Dr. Phil, a popular long-running talk program, is coming to an end. After the current 2022-2023 season, the fan-favorite series, presented by its namesake Dr. Phil McGraw, will conclude after 21 successful editions.
Dr. Phil Net Worth
The titular host is a $460 million-dollar-rich American TV celebrity, author, and former psychotherapist. When the daytime chat program debuted in September 2002, he was a major presence. According to PEOPLE, the presenter has terminated his most recent deal with CBS Media Ventures, where he had been contracted for five years. Dr. Phil McGraw said in an official statement to the publication:
“I’ve had almost 25 years of fantastic experience on daytime television. We’ve helped hundreds of guests and millions of viewers with everything from addiction and marriage to mental health and parenting. This has been a great phase in my life and work, but as I transition from daylight to nighttime, there is so much more I want to achieve.”
Dr. Phil McGraw’s bio and career
Dr. Phil was born in 1950 in Vinita, Oklahoma, and grew up in Texas. In Overland Park, Kansas, he attended Shawnee Mission North High School. The host enrolled on a football scholarship at the University of Tulsa in 1968 and then moved to Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in psychology.
He earned a master’s degree in experimental psychology and a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of North Texas. After graduating in 1979, the host worked for many years as a private practitioner until establishing CSI Courtroom Sciences, Inc. in 1990. Dr. Phil’s television career started in April 1998 with frequent appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah first met the host when she engaged his legal consulting business to help her prepare for her 1998 court battle against a group of Texas cattlemen over her statements regarding meat in relation to mad cow disease.
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The host’s presence was so successful that he started appearing on the talk program on a weekly basis as a romance and life strategy expert. He quickly became a popular favorite, which helped him create his own program Dr. Phil in 2002 via Winfrey’s Harpo Studios. According to PEOPLE, the presenter has participated in over 4000 programs with over 20,000 guests over the last two decades.
Dr. McGraw joined the weight-loss market in 2003, promoting his “Shape It Up, Woo Woo” shakes, vitamins, and energy bars on the program. The Federal Trade Commission investigated this thoroughly, causing the host to withdraw his supplements from the market the next year.
People who utilized his items and found no advantages also sued him. The case was resolved in 2006 for more than $10 billion by the host. Dr. Phil and his son Jay McGraw co-created the spin-off series The Doctors in 2008. The program, presented by Travis Stork, focuses on medical topics, with a team of healthcare specialists addressing viewers’ queries. The program aired from 2002 until 2020. The presenter has also written a variety of books on relationships, health, and other topics, including Life Strategies, The 20/20 Diet, and Relationship Rescue. Steve LoCascio, head of CBS Media Ventures, commented on the host’s departure and the show’s demise:
“Phil is a cherished partner and member of the CBS/King World family, and although his program may be coming to an end after 21 years, I’m pleased to announce our connection will not.”
He went on to say:
“Phil was the driving force behind one of the most popular daytime discussion programs in history. We want to be in the Dr. Phil business with the library for many years to come and welcome new collaboration possibilities.”
The business also said that the host would soon reveal information regarding a “strategic primetime relationship” set to debut in 2024. The host went on to say:
“I am motivated to interact with a bigger audience because I am very concerned about the American family, and I am committed to assisting restore a sense of purpose as well as our essential values.”
Despite the fact that Dr. Phil is no longer on the air, the host will continue to work on his current projects, which include acting as an executive producer on CBS’ So Help Me Todd, the drama series Bull, and presenting his two podcasts, Phil in the Blanks and Mystery & Murder: Analysis by Dr. Phil.
