Phillip Calvin McGraw (best known as Dr. Phil born September 1 1950 in Vinita, Oklahoma) is the host of the popular American psychology TV-show Dr. Phil who gained celebrity status following appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Biography

McGraw was born in Vinita, Oklahoma. McGraw attended high school at Shawnee Mission North High School in Overland Park, Kansas. He was given a football scholarship to attend the University of Tulsa, but was injured and forced to transfer to Midwestern State University. He graduated with a B.A. in psychology in 1975. He earned his Master's degree at University of North Texas in experimental psychology and a Doctorate in clinical psychology in 1979.

In 1996 Oprah Winfrey hired Phil McGraw to prepare her for the Amarillo Texas beef trial. Winfrey was so impressed with McGraw that she credited him for her victory in that case, which ended in 1998. Soon after, she invited him to appear on her show. His appearance proved so successful that he began appearing weekly as a "Relationship and Life Strategy Expert." In 2002, he was given his own syndicated daily TV show, Dr. Phil, produced by Winfrey's Harpo Studios. The format is an advice show, where he tackles a different topic on each show, offering advice for his guests' troubles. McGraw has authored a number of self-help books on topics such as relationships and weight loss.

McGraw is noted for his Texas accent. His celebrity is largely attributed to his behavioral approach to psychology. Many critics regard advice given by him to be at best simplistic and, at worst, invective. However, the style of McGraw's advice is said to prompt the person to "get real", and to confront the issues at hand. In 2005, he signed a five-year extension of his syndication deal with his show's distributors, King World Productions Inc. The deal will pay McGraw a reported USD$15 million and keep him on the airwaves through the 2013–2014 TV season.

In September 2005, McGraw called for Americans to boycott Aruba in response to the disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway. A taped segment was shown on McGraw's show in which one of the suspects in the case made incriminating statements. However, the tape's authenticity has been disputed by experts. ^*

McGraw was parodied in the thirty-fifth season of Sesame Street by the character Dr. Feel. In 2003 he appeared as himself on the Frasier episode "The Devil and Dr. Phil." He has frequently been the butt of jokes by comedians but none more than David Letterman.

He also has a role in Scary Movie 4, where he along with others parodies the movie Saw.

In addition, Dr. Phil is regularly impersonated by Rob Bartlett on the popular Imus in the Morning radio show. He usually delivers rude and sometimes hostile remarks to other members of the show, and fails to give much therapeutic advice.

In 2005, McGraw aligned with dating service Match.com.

McGraw was married to Debbie Higgins McCall from 1970 to 1973. He married Robin Jameson in 1976 and they have two sons, Jay and Jordan.

Criticisms and controversies

The Making of Dr. Phil, a book by Sophia Dembling and Lisa Gutierrez, accuses McGraw of unethical business practices and courtroom shenanigans, exploiting his guests with a brand of "pop psychology", and having an affair with one of his clients.

Ethical violation in Texas

After being reprimanded by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists for an "inappropriate dual relationship" with a therapy client in 1988, McGraw was required to take ethics classes in order to continue his private practice in Texas. McGraw admits to giving the client a job at his office (which isn't allowed) but denied carrying on a sexual relationship with the 19 year old, who says their relationship was both sexual and stupid. He did not complete the required classes and instead went on to found Courtroom Sciences, Inc, a consulting firm that provides advice to law firms in making psychological arguments. Oprah Winfrey's legal team hired the firm in 1996 to help fight a lawsuit from cattle ranchers.

Psychological approach

Dr. McGraw can be a polarizing figure. His technique, which differs considerably from traditional psychology, has been criticized by those inside and outside the profession, but he maintains a loyal fan base and there certainly appears to be a market for his brand of self-help. He also has a considerable cult following. McGraw, like Dr. Laura, doesn't emphasize discovering the cause of emotional distress earlier in life, and instead focuses on behavior modification therapy — that is, changing a behavior without necessarily investing time in discovering the cause of an unwanted behavior. In Psychology Today journalist Pamela Paul writes that McGraw "knows what's best and he's not afraid to tell you. Dr. Phil issues counsel as marching orders." ^* To date there have been no scientific studies validating or invalidating the long-term effectiveness of his technique.

