Friday, May 23, 2014

Dr. Phil Has Irked Me Again…

Self promotion and exploitation are the basic motivators for Dr. Phil’s show. I am not the only one who feels that way, just check out his show’s Facebook page to see complaint after complaint. What’s up now? For those of you who don’t tune in I’ll explain. This year Robin, Dr. Phil’s wife, has “created” a skin care line (and I use the word “created” very loosely). On top of that, Dr. Phil and his son Jay have created a new app called, “Doctor on Demand,” that allows you to connect with a real doctor, who will diagnose you over your smart phone and give you a prescription for whatever ails you for a mere $40, the cost of a co-pay, in the comfort of your home. That is what is on the agenda for this season. Two money making schemes to add to the riches of Dr. Phil’s pockets. That is after all Dr. Phil’s forte, bilking people out of money under the guise of helping them when, in actuality, he is helping himself.

Let me explain why this irks me. I was watching a show about an abused woman. She had little self esteem, the husband was a real jerk who verbally assaulted her every chance he got. He doesn't find her attractive, blah, blah blah. So they are telling their story and half way into the show (or less) Dr. Phil announces that Robin is going to help the wife by giving her a “make-over.” I’m thinking fine, the wife and Robin will go backstage together while Dr. Phil lays into the jerk of a husband and straightens him out. But no, that’s not what happens. Instead, we get to see the entire make-over from start to finish, focusing on Robin’s skin care line which is going to make all the difference in this woman’s life. Insert eye-roll. All the while Dr. Phil and the jerk of a husband are sitting out on stage waiting for the miraculous transformation that is going to save this marriage. The make-over takes about 30 minutes and is basically a self-serving “infomercial” within the show. There is no other way around it. Promoting Robin’s products and the fact she will be appearing on a cable channel after the show to hawk her goods some more. I was disgusted. Many people of the Dr. Phil page were disgusted. Instead of taking care of the problem “husband” they put a Band-Aid on the wife and sent her home with skin cream. In the meantime you can hear the “chi-ching” for orders being placed all over America and maybe even the world. After this show aired, it wasn’t the end of the shameless promotion of this skin care line. Every female guest appearing after that show needed to be treated with more of the same. They didn’t waste as much time, but managed to beat a dead horse promoting their products when they should be helping the guest.

Moving on to the Doctor on Demand App. How long has Dr. Phil been “treating” people on his show? Over ten years I would guess. Never before has he had the need for an medical doctor to define every illness and it’s consequences. Up until now, he has ben able to tell guests the what will happened if they continue to do drugs or alcohol. This isn’t his first rodeo after all. He knows his stuff and what he doesn’t know he can easily find out. But now he is all of a sudden playing dumb. Every guest that is harming themselves with drugs or alcohol needs to hear what a doctor on demand has to say about it. Midway through his interview the will tell us he and his son Jay have created an app that allows you to speak to a doctor about any medical issue. Dr. Phil will whip out his smart phone, that has already connected itself to a doctor from his app, and start asking the doctor questions about the guests condition. He will hand the phone over to the guest as he asks basic questions and then thank the highly qualified doctor for answering. Then he encourages everyone to download the app and gets back to his guest. It really is unethical to use the show in this way. Doesn’t Dr. Phil have enough money without taking time away from guests who have come to him seeking his help? And we all know that he combs through all potential guests to find those who will bring him the highest ratings because this show is a cash cow for Dr. Phil and all his products. He even promotes his son, Jay's, show The Docotrs and his son's publishing company that published the good old doc's lasst book.

He may have started out a tiny bit sincere about trying to help people overcome problems, but now (and for a long long time) his guests have become a means to an end. A way to help his empire grow. Who cares if that woman’s husband, the jerk, continues to verbally abuse her? They gave her skin care products and let her be on the show to exploit her problem as a means to launch Robin’s line. And who better to subscribe to his app Doctor’s on demand than hypochondriacs? They can call in every day! Yes, he did have a woman on there who suffered from hypochrondria and he suggested she use his app. Cha-ching.

 

44 comments:

  1. I couldn't agree more! I'm not sure why I watch anyway, but it is more about promoting family businesses of questionable value than anything else.

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  2. Today he had a family that was very very upset about losing there daughter in a murder..he said a few one liners anyone would say to a grieving parent ..then told them to visit his facebook page for more tips. He is a bad person. I used to like him until he told someone who believes that christmas is a pegan holiday that she needs to get over It and celebrate for her kids. Wow willy nilly with peoples religion and tragic events. His mind is I one place $$$$

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  3. The guy is a bellend, such a sanctamonous hypocrite, did you know he wrote a book !

