Phil McGraw

McGraw married Debbie Higgins McCall in November 1970. The marriage ended in 1973. While going through the annulment process, he met Robin Jo Jameson, whom he married on August 14, 1976. The couple have two sons, Jay McGraw and Jordan McGraw, and multiple grandchildren.

Outside of broadcasting, McGraw is an instrument-rated private pilot qualified to fly single-engine airplanes. He was raised in a Christian household, and he founded the Dr. Phil Foundation in 2003 to support charitable causes, including childhood health initiatives.

Phillip Calvin McGraw was born in Vinita, Oklahoma, and grew up in North Texas and Kansas. He attended Shawnee Mission North High School in Overland Park, Kansas, where he played linebacker on the football team. In 1968, he earned a football scholarship to the University of Tulsa to play under coach Glenn Dobbs before an injury led him to focus on academic studies.

He transferred to Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, graduating in 1975 with a bachelor's degree in psychology. McGraw continued his education at North Texas State University, earning a master's degree in experimental psychology in 1976 and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 1979 under academic advisor Frank Lawlis. His doctoral dissertation examined psychological interventions for rheumatoid arthritis. After completing post-doctoral training in forensic psychology at the Wilmington Institute, he joined his father in private practice in Wichita Falls.

McGraw transitioned away from traditional individual talk therapy to corporate and legal consulting. In 1985, he partnered with businesswoman Thelma Box to present Pathways self-help seminars. In 1990, McGraw and lawyer Gary Dobbs co-founded Courtroom Sciences, Inc. (CSI), a trial consulting firm that used mock trials, simulated courtrooms, and jury analysis to prepare litigators for high-stakes court cases.

In 1995, Oprah Winfrey hired Courtroom Sciences, Inc. to assist her legal defense during the Amarillo, Texas beef defamation trial. Following her victory in 1998, Winfrey invited McGraw to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show. His direct, no-nonsense delivery was well received by audiences, leading to a recurring role on the program's 'Tuesdays with Dr. Phil' segments.

In September 2002, McGraw formed Peteski Productions and launched his own syndicated daytime talk show, Dr. Phil, produced in partnership with Winfrey's Harpo Studios. The hour-long program presented practical advice and behavioral interventions across a wide range of personal and family issues. The series achieved high ratings, consistently ranking among the top syndicated daytime talk shows in the United States.

Alongside his television work, McGraw authored numerous bestselling self-help and relationship books, including Life Strategies (1999), Relationship Rescue (2000), Self Matters (2001), and Family First (2005).

In 2005, McGraw and his eldest son, Jay McGraw, founded the production company Stage 29 Productions. The company created and produced several television properties, including the syndicated medical advice show The Doctors, which premiered in 2008 and won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2010. They also executive produced the news program Daily Mail TV, which earned a Daytime Emmy Award in 2019.

McGraw co-created the CBS television drama Bull, which ran from 2016 to 2022 and drew inspiration from his early career experiences as a trial consultant with CSI. In 2012, McGraw co-founded Doctor On Demand, a telehealth platform enabling patients to conduct virtual consultations with licensed physicians and mental health therapists.

In late 2023, McGraw announced the launch of Merit Street Media, a Fort Worth-based cable network centered on news and true crime programming, anchored by his show Dr. Phil Primetime. The network debuted in April 2024.

McGraw's blunt therapeutic style has attracted debate within the mental health community. While a 2016 study from The Ohio State University indicated that his program encouraged viewers to seek professional mental health treatment, professional critics have periodically argued that public advice formats oversimplify complex psychological conditions. McGraw stopped renewing his Texas psychology license in 2006, after the California Board of Psychology determined in 2002 that his televised advice functioned as entertainment rather than formal psychological practice.

Over his broadcast career, McGraw has faced several legal and public disputes. In 2003, he licensed his name to a line of Shape Up nutritional supplements produced by CSA Nutraceuticals, which ceased production following regulatory scrutiny and a consumer class-action settlement in 2006. In 2008, his hospital visit to singer Britney Spears drew criticism from her family and mental health observers over patient privacy concerns. Later in his career, McGraw and CBS were named in lawsuits by former talk show guests concerning conditions at Turn-About Ranch, a residential program he had recommended on his show.