Bombshell docuseries on 'Dr Phil' details alleged scams, lawsuits and shocking investigations
Dr Phil McGraw was a fixture on daytime TV for two decades, offering thousands of people in difficult situations a chance to talk through their problems with a trained clinical psychologist - in front of a live audience and millions of Americans watching at home.
But a new bombshell docuseries, Dirty Rotten Scandals, has pieced together a litany of allegations from former employees and guests on Dr Phil that appear to portray a toxic environment behind the scenes.
The heavily refuted allegations were aired on Wednesday (March 4) as part of the two-part documentary, exploring issues from McGraw's early life before he became famous to the investigations and lawsuits that plagued the show in the years before it came to an end in 2023.
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With anonymous ex-employees and former guests claiming scams and mistreatment on set, Dr Phil's attorneys have responded, telling Us Magazine that he 'categorically denies the allegations referenced in this film'.
The statement continued: “These claims are not new and have previously been raised, thoroughly addressed, and refuted. They are false, misleading, and lack factual foundation.
“Any implication that Dr. McGraw or the production of the program engaged in improper, unethical, or unlawful conduct is inaccurate … the program operated with established standards and with the intent of providing resources, information, and support to participants and audiences.”
Alleged scams before Dr Phil fame
Years before McGraw became a public figure through frequent spots on The Oprah Winfrey Show in the late 90s, he managed a health spa while working on his psychology PhD.
The E! docuseries unearthed decades-old allegations that the pricey spa had 'scammed' customers, something it tied to a later health supplement lawsuit that saw McGraw pay out millions.
Investigative journalist Evan Allen explained: “He was a manager of the Grecian Health Spa, which had been selling these pretty expensive time memberships.
“They were like $150 to $700 memberships. They’re advertising these memberships in the newspaper — and they suddenly shut the doors and just vanish.”
She said that the spa was accused of running a 'scam', which was denied. Allen then linked McGraw's later 'Shape Up' pills scandal.
She alleged: “That kind of behavior of selling expensive spa memberships to a spa — that suddenly ceases to exist — looks an awful lot like selling Shape Up. That was a weight loss supplement that he was marketing as 22 pills that you take every day depending on whether you’re apple-shaped or pear-shaped.
“A few years later, he had to pay a $10.5 million settlement to people who had purchased Shape Up because they didn’t do anything.”
McGraw has continued to deny any wrongdoing in relation to this settlement, in which claimants said the pills had done nothing.
'Toxic work environment' on the show
The E! docuseries also looked at allegations that came to light in 2022, when a number of former Dr Phil employees spoke anonymously to Buzzfeed, claiming that they were the victims of intimidation tactics and verbal abuse.
At the time, his attorney provided a statement to Us Weekly, responding: “It’s a clickbait story because Dr. Phil ‘sells tickets.’ BuzzFeed was offered dozens of current and former staff to talk to but when the reporter started hearing the truth which ruined their salacious narrative they declined.”
They claimed that the host was not involved in staffing, continuing: “Dr. Phil focuses on content for the program and doesn’t get involved in staff relations, but the staff at the program in no way use ethnic origin such as described.”
More employees spoke out on Dirty Rotten Scandals, also anonymously, claiming that their former boss was a 'manipulative egomaniac' and alleging that the show was 'dysfunctional and immoral'.
Guests speak out on alleged exploitation
The testimony of several of the guests who appeared on some of Dr Phil's 3,505 episodes was also featured on Dirty Rotten Scandals. Many alleged feeling pressured to appear on the program, only to be publicly humiliated.
According to documents acquired by Dirty Rotten Scandals, the show's release told guests they could not expect to receive therapy, despite that being the premise.
Allen read it out, stating: “Dr. Phil does not and will not administer individual group or medical therapy. You have to agree that you will not sue for invasion of privacy, defamation, infliction of emotional distress.
“You give up all your rights to go on the show before you go on it. And then you go on a show and you’re horrifically humiliated in front of America. Then you’re like, ‘Oh, I signed away the rights to do anything about this. I can’t even talk about it.’”
Were the treatment centers a 'scam'?
Dirty Rotten Scandals also dug into allegations on whether the treatment centers that McGraw would refer people to on the show were a 'scam', or in some way enriched people involved with the production.
Allen claimed: “All of these segments with the plug for the treatment facility, it was just obvious advertising.
“The show has a predictable arc where you go from seeing the person at their worst to Dr. Phil passes judgment and then he says, ‘I’m going to send you to the best addiction treatment facility in the country.’
“There are tons of treatment centers linked to the show: Aspen Educational Origins, Turnabout Ranch, Creative Care and an enormous number of others.”
While McGraw's lawyers rejected any assertion of wrongdoing in referring individuals to these places, the show did highlight that one of its longstanding employees, Anthony Haskins, was supposedly kept on the payroll of some treatment centers referenced on the show.
The documentary claimed that lawyers for the show said they were unaware that Haskins, the on-camera aftercare specialist, had continued the 'dog and pony show for money' with one of the treatment centers.
Lawsuits and investigations
The docuseries also went over a major public lawsuit Dr Phil fought against its former segment producer in 2015, when Leah Rothman sued McGraw, alleging emotional distress and false imprisonment.
Rothman's allegations stem from a meeting where she claimed McGraw locked the door and screamed at employees who he believed had been leaking internal information to reporters.
After reading paper work from the case, Allen said: “She talked in particular about this meeting where she and a whole bunch of people — she says 300 — who worked on The Dr. Phil Show were put in a single room and Dr. Phil entered the room and demanded the door be locked.
“Dr. Phil walks in and he says, ‘I have security guards at every door. Nobody leaves. I want to know who did it. You have 10 minutes to come forward.’ It was me, with you. Someone on staff had gotten an interview and they had tried to sell it. Dr. Phil had a deal with the outlet so he knew who had leaked it.”
The lawsuit was settled in 2018.
But the show continued to face issues, as media attention on the way it allegedly treated employees and vulnerable people that it invited on to share their troubles. This included a Boston Globe investigation, headed by Allen, that the docuseries says was shuttered after pressure from executives.
Allen said on Dirty Rotten Scandals: “We basically split our big reporting into two stories published on back to back days. We were getting tips faster than we could record them. Then we got this letter from Dr. Phil’s attorney demanding retraction. Just saying the whole story was wrong and we needed to take it all back.
“We were ready as part of the fight — and we were right. You can get sued all day long if you’re right.”
Allen claimed that pressure from on high led to the investigation being closed. She continued: “But they included something I’ve never seen before, a letter to the owner of the Boston Globe.
“This letter said, ‘If we sue you, it is going to be really expensive.’ It was a pretty clear financial threat. This was the only time in my career that’s ever happened but the Globe told us there was no appetite for a legal fight. So that was it. The project got shut down.”
The Boston Globe categorically denied Allen's claim, saying: “Having published two comprehensive articles that we stand by up to this day. The allegation is absolutely false.”
UNILAD has contacted representatives of McGraw for further comment.
Topics: Documentaries, Mental Health, Film and TV
William Morgan