Dr. Phil’s Toxic Environment

According to a BuzzFeed article published on Thursday (Feb. 10th), a dozen current and former employees of the Dr. Phil show say that the show fostered a toxic environment.

Sources told the outlet that workers were forced to perpetuate racist stereotypes on the show, told to prevent mentally ill guests from taking their medication, and forced to endure verbal abuse.

Although none of the people BuzzFeed News spoke with witnessed Phil McGraw engage in toxic workplace behaviors, two current and 10 former employees said that it was “common to be screamed at and berated by executive producer Carla Pennington and other senior-level staffers.”

According to the report, attorneys for McGraw and Pennington “categorically denied every allegation made in this story, insisting that Dr. Phil