“DR. Phil” will end this spring after 21 seasons, CBS Media Ventures announced Tuesday, stressing that it was Dr. Phil McGraw’s decision not to produce any more episodes.
The media company intends to repackage and re-show old episodes of the daytime show for the 2023-2024 season and beyond. The repurposed episodes would feature new content such as “McGraw wrap-arounds and intros” 72 and “guest updates,” according to the announcement.
“I have been blessed with over 25 wonderful years in daytime television,” McGraw said in a statement. “Through this show, we’ve helped thousands of guests and millions of viewers through everything from addiction and marriage to mental wellbeing and parenting. This has been an incredible chapter of my life and career but as I get away from the day there is so much more I want to do.”
dr Phil McGraw attends ‘Extra’ at Universal Studios Hollywood on September 9, 2015. Getty Images
McGraw said he will shift his focus to prime-time programming with new partnerships set to launch in early 2024.
“I am compelled to engage with a wider audience because of my deep concerns for the American family, and I am committed to helping restore a clear purpose and our core values,” McGraw added.
dr Phil McGraw speaks onstage at the Zimmer Children’s Museum Discovery Award Dinner at the Skirball Cultural Center in LA November 15, 2016. Getty Images for Zimmer Children
The psychologist started out as a frequent guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show in the late 1990s. In September 2002 he started his own series.
McGraw was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in 2015 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in February 2020. His show has earned 31 Daytime Emmy nominations, according to CBS Media Ventures, and has provided over $35 million in resources for his behind-the-camera guests.
But “Dr. Phil”, which deals with controversial issues, has also become embroiled in controversy. A year ago, nearly a dozen current and former employees of “Dr. Phil” told BuzzFeed and described her workplace as “traumatizing” and “a war zone”. McGraw’s attorney, H. Patrick Morris, “categorically denies[d]”The allegations at the time.
Critics have also slammed McGraw for his “shockingly gruesome” interview with actress Shelley Duvall in 2016; his post-show treatment of infamous guest Danielle “Bhad Bhabie” Bregoli; and his “betrayal” of Britney Spears when she was struggling with mental health issues in 2008.