41 Facts About Phil McGraw

1.

Phil McGraw holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, though he ceased renewing his license to practice psychology in 2006.

2.

Phil McGraw grew up with two older sisters, Deana and Donna, and younger sister Brenda in the oilfields of North Texas where his father was an equipment supplier.

3.

Phil McGraw moved to Kansas with his father as his father pursued his lifelong goal of becoming a psychologist.

4.

Phil McGraw played linebacker on the high school football team and in 1968 earned a football scholarship to the University of Tulsa, where he played middle linebacker under coach Glenn Dobbs.

5.

Phil McGraw later transferred to Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas.

6.

Six years after joining Box, in October 1991 Phil McGraw sold his share in the company for $325,000.

7.

In 1990, Phil McGraw co-founded Courtroom Sciences, Inc with lawyer Gary Dobbs.

8.

Phil McGraw is no longer an officer or director of the company.

9.

In 1995, Oprah Winfrey hired Phil McGraw's legal consulting firm CSI to prepare her for the Amarillo Texas beef trial.

10.

Phil McGraw's appearance proved so successful that he began appearing weekly as a relationship and life strategy expert on Tuesdays starting in April 1998.

11.

In September 2002, McGraw formed Peteski Productions and launched his own syndicated daily television show, Dr Phil, produced by Winfrey's Harpo Studios.

12.

Dr Phil is an advice show, in which McGraw tackles a different topic on each show, offering advice to his guests.

13.

On May 21,2007, Dr Phil McGraw was ranked fourth by Nielsen Media Research, with 6.69 million viewers.

14.

In May 2008 the only talk show more popular than Dr Phil McGraw was The Oprah Winfrey Show.

15.

In 2007 Phil McGraw was 30th on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list.

16.

On December 11,2018 Dr Phil McGraw was the top syndicated show with a "2.9 live-plus-same-day" national Nielsen rating, ranking first among talk shows for the 117th consecutive week.

17.

Phil McGraw's ranking improved, and by 2020 he was in the 22nd spot on the same Forbes list with earnings of $65.5 million.

18.

In 2005, Jay McGraw and Phil McGraw formed Stage 29 Productions, and a week later, announced a new show called Moochers.

19.

In 2006, the Dr Phil McGraw House began airing as part of the Dr Phil McGraw television show.

20.

Late in 2007, McGraw began promoting the Dr Phil Show spinoff series The Doctors.

21.

In 2012, Phil McGraw founded the telehealth company Doctor On Demand, an online platform which allowed individuals to schedule virtual appointments with a network of physicians and therapists.

22.

Phil McGraw launched a web and mobile service in 2014.

23.

On October 21,1988, the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists determined that Phil McGraw had hired a former patient for "part-time temporary employment".

24.

Phil McGraw fulfilled all terms of the board's requirements, and the board closed its complaint file in June 1990.

25.

Phil McGraw stopped renewing his Texas license to practice psychology in 2006.

26.

Phil McGraw has never had a license in California, where his show is taped.

27.

In 2002, the California Board of Psychology determined that because Phil McGraw's television show was more about entertainment than psychology, Phil McGraw did not need a license.

28.

In 2003, Phil McGraw lent his name and image to a line of nutritional supplements, including vitamin packets, meal replacement drinks, and power bars under the brand name Shape Up, under a licensing agreement with CSA Nutraceuticals, a Texas start-up.

29.

In 2006, Phil McGraw was named a co-defendant, along with Paramount, CBS Television, and others in a 2006 lawsuit filed in relation to the disappearance of Natalee Holloway.

30.

The visit by Phil McGraw drew criticism from the Spears family and from mental health professionals.

31.

Immediately after the visit, Phil McGraw issued public statements about Spears' situation that Spears' family spokeswoman Lou Taylor said violated their family trust in Phil McGraw.

32.

Later in 2008, McGraw was sued by Thomas Riccio, the memorabilia collector responsible for taping the Las Vegas robbery that led to O J Simpson's conviction.

33.

Riccio sued McGraw in Los Angeles Superior Court for defamation, and other complaints stemming from an interview he did on the Dr Phil Show which aired on October 8,2008.

34.

Phil McGraw was criticized for an interview featuring former actress Shelley Duvall which aired in 2016.

35.

Phil McGraw has written op-eds for Sportico and The Hill.

36.

Phil McGraw frequently advises individuals to seek professional help, particularly psychotherapy.

37.

The study attributed this phenomenon to viewers' tendency to form a parasocial bond with Phil McGraw through watching the show, and have increased belief in their ability to seek help.

38.

Phil McGraw married his first wife, Debbie Higgins McCall, in 1970, when he was 20 years old.

39.

Phil McGraw claimed that she was confined to domestic duties and instructed to begin lifting weights to improve her bustline.

40.

Phil McGraw is a private pilot, with an instrument rating, flying single-engine airplanes.

41.

Phil McGraw launched a charity, Dr Phil Foundation, in October, 2003.