Phillip Calvin McGraw known popularly as ‘Dr. Phil’ is a famous American television personality, mental health professional and the host of ‘Dr. Phil’, a television show that has been on air since 2002. McGraw is a life strategist who rose to prominence in the late 1990’s after being a regular guest on ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’. A best-selling author, McGraw has penned 4 self-help books with ‘Life Strategies’ being the most popular one.
McGraw came in contact with Winfrey when she hired his legal consulting firm CSI in 1995 to represent her against a lawsuit. She was so impressed with him, that she made him a regular on her show, appearing every Tuesday since April 1998 in the capacity of a ‘life strategy and relationship expert’. McGraw created ‘Dr.Phil’, an ‘advice show’ in 2002.
Early Life and Education
McGraw was born on 1 September 1950 to Joseph McGraw, Jr. and Anne Geraldine Stevens in Vinita, Oklahoma, USA. He has two older sisters named Deana and Donna, and a younger sister named Brenda. He grew up in the North Texas oilfields where his father worked as an equipment supplier. McGraws’s father also aspired to be a psychologist.
McGraw first attended Shawnee Mission North High School in Overland Park, Kansas. In 1968 he attended the University of Tulsa but later moved to Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas from where he graduated with a B.A. in psychology in 1975. In 1976, he earned a Masters Degree in Experimental Psychology and by 1979, had completed his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of North Texas. After earning his Ph.D., McGraw joined his father’s private psychology practice in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Career Rise
McGraw launched the ‘Dr.Phil’ show in 2002 which became a nationwide success. The show had a simple format where he featured troubled guests who would speak about their life problems with McGraw serving as the advisor. McGraw essentially identifies their problems and offers solutions, which generally require his guests to alter their way of thinking. McGraw is known for his signature line ‘Get Real’. He covers topics ranging from obesity, monet, disgruntled spouses, spoiled children etc on his show.
McGraw entered the business of selling weight-loss products through his show in 2003, claiming that he himself had suffered from obesity and that he lost his father early due to the disease. McGraw received severe criticism from physicians who pointed out that he was a psychologist and not a physician and lacked expertise in selling the products. McGraw has been a controversial figure and several critics think his style of ‘telling it like it is’ is extremely harsh.
A best-selling author, McGraw has several books out of which ‘Life Strategies’, ‘The Ultimate Weight Solution’, ‘Self Matters’ and ‘Relationship Rescue’ are regarded as all time best sellers.
Personal Life
The 1.93 meter tall McGraw first married Debbie Higgins McCall, an ex-cheerleader and her university’s home coming queen, in 1970, when he was just 20, but the marriage lasted only till 1973. McCall claimed that McGraw confined her to domestic duties and was very domineering, often restricting her from participating in the family business.
While getting his marriage annulled, McGraw started dating Robin Jo Jameson and married her in 1976. Together the couple have two sons Jay (1979) and Jordan (1986). Jay McGraw is also an author and has published self-help books for teenagers.
Phil McGraw – Salary and Net Worth
One of the highest earning celebrities in the world according to Forbes, McGraw draws an annual salary of $88 Million and has an estimated Net Worth of approximately $400 Million.
