Phil McGraw to end daytime talk show 'Dr. Phil' after 21 seasons
Phil McGraw is moving on from "Dr. Phil."
McGraw chose to end his syndicated daytime talk show after 21 seasons to embark on new ventures, CBS Media Ventures announced Tuesday. The show, which was first premiered in September 2002 will air its final original episodes through its 2022-2023 season.
"I have been blessed with over 25 wonderful years in daytime television," McGraw said in a statement. "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. This has been an incredible chapter of my life and career, but while I'm moving on from daytime, there is so much more I wish to do."
CBS Media Ventures also added that McGraw, 72, will pursue a "strategic prime-time partnership," which is expected to launch in 2024 and will help "expand his reach and increase his impact on television and viewers." Reruns of the show will be offered to the network for the 2023-2024 season.
"While his show may be ending after 21 years, I'm happy to say our relationship is not," Steve LoCascio, president of the syndication company said in a statement.
"I am 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 concluded in the release.
McGraw, who was once a licensed psychologist, began his television career after appearing on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in the 1990s as a life and strategy expert. Winfrey and McGraw met after Winfrey, 69, hired him to counsel her in a defamation case for a Texas beef trial.
In 2002, McGraw launched "Dr. Phil," which became an instant hit, securing second place in the ratings after "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
"Dr. Phil" has since garnered 31 Daytime Emmy nominations and won five PRISM awards for "accurate depiction of drug, alcohol and tobacco use and addiction," according to CBS Media Ventures. The company also said the show has spent over $35 million in resources for its guests after their appearances onstage.