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  4. today's show has added Robin's new line of candles. they should be embarrassed!

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  5. I happened to catch the candles also, all names after the people she loves! Who would want a candle that smells like Phil? And how many of us believe that act he put on about hos much he loves candles? I have not seen a man yet who cares about them. If they want to be generous why aren't all the profits from her makeup and candles and whatever else she is hacking going to charities like St. Jude instead of on top of all their millions?

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  6. I've had the displeasure of working with him. He treats staff and crew like trash, God forbid things don't run as he expects or a small issue arises that has a simple solution because he will go off on everyone. I've seen him tell people off if something comes up in an interview that he isn't in the mood to talk about because it's your fault even when it's not your mistake. He's arrogant, rude, nasty and heartless. There is nothing genuine about this hack.

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  7. Thank you for verifying what have read elsewhere and suspected. He is arrogant and judgmental. He exploits people's problems to add to his fame and fortune. His wife's "beauty line" is ridiculous. His Doctors on Demand is tantamount to malpractice. What doctor can diagnosis and prescribe medications over a phone call for $40. He spends more and more of his show on infomercials for these two new scams. Yet his ratings are high. Go figure.

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  8. I have watched Dr. Phil for about a year now and noticed rather quickly that he was a jerk. I have felt sorry for people on his show when he humiliated them. I don't understand why people can't see what he really is! The only decent thing he does is provide free help for people who are addicted to drugs or alcohol. And, why is Dr. Frank Lawless ALWAYS in the audience on his show? The guests get sent to the same places that previous guests have been sent, which is okay I guess, but does anyone ever question how effective they really are? I'm sure there is a kick back for ole Dr. Phil for using them. But, if people are getting good help for free you can't complain. I also question all the 'extras' that Phil's family is making money off of on the show. And why is Robin on his show anyway? BTW, he isn't an MD and almost got is serious trouble in the Britney Spears fiasco for practicing without a license (which he gave up in 2006) when he got into a questionable situation in Texas and they were preparing to possibly TAKE his license. I no longer watch the show because I have no respect for him anymore. Everyone should 'Google him' and read what's out there on him. There's a LOT.

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    1. Dr. Frank Lawlis is in the audience because he was Phil's adviser/mentor in graduate school. In other words, he helped create Dr. Phil so he's pro-Phil and making him a contributing psychologist to the show probably keeps him in Dr. Phil's fan club.

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  9. Dr Phil and his chirping Stepford Wife are shameless self promoters.

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  10. I'm far away in Scandinavia but used to record the show a few years back. One night though there was an insane amount of mentions about his son's book?, and it just annoyed me greatly. Haven't watched it since.

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    1. Thankyou also. I too thought I was the only one. So shamless and greedy.

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    2. I have been watching Dr. Phil's epidodes on & off these past months on youtube. Today I finally had it! I have noticed for weeks now that every episode I viewed has Dr. Phil continously self promoting along with promoting both of his sons' budinesses & his wife's skin care line. Well I got so annoyed about it that I googled to see if others noticed & were bothered by it when I found this page! Also an old episode showed his wife showing off a huge gingerbread she built inside their home for their 2 grandchildren it was big enough to house an entire classroom of kids let alone two! I found it pretentious & unnecessary to put that on the end of the show as I am sure most of us are not able to afford such a thing therefore they should have just kept it to themselves & their family without needing to show off anyway that is how I feel about it. Glad I came across this page as enjoy reading all of your comments.

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  12. I find dr phil so self righteous! he thinks that everyone have to agree with him on everything he says! and that wife of his is so smug! and i can't stand her a lot of times! why should we all agree with dr phil!? because he has millions of dollars and has his own show and is a doctor? sure he may be educated on a lot of things, but it doesn't give him the right to be so arrogant and yell at his guests sometimes! he has his own opinions and he should understand that we don't always to agree with his opinions and advice! i would like to see some guests yell back at dr phil! and tell him off! and call him a jerk!

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  13. I THINK DR PHIL IS SELF RIGHTEOUS! AND HE SURE IS ARROGANT! HE EXPECTS EVERYONE TO BELIEVE EVERYTHING HE SAYS! AND EVERYONE TO ACCEPT HIS ADVICE AND OPINIONS! WHY? IS IT BECAUSE HE IS A RICH DOCTOR WHO HAS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OR MAYBE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS? SURE HE MAY BE EDUCATED OR SKILLED AS A DOCTOR, BUT HE IS NOT GOD! AND HE SOMETIMES ACTS LIKE A BULLY AND A JERK TO HIS GUESTS! I HOPE I WILL SEE MORE GUESTS IN THE FUTURE, YELLING AT HIM AND TELLING HIM OFF!