Supplements

In 2003, McGraw entered the weight-loss business, selling shakes, energy bars, and supplements. His "Shape Up" pills claimed, on their label, that "These products contain scientifically researched levels of ingredients that can help you change your behavior to take control of your weight." Facing a Federal Trade Commission investigation into Shape Up's claims, McGraw pulled his supplements off the market in March 2004, and the FTC dropped its probe. ^*

In October 2005, disgruntled dieters declared they will seek class-action suit against McGraw claiming his weight-loss program cost them $120 per month in supplements, but they failed to lose any weight.

Many have noted the irony in the rather large McGraw giving diet advice.

Erroneous medical advice

In January 2006, in a segment titled "Extreme Disorders", Dr. Phil's show presented inaccurate information about the treatment of two neurological conditions (Tourette syndrome and Asperger syndrome). Information from Quackwatch and the American Psychiatric Association suggest that the information Dr. Phil and his guest, Dr. Hipskind, gave about the usefulness of brain imaging for treatment and diagnosis of these conditions was not only wrong, but possibly dangerous. Various advocacy organizations, such as NAMI, and others representing persons with ADHD, OCD, Tourette syndrome and autism have taken issue with Dr. Phil's information about neuropsychiatric conditions.

Trivia

• McGraw is 6' 4" in height.
• McGraw was once commonly referred to as the "leg doctor."
• McGraw was ranked 4th on thephoenix.com's list of the "100 unsexiest men in the world." ^*

Catch phrases

• "Let's do it."
• "Get real!"
• "I want you to get excited about your life."
• "If you're gonna talk to me, you're gonna have to be honest."
• "This is gonna be a changing day in your life!"
• "How's that workin' for you?"
• "Are you stupid?!"
• "Are you nuts?!"
• "What are you thinking?"
• "I didn't just ride in on a load of turnips."
• "Sometimes, things just are what they are."
• "You can't change what you don't acknowledge."
• "Did you fall out of the dumb tree?!"
• "Ya think?!"
• "I want you to start living as a gay woman."
• "Let's just call a spade a shovel."
• "Get your head out of the gutter!"
• "I must have 'stupid' stamped on my forehead!"
• "I love what you're doing with your hair!" (to fellow bald men).
• "You ain't from Texas, are ya?"
• "Look, I buried my dad!"
• "Have you read my book, (Insert Book Name Here)?"
• "I hate it when that happens!"
• "This relationship needs a hero."
• "Do you want to play this game?"
• "For every rat you see, there are 50 you don't."
• "That dog don't hunt"
• "No matter how flat you make a pancake, it's got two sides to it"
• "Did you step off the crazy train?"
• "We just opened up Pandora's Box!"
• "You're gonna feel like John Wayne with a brand new six-shooter"
• "This is the tail wagging the dog."

References In Pop Culture

• Dr. Fill was a spoof of Dr. Phil in a commercial about Awful Arthur's Oyster Bar, a seafood restaurant in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina complete with catchphrases.
• Dr. Will on Comedy Central
• In the video game, Duke Nukem: Waiting For Forever, Dr. Phil was featured in the beginning sequence, interviewing Duke Nukem
• Dr. Feel Up On You on Wild 'N Out on MTV.
• Dr. Phil appeared in the opening scene of Scary Movie 4, spoofing the thriller Saw.
• Dr. Phyllis, an obvious parody of Dr. Phil, is mocked when Drake and Josh in Drake & Josh go to Dr. Phyllis to patch their relationship after a big fight.
• On The Late Show with David Letterman, Letterman showed short clips from the TV series called "Dr. Phil's Words of Wisdom." It would feature Dr. Phil delivering a one-liner, taken extremely out of context, making him look like a foolish or demoralizing person.
• A Muppet character called Dr. Feel appears on Sesame Street.
• The show was spoofed during a scene where R.J. and the forest friends flip channels on the HDTV set in the film Over the Hedge.
• Dr. Phil/Oprah spoofs on various episodes of MADtv on Comedy Central.
• Dr. Phil is parodied in the video game Liberty City Stories on its Liberty City Stories soundtrack as the host of a show called "Heartland Values with Nurse Bob"

Brief Filmography

• Scary Movie 4 (2006)

References