Dr. Phil Announces That His Daytime Talk Show Is Ending After 21 Years

Dr. Phil McGraw has announced that his eponymous daytime talk show will be coming to an end after the current season following 21 years on the air. 

McGraw’s Daytime Talk Show Ending

“I have been blessed with over 25 wonderful years in daytime television,” McGraw, 72, told People Magazine. “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. “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.”

McGraw had signed a five year contract with CBS Media Ventures in 2018 that is set to expire this year. CBS Media Ventures will likely allow networks to run previous episodes of “Dr. Phil” in syndication during the upcoming 2023-24 season.

“Phil is a valued partner and member of the CBS/King World family, and while his show may be ending after 21 years, I’m happy to say our relationship is not,” said Steve LoCascio, president of CBS Media Ventures.

“Phil changed the daytime landscape as the force behind one of the most popular talk shows ever on daytime TV,” he continued. “We plan to be in the ‘Dr. Phil’ business with the library for years to come and welcome opportunities to work together in the future.”

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McGraw’s Career

NBC reported that McGraw got his start as a licensed psychologist in Texas, but he rose to fame nationally as an life coach expert making appearances on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” throughout the 1990s. He was given his own talk show that premiered in 2002, and he has since hosted over 4,000 episodes that included 20,000 guests.

McGraw is going out on a high note with 2 million people still tuning in to each episode of his show, making it the second highest-rated talk show on television behind “Live with Kelly and Ryan.” 

Fans of McGraw’s should not despair, however, as he’s issued a press release indicating that he is looking to move to primetime, according to NPR. He said that he’s planning to announce a “strategic, prime-time partnership [with CBS Media Ventures], scheduled for an early 2024 launch, which will expand his reach and increase his impact on television and viewers.”

Related: Dr. Phil Serves Up Some Reality To Entitled Teen And His Mom

McGraw’s Controversies

The BBC reported that McGraw has faced criticism in the past, most notably for a 2016 interview with the former actress Shelley Duvall of The Shining fame that many found to be “exploitative.”

Last year, Buzzfeed reported that current and former employees of McGraw’s show were alleging “verbal abuse in a workplace that fosters fear, intimidation and racism.” They also complained about unethical treatment of guests who suffer from mental illness.

McGraw denied all of the allegations that were made against him and his show, and he appears to have emerged from this scandal relatively unscathed.

Whether you are a fan of McGraw’s or not, the mark that he has left on daytime television cannot be denied. It will certainly be interesting to see if he can successfully make the leap to primetime in the future!