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  14. Constantly uses his show to promote his sons,his wife, his books his apps I.e. Doctor on demand. Its all about money and more money and exploding people in need. He has that holyer than thou attitude. Makes me sick.

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  15. Constantly uses his show to promote his sons,his wife, his books his apps I.e. Doctor on demand. Its all about money and more money and exploding people in need. He has that holyer than thou attitude. Makes me sick.

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  16. I feel great I thought I was the only one thinking the guy was a jerk or fake or any other negative epitaph we can think about himm

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  17. I cringe every time he brings up his info commercials on his books, Dr. on Demand, Robin's skin cream, etc, etc. When he recommends/invites his guests to use Doctor on Demand to help them with their problems in the comfort of their own home - is this going to be free? Or are they charged every time they use this service? I have noticed that more and more he seems to shuffle his guests off quickly in order to start his info commercials regarding himself, son's and wife's products. And I have noticed how irritated he gets when a guest has made a good comeback to his comments. He either quickly goes to a commercial to introduce a different point or else he comes down on that guest for the rest of the show cutting them off without even getting their comments anymore. And I would like to see follow-ups on his guests after inviting them to take part in whatever treatments he has suggested. Mind you he would pick and chose and edit to his advantage. And keep pushing those exclusive world best ranches/treatment centers etc. that the average jo can afford in this lifetime. Just another info commercial.

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  18. Correction on above comment of Anonymous December 10, 2016: ....that the average jo CAN'T afford in this lifetime.

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  19. I agree with all of you. I watch until the infomercial comes on, then turn it off. I will NOT buy anything hawked on this show. Close to giving up on it.

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  20. He has no shame...every episode now he takes the last 10 mi Utes to promote his extremely ruch wife's skin care line. We need to contact CBS as his show is not meant to be an infomercial promoting his loved ones extremely expensive skin care line.
    Out of the last 15 episodes he has promoted her line 13 times. It's disgusting, they have enough money to do an infomercial and or do a full TV as campaign. I hate this very very much and am totally disgusted that he gets away with this nepatism in his show. Let's unite, contact CBS and put a stop to this. He has promoted his older son's show The Doctors as well as his book publishing company too...all wrong and all nepatism. It makes me sick...

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  21. i just watched one of his shows,he ended it with advertising for his wife's STUPID skin care line,he does this on all his shows,so money hungry it disgusts me

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  22. Now he's shamelessly promoting the Origins facility on nearly every show. He no longer even helps the guests. He just diagnosis the problem and then says go to these guys and they have the solution to your problem. It's a waste of time to even watch the show

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  23. My thoughts verbatim! And when he revels Robin's products have been awarded
    O Magazine's seal of approval I dry heave.

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  24. I have watched him many years and still tape every show....but always stop watching before it ends if he begins an infomercial. So, it's not just me LOL

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  25. He's become greedy like all the others that Oprah got started: Dr. Oz, etc. Using the show to help their own families get richer and I believe some of the people claiming misfortunes are actors. Total deception!

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  26. It's all deception. Even the people are actors claiming to have misfortunes.

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  27. Couldn't agree more. All this promoting stuff makes me sick...!!

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  28. Same. Just his wife being on every . single. show was getting to be a bit much , then everytime i watch for last several years , i have been really turned off by the way he promotes his sons band (we dont care that he has tatoos and that he is perfectly ok with it and that he loves and supports EVERTHING he does) , his other sons show and publishing co., and his wife's cosmetics. Its so gross. And he doesn't seem to find any shame in it at all. That's kind of weird , him being a psych dr and all......

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  29. Dr Phil is only famous because of Oprah. He threw her some of his one liners about dealing with her lawsuit from the cattle farmers. She thought he was a god and made him famous. Now we have to endure him, the silly wife and his spoiled sons. Would love to hear from his first wife. Oh I take that back we Don't have to endure him just change the channel!!

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  30. Thank you, Unknown. Unbelievable, how greedy and hypocritical Dr. Phil and his wife are. And I thought Dr. Oz was bad.

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  31. Agreed, his annoying wife should peddle her skin care elsewhere. It's happening way too much now. Nobody wants to see the same products hawked every second show.

