Dr. Phil McGraw who hosted the show says he's "moving on from daytime. There is so much more I wish to do."
It's goodbye, Dr. Phil! Host Phil McGraw announced on Tuesday he's wrapping up the 21-year daytime TV run of his show in the spring. Its final episode will be aired at the end of its 2022-23 season. The 72-year-old plans to announce a "prime-time partnership" that will launch next year, CBS Media Ventures said in a statement, according to NBC News. "While his show may be ending after 21 years, I’m happy to say our relationship is not," Steve LoCascio, the president of CBS Media Ventures, said in the statement.
"This has been an incredible chapter of my life and career," McGraw shared, "but while I’m moving on from daytime, there is so much more I wish to do." McGraw's career on TV took off when appeared as America’s life coach on Oprah Winfrey’s show in the 1990s. McGraw was once a licensed psychologist in Texas before he moved to California to launch Dr. Phil in 2002. McGraw has hosted nearly 4,000 episodes that featured 20,000 guests and received letters from 5 million viewers. The show has earned 31 Daytime Emmy nominations over its long run, reports Variety. Around 2 million people on average still tune in to each episode of the sometimes controversial show.
The show has received criticism over recent years claiming that it exploited its guests and their problems for the sake of TV ratings. CBS claimed that the show has provided more than $35 million in resources for guests after the cameras stop rolling. It is the second highest-rated talk show after Live with Kelly and Ryan. The show follows other daytime talk shows like The Wendy Williams Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Dr. Oz, and The Real that have called it quits.
"I have been blessed with over 25 wonderful years in daytime television," McGraw said in a statement sent to PEOPLE. "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." McGraw added that he is "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 is currently working on producing scripted projects and hosting two podcasts, Phil in the Blanks and Mystery & Murder: Analysis by Dr. Phil.
References:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/phil-mcgraw-end-dr-phil-21-year-daytime-tv-run-rcna68526
https://people.com/tv/dr-phil-talk-show-to-end-after-21-seasons/
https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/dr-phil-talk-show-end-oprah-cbs-1235508811/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Ethan Miller
