Dr. Phil McGraw has announced that his longtime talk show, Dr. Phil, is ending after the 2022-23 season. The show first launched in 2002 after McGraw made a name for himself during regular appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and the show is currently in it’s 21st – and final – season.
In the 20-plus years that Dr. Phil has been on the air, the show has had its share of controversies, from accusations that guests were given drugs and alcohol before appearing on the show, to the celebrity doctor being verbally abusive to his staff. Those reports haven’t affected his popularity though; when Oprah Winfrey’s show went off the air in 2011, Dr. Phil became the most watched daytime syndicated talk show, holding the title for 10 years. Last year, Live With Kelly & Ryan took over the #1 spot, with Dr. Phil falling to No. 2.
As for whether Dr. Phil was canceled or if Dr. Phil is retiring, the answer to both of those questions is no. Instead, McGraw plans to focus on other projects. In a statement to People, he said,”I have been blessed with over 25 wonderful years in daytime television. With this show, we have helped thousands of guests and millions of viewers through everything from addiction and marriage to mental wellness and raising children.”
He continued, “This has been an incredible chapter of my life and career, but while I’m moving on from daytime, there is so much more I wish to do.”
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He also added, “I am compelled to engage with a broader audience because I have grave concerns for the American family, and I am determined to help restore a clarity of purpose as well as our core values.”
So what’s next for Dr. Phil? The man will continue producing his podcasts, Phil in the Blanks and Mystery & Murder: Analysis by Dr. Phil, and CBS Media Ventures, with whom he has a contract, said that McGraw is planning a “strategic primetime partnership” that will help him “increase his impact on television and viewers.”
The final episode of Dr. Phil is scheduled to air later this year.
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