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  32. From the moment that Dr. Phil hit the airwaves, I have been disgusted by his show. He is exploiting people with serious problems. He feeds the voyeuristic tendency within us all by putting these hurting souls on his show. We are fascinated and can't look away. But he's not helping them! He's just spouting platitudes for the sake of the audience, not the "patient" (can't be "patients" if the "doctor" isn't licensed).

    I rarely watch the Dr. Phil show, but the few times I have, I have been horrified. I watched as a 15 year old pregnant teen announced that she would give her baby up for adoption, and he talked her out of it. How can it be legal for a minor to be "counseled" on television? I watched him expose a husband for having cheated on his wife that very week, even though the husband had been tricked into believing that he was confessing to the show's producers in confidence. I've never seen an episode that wasn't in some way unethical.

    How is this man able to fool so many people into believing he is a force for good?

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  33. I'm so glad to see that there are others who feel the same as I do about him. Instead of using his platform to help people who as the show proclaims, he uses it as a way to exploit vulnerable people for profit. When I saw that they were peddling their products (Robin's skincare line & Dr on Demand), it was such a turn off. It's a show & I suppose he has the right to do what he wants but it sure seems unethical. He's your typical narcissist who has an excessive sense of self-importance which in turn compromises the main objective of the show - helping people. I've watch him only sporadically but no more. I mean how many times can you watch a show about parents & their unmanahable kids?

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  34. He as a doctorate in psychology . He is not a medical doctor , psychiatrist / psychologist. His show is packed in several lengthy commercials. My take he does his punch line at the very end of the show It seems that everyone is on the the skin cream business. LOL.

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  35. Someone should investigate his time in archer city Texas

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  36. The KING of narcissism and nepotism. And why doesn't 'the wifey' help out in a soup kitchen instead of being 'parked' in the audience for EVERY SINGLE SHOW. Now it's his Podcast that he is promoting, and Pfizer, with Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall at the end of the shows. All FREE advertising!!! Finally, he constantly slaps his guests on the hand who use the word 'but' . . . BUT he uses the word ALL THE TIME!!!!

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  37. I keep watching cause interesting subject matter but as soon as he mentions Robin or Jay I change the channel. He is so pompous and so arrogant. I cannot stand how self absorbed and self promoting he is. Everyday I ask myself why I have it on...ugh!

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  38. Phil...can't stand him and actually think he is dangerous. He is no position to judge, diagnose make referrals. I think in many cases, he does more damage then good. I recall him trying to give Britney Spears unwanted attention and diagnosis while she was in hospital. I remember thinking, what business is it of his??? Leave the poor girl alone. He was after ratings...pure and simple.
    His wife is no better. They all make me sick. Oh, and let's be real...Robin looks plastic and slightly anorexic if you ask me.
    Perhaps charity should start at home

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  39. Dr. Phil is shameless. I like his straight forward advice, but I am sick and tired of the infomercial promotion of his wife's skin products, his son Jay's own publishing company (I'm sure he couldn't afford it on his own - like dad didn't fund this, right?)
    Now, Robin is giving advice, an "expert" in domestic abuse - She has absolutely NO college education - is a high school graduate and has no right to give advice at all.
    The promotion of his wife's candles is obnoxious. I wonder how their sponsor allows this.
    He is a proud father, but he should be humble. Jay married a nude posing playboy gal. Jay all of a sudden is a producer of shows? What qualifies him for that? (being Dr. Phil's son)

    He never comes clean and mentions he cheated on his first wife, had a wandering eye. How 'bout that.
    Dr. on Demand is totally obnoxious and probably expensive. How do they do necessary blood and/or urine tests on this ap?

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  40. The man himself has training and talent. But his constant promotion of his children and wife; people who have no business and no training for whatever he has set them up with...is disgusting. If he would stick to his highest level of competence, I would have no problem. But his promotion of questionable people and questionable products makes me disgusted with him.

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  41. The McGraws’ shameless profit schemes under the guise of life therapy seems to be escalating as the show ages.
    If you watch enough episodes, you can realize how formulaic is his structure. He leads the guest, repeats his self-accredited adages and feigns indignation routinely. He exploits the mentally ill who need serious intervention. His cohorts, which are the wise professionals he calls on, are all in on this profitability.
    Two more things: Dr. Phil repeatedly uses the term “gyp” which apparently he doesn’t know is a racial slur. He also routinely refers to an autoimmune disease, on which he supposedly wrote a thesis, as ”rheumatory” arthritis. There is no such name; it is “rheumatoid.”
    I watch the show out of human interest but like many, I often turn away when the McGraws start their product propaganda and false humility.

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