Dr. Phil's Reputation In Question Amid Startling Claims From Staffers

Dr. Phil McGraw is most well known for his daytime talk show, "Dr. Phil," which has been airing since 2002. On the show, he offers advice to participants typically around the topic of mental health while addressing a wide range of issues, including bullying, drug abuse, domestic violence, suicide, and depression. Before launching his own show, however, the Oklahoma native appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." In a 2011 interview with CBS's "The Early Show," Dr. Phil admitted that he wouldn't have achieved the success he has today without Oprah's help and support in the early days of his television program. According to the psychologist, Oprah was "the factor" in launching the talk show. "She has changed my life," he said. "And how do you say thank you for something like that?"

Over the years, however, the mental health expert has been at the center of a number of controversies around the way participants are treated on the "Dr. Phil" show, as per STAT. One such controversy took place in 2013 when Todd Harzog, who was dealing with alcoholism at the time, claimed that studio employees left out a bottle of vodka and gave him Xanax prior to his segment with Dr. Phil, leading to him appearing drunk in front of the cameras. Dr. Phil denied that these events took place. 

Now, however, a new report has brought claims of a toxic on-set environment to light — but this time, for McGraw's staff.

On February 10, BuzzFeed News released a report detailing interviews with 11 employees of the "Dr. Phil" show. The staffers outlined a long list of complaints about the workplace environment that put Dr. Phil McGraw's reputation as a mental health expert in question. One employee stated that "everyone was just pretty miserable," adding that the atmosphere on the CBS daytime show set was one of "palpable dread and anxiety." This anonymous staffer emphasized the irony of working for a show about mental health when "everybody who works on it has terrible mental health because our work conditions were really bad." Another employee admitted that they sought out therapy after quitting the position due to having "nightmares." Most pointed to executive producer Carla Pennington as the worst of the senior-level staffers, known for calling lower-level employees names during explosive outbursts.

While none of the staff members called out Dr. Phil in particular for any specific wrongdoing, they did criticize the human behavior expert for not taking action to improve work conditions. Dr. Phil's attorneys have vehemently denied the accusations while painting a completely opposite picture of the on-set conditions. In an interview with Variety on February 10, Dr. Phil's personal attorney, Patrick Morris, claimed that the Buzzfeed News report "is a clickbait story." A spokesperson for the show referred to the article as "sensationalized and baseless," adding that "show executives have strived to create a collaborative, safe, and open environment for [everyone]."