“Dr. Phil” is coming to an end this spring after 21 seasons, CBS Media Ventures announced Tuesday, emphasizing it was Dr. Phil McGraw’s decision to stop making recent episodes.
The media company goals to repackage and rerun old episodes of the daytime show for the 2023-2024 season and beyond. The repurposed episodes would feature recent content resembling “wrap-arounds and intros by McGraw,” 72, in addition to “guest updates,” per the announcement.
“I actually have been blessed with over 25 wonderful years in daytime television,” McGraw said in a press release. “With this show, we have now helped 1000’s of guests and tens of millions of viewers through every part from addiction and marriage to mental wellness and raising children. This has been an incredible chapter of my life and profession, but while I’m moving on from daytime, there may be so far more I want to do.”
Dr. Phil McGraw visits “Extra” at Universal Studios Hollywood on Sept. 9, 2015.Getty Images
McGraw said he’ll shift his focus to prime-time programming with recent partnerships as a result of launch in early 2024.
“I’m compelled to interact with a broader audience because I actually have grave concerns for the American family, and I’m determined to assist restore a clarity of purpose in addition to our core values,” McGraw added.
Dr. Phil McGraw speaks onstage at Zimmer Children’s Museum Discovery Award Dinner on the Skirball Cultural Center in LA on Nov. 15, 2016.Getty Images for Zimmer Children
The psychologist got his start as a frequent guest on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” within the late Nineteen Nineties. He launched his own series in September 2002.
McGraw was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in 2015, and he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in February 2020. His show has netted 31 Daytime Emmy nominations, CBS Media Ventures noted, and provided over $35 million in resources for its guests off-camera.
But “Dr. Phil,” which explores controversial topics, has found itself mired in controversy as well. A yr ago, nearly a dozen current and former employees of “Dr. Phil” spoke out to BuzzFeed, describing their workplace as “traumatizing” and a “war zone.” McGraw’s attorney, H. Patrick Morris, “categorically denie[d]” the allegations on the time.
Critics have also blasted McGraw for his “appallingly cruel” 2016 interview with actress Shelley Duvall; his post-show treatment of infamous guest Danielle “Bhad Bhabie” Bregoli; and his “betrayal” of Britney Spears when she struggled with mental health issues in 2008.
