Even by daytime TV standards, Dr. Phil lives on in infamy. A psychologist once promoted by Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Phil McGraw was hit with several lawsuits during the show’s 21-season run, and the production was lambasted by critics, guests, staffers, and observers.
“The legacy of Dr. Phil is a cautionary tale,” addiction activist Ryan Hampton told The Daily Beast in 2023 upon the announcement of the show’s impending end. “It wasn’t just his attitude and his approach, which was everything we’re taught not to do. He never really approached a situation with compassion.”
Taylor Cole Miller, an assistant professor of media studies at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse said on Twitter (now X) that the Dr. Phil tapings he attended “were manipulative, unethical, and representative of bad television production practices for a show that claims to be intellectually honest and moral.”
And Dr. Jeff Sugar, then an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of Southern California, told the New York Post in 2016 that McGraw “shows us that there is no depth below which he will not sink to improve his ratings. His designation as America’s ‘psychologist’ can’t be taken seriously.”
What had folks so upset? Take a gander at this timeline of Dr. Phil controversies.
2006: Two brothers accuse the show of defamation
In 2006, brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe, who were once suspects in the disappearance of Alabama teen Natalee Holloway, sued Dr. Phil and CBS for defamation, complaining about an episode that featured secretly-recorded video of Deepak talking to a private investigator, according to the Associated Press. The Kalpoes alleged Dr. Phil had edited the footage to make it seem like they were involved in Holloway’s disappearance. McGraw and CBS denied any wrongdoing, and the case was dismissed in 2015, as the AP reported.
2008: Phil McGraw cancels an episode on Britney Spears after angering her family
The family of Britney Spears blasted McGraw in 2008 after he spoke to the press about his visit with the pop star, who was then hospitalized amid mental health struggles. “The family basically extended an invitation of trust for him to come in as a resource to support them, not to go out and make public statements,” Lou Taylor, a business manager for the family, said on Today, according to the Associated Press. “Any statement publicly that he made, because he was brought in under this cloak of trust, [is] just inappropriate.”
Amid the controversy, McGraw shelved a planned episode about Spears and expressed regret for his conduct. “I definitely think if I had it to do over again, I probably wouldn’t make any statement at all,” he said on his show, per USA Today.
2008: Dr. Phil employees bail out a teen ahead of a segment about her criminal case
In 2008, Dr. Phil was preparing a segment about eight Florida teenagers who were accused of beating another teen and videotaping the assault, but the show had to call off the segment after employees posted bond for one of the teenagers accused.
“We have helped guests and potential guests in the past when they need financial assistance to come on the show — assisting with clothing allowance, lost wages, accommodations, travel, and necessities,” a spokesperson for the show told the Associated Press. “In this case, certain staff members went beyond our guidelines (re the bail being paid). These staff members have been spoken to, and our policies reiterated. In addition, we have decided not to go forward with the story as our guidelines have been compromised.”
2011: Two former Dr. Phil guests accuse McGraw of fraud and intentional infliction
Two women who participated in the “Dr. Phil House” tolerance exercise on the show sued McGraw and CBS Television for alleged fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress in 2011. They said they were traumatized after a naked man allegedly confronted them in the house, according to OC Weekly. But an attorney for McGraw and CBS said that the women were willing participants in the exercise and that they had signed liability releases. The case was dismissed months later.
2013: McGraw asks Twitter users if it’s “OK” to have sex with a drunk girl
McGraw angered Twitter users in 2013 when he tweeted, “If a girl is drunk, is it OK to have sex with her? Reply yes or no to @drphil #teensaccused.”
In response to the ensuing outrage, a Dr. Phil spokesperson told BuzzFeed News, “This tweet was intended to evoke discussion leading into a very serious show topic. It was not intended to be taken lightly. It’s based upon a recent news story, hence the #teensaccused label.”
2016: A former staffer accuses McGraw of false imprisonment and wrongful termination
Ex-Dr. Phil segment director Leah Rothman sued McGraw, his production company, and CBS in 2016 over alleged false imprisonment and wrongful termination, per People. Rothman claimed that McGraw locked approximately 300 employees in a room to find who was leaking information to the media and that she then quit out of emotional stress. The Hollywood Reporter noted Rothman’s lawsuit later settled, but the outlet did not detail the terms of that settlement.
2016: McGraw is accused of exploiting Shelley Duvall
Later in 2016, Dr. Phil aired an interview with The Shining star Shelley Duvall, who admitted on air she was struggling with mental illness. The interview immediately sparked backlash. Mia Farrow said it was “upsetting and unethical to exploit Shelley Duvall at this vulnerable time in her life,” and the daughter of The Shining director Stanley Kubrick said the show’s “exploitive use of Shelley Duvall is a form of lurid entertainment and is shameful,” per People.
Duvall expressed regret about appearing on the show in a 2021 interview with The Hollywood Reporter — “I found out the kind of person [McGraw] is the hard way,” she said — but a spokesperson for the show defended the interview, telling THR, “We view every Dr. Phil episode, including Miss Duvall and her struggle with mental illness, as an opportunity to share relatable, useful information and perspective with our audiences.”
2017: Dr. Phil staffers are accused of giving guests access to drugs and alcohol
A 2017 investigation by Stat and The Boston Globe determined Dr. Phil has “put at risk the health of some of those guests it purports to help.” Onetime Survivor winner Todd Herzog, whose alcoholism was a subject of a Dr. Phil episode, told investigators that he found a bottle of vodka in his dressing room and that someone on set handed him a Xanax before. The aunt of a guest with a heroin problem alleged that a Dr. Phil producer told the guest’s family where to go in Los Angeles to find the drug.
A spokesperson for Dr. Phil denied the allegations in a statement to People, saying, “The Stat article does not fairly or accurately describe the methods of Dr. Phil, the TV show, or its mission to educate millions of viewers about drug and alcohol addiction. The show does not give drugs or alcohol to its guests, and any suggestions to the contrary is errant nonsense.”
2021: A former guest sues Dr. Phil for negligence
In 2021, former Dr. Phil guest Hannah Archuleta sued McGraw and CBS for negligence after Dr. Phil staffers allegedly pressured Archuleta’s parents to send her to Turn-About Ranch, a facility for troubled teens in Escalante, Utah, where she was allegedly groped by a staff member, according to the Los Angeles Times. A judge dismissed the case months later.
2022: Past and current employees call out the show’s treatment of staffers and guests
In a 2022 BuzzFeed News report, 12 current and former employees of Dr. Phil said that they experienced verbal abuse while working for the show and that the workplace fostered fear, intimidation, and racism. Eleven of those employees said their work took a toll on their mental health, and seven said guests on the show were manipulated and treated unethically.
“This show destroyed me mentally, emotionally, and physically,” an ex-employee told the site. “They make you feel like not only are you not worth anything, every single day you’re told how s***ty you are, how horrible your work is, yet you’re indispensable so they don’t fire you. That type of mental game emotionally and physically carries with us into other positions after we leave the show.”
Attorneys for McGraw and Dr. Phil executive producer Carla Pennington denied every accusation in the report, while a spokesperson for the show told the outlet that McGraw and his “diverse team of more than 200 proud staff, many of whom have been here for two decades, have sincerely and respectfully worked with thousands of appreciative guests.”
