Dr Phil, America’s most beloved television ‘doctor’ and talk show host has some dirty little secrets he wishes nobody knew that throws his entire brand into question.
For two decades the American public and even celebrities have gone to the Dr Phil Show to air their greivances and get some help for their lifestyle choices and mental health issues. However, what if i told you his entire brand was a facade and he should not be giving advice to ANYONE?!
Dr Phil Mcgraw is a very popular TV show personality based in California. He’s almost universally loved for his no nonsense treatment of those who need help – from wayward teens to the biggest celebrities.
So much loved in fact that people wouldn’t think twice about jumping on the show even in their greatest moments of distress, as shown by Gabby Petito’s parents who accepted grief councelling on what is essentially an entertainment show.
But what if I told you things were not as they seemed with the TV Docter, not a doctor? It probably will come as no surprise when I say that Dr Phil isn’t a licensed practitioner. Indeed, he is qualified with a doctorate in psychology, but he voluntarily gave up his license to practice medicine in 2006.
This may well be not enough to convince the average American that Dr Phil shouldn’t be trusted but what if I told you that he is sending young vulnerable teens to a camp which has a history of sexual abuse and even murder?
When 17 year old Hannah Archuleta appeared on the show she was sent off to Dr Phil’s treatment of choice at Turnabout Ranch which treats and deals with a range of troubled teens.
However, while she was there, Hannah was allegedly subjected to sexual abuse on two separate occasions by a male worker.
According to the lawsuit Hannah and her parents filed against the show:
The staff didn’t address the issue and instead retaliated by issuing punishments included forcing her to pick up horse manure and deny her the bathroom
Hannah’s parents claim they were pressured into agreeing to send their daughter to the Ranch and were not told of the prior allegations of abuse, torture and even murder.
In 2016 Turnabout Ranch hit the headlines when a worker was brutally killed by a troubled teen. This was in no way linked to Dr Phil as he never referred this teen to the Ranch. However, the mere fact he was aware of the incidents and yet continued to refer teens there for treatment is shocking Could it possibly have something to do with the referral fees they receive for doing so?
Aside from troubled teens, Dr Phil is renowned for helping with addictions, sending sufferers to rehab and such. What if I told you they not only provide alcohol to alcoholics, but also drugs?
When alcoholic Todd Herzog turned to Dr Phil in a last ditch attempt at saving his life, he was literally dragged onto the stage as he was so drunk.
Quite how the show was ever allowed by the production team to be recorded, let alone how the show ever passed American television standards to be shown on national TV is beyond my comprehension.
However, it was later claimed by Mr Herzog that when he arrived at the studios he was completely sober – a claim backed up by his own father.
I had never taken Xanax before so why they gave me one I don’t know!
He claims that a bottle of vodka was left in the dressing room before the show, which he drank the entirety of. Before he went on, he was given a Xanax to ‘clam his nerves’. Xanax is an extremely strong drug and should not be mixed with alcohol.
Given all the very serious incidents, how is Dr Phil the most lauded after personality on television? Perhaps these are isolated scandals? Maybe America doesn’t believe it? But what if I threw into the mix an allegation of mental and physical torment?
When Shirly Dieu appeared on the show in 2007 she alleges in a lawsuit against Dr Phil and CBS TElevision Distributions that she was held captive and forced to look at a naked man whilst under their care.
The male dinner guest was at the front door, fully naked, exposing his genital area
In addition to the numerous scandals surrounding the Dr Phil Show, millions tune in every episode to see Phil interrogate expose and take advantage of emotionally or mentally unstable participants, such as the mentally unstable Dina Lohan, mother of Lyndsey, and the former America’s Top Model contestant Jael Strauss who had hit rock bottom.
Now, if you could see beyond everything the show stands for, including making entertainment out of serious mental health problems, what if we take into account the show spending $30,000 to bail out of jail a criminal so they had first option on them for the show?
When Mercades Nichols was behind bars for a vicious beating of a teen and videoing it for her entertainment, she was scouted by the producers of Dr Phil for an episode. They paid the $30,000 bond to bail her out. After backlash the episode was scrapped and never produced. In an email explaining the incident:
Certain staff member went beyond our guidelines re the bail being paid
Have you seen or heard it all yet? Maybe all this wasn’t enough to convince you, but what if I told you that Dr Phil paid for a body to be exhumed so that it could have a second autopsy?
When Rebecca Zahau was found hanged in her boyfriend’s apartment, the death was ruled a suicide. However, her family had suspected foul play was at hand.
Dr Phil allegedly paid for the body to be exhumed, had an autopsy carried out and revealed the results to her rfamily on the show.
The show’s lawyers claim though that Dr Phil didn’t pay for the the exhuming of the body, but did in fact donate to the fund which would pay for it. To my mind, this amounts to the same thing.
I’m not sure how he can justify using this for entertainment purposes.
Now, given all these scandals and all the highly dubious on air practices, it truly is a wonder why Dr Phil McGraw still has a platform and is entrusted to help anyone. Maybe you could put allegations down to being false or made up and your morals allow for the entertainment of people’s health problems. However, what if I told you that Dr Phil should not have been given the platform before ANY of this started?
I mentioned that Dr Phil gave up his licence to practice medicine back in 2006. Well, before then he was a practicing doctor in the state of Texas only. So he’s never been a licensed doctor in California where his show is based.
Rewind all the way back to 1984 and Dr Phil McGraw was an ordinary doctor with actual patients. That is until he crossed every boundary imaginable.
He wanted to see me three or four times per week
Sara Morrison was under the care of McGraw for clinical depression when she was subjected to sexual abuse at the hands of the doctor.
He’d be running his hand up and down the inside of my thigh all the way up to my panties. He’d put his hands between my legs. He’d reach in my blouse and touch my breasts. He pulled my breasts out of my bra and kissed them
After police were called and a full investigation it seemed there was not enough evidence to take action. However, the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists took measures which would eventually put McGraw out of business. He was ordered to have a second therapist present during sessions for which he would pay out of his own pocket.
Within a year he gave up practicing.
Still, despite all this evidence – whether real or circumstancial, Dr Phil not only is a highly popular TV personality and respected in his field of TV psychiatry, but he is raking in up to $95 million per year just in the show alone, not withstanding all the other side hussles he has on the go.
And, to America’s embarassment and shame, in 2020 Dr Phil was given his very own Star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.
This is how much is respected throughout his profession.
The question is, should he be given a platform at al?
