‘Dr. Phil’ set to conclude after current season following more than 20-year run

Washington [US], February 1 (ANI): Daytime talk show ‘Dr. Phil’, which premiered in September 2002 and has run in syndication for 21 seasons, is all set to bid goodbye when its current season comes to a close later this year, confirmed E! News, a USA-based entertainment news outlet.

According to the outlet, Dr. Phil McGraw, who hosted the show throughout its run, said in a statement, “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. 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,” he added.

This news comes nearly a year after the show faced allegations of mistreatment on set. E! News reported that in February 2022, Buzzfeed News published a report citing multiple past and current Dr Phil staffers who detailed experiences of verbal abuse, fear and intimidation while on the job.

None of the staffers, most of whom spoke to the outlet anonymously, said they saw McGraw engage in the specific behaviour, but made allegations about a culture of toxicity. In separate statements to E! News at the time, reps for both McGraw and the show denied the allegations, calling the report a “clickbait story.”

In recent years, 72-year-old McGraw has diversified his resume within the entertainment industry. He is currently an executive producer on CBS’ ‘So Help Me Todd’, starring Skylar Astin and Marcia Gay Harden. McGraw also hosts two podcasts, ‘Phil in the Blanks’ and ‘Mystery & Murder: Analysis by Dr Phil’.