Phil McGraw

Phillip Calvin McGraw, known professionally as Dr. Phil, is an American television personality and author who hosted the talk show Dr. Phil. Born on September 1, 1950, in Vinita, Oklahoma, he holds a doctorate in clinical psychology. He grew up in the oilfields of North Texas, where he worked at an A&W Root Beer stand and a local pizza chain during his youth.

McGraw attended Shawnee Mission North High School in Kansas before earning a football scholarship to the University of Tulsa in 1968. He transferred to Midwestern State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology in 1975. He completed a Master of Arts in experimental psychology in 1976 and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 1979 at North Texas State University, followed by post-doctoral training in forensic psychology at the Wilmington Institute. In 1971, McGraw ran the Grecian Health Spa in Topeka, Kansas, which closed in 1973 amid bankruptcy and state legal investigations into membership contract sales. He later joined his father's private psychology practice and co-presented Pathways self-help seminars from 1985 to 1991.

In 1990, McGraw co-founded Courtroom Sciences, Inc., a trial consulting firm that conducted simulated trials for legal teams. Oprah Winfrey hired the firm in 1995 to assist with the Amarillo Texas beef trial. Following her legal victory in 1998, Winfrey invited McGraw to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show, leading to his regular weekly segment as a relationship and life strategy expert beginning in April 1998.

In September 2002, McGraw created Peteski Productions and launched his syndicated daily talk show, Dr. Phil, produced by Harpo Studios. The program gained widespread popularity, becoming one of the highest-rated syndicated talk shows on television. Although McGraw ceased renewing his Texas psychology license in 2006, the California Board of Psychology determined in 2002 that he did not require a license to host the show because it was classified as entertainment rather than formal psychological practice.

McGraw expanded his media career by establishing Stage 29 Productions in 2005 with his son, Jay McGraw. Through Stage 29 and other executive producer roles, he developed and supported several television series, including Decision House, the spin-off talk show The Doctors, Daily Mail TV, and the reality series House Calls with Dr. Phil. His trial consulting work also served as the basis for the drama series Bull, which he co-created.

Outside of traditional broadcasting, McGraw founded the telehealth platform Doctor On Demand in 2012 to connect patients virtually with physicians and therapists. In November 2023, he announced the formation of Merit Street Media, a Fort Worth-based television network. The company launched in April 2024 anchored by Dr. Phil Primetime, though it filed for bankruptcy the following year amid disputes with its broadcast partner.

Throughout his career, McGraw's television advice and methods generated public discussion and criticism from some mental health professionals. Despite these controversies, a 2016 study from The Ohio State University indicated that viewers formed parasocial bonds with McGraw, making them more inclined to seek professional mental health services for themselves and their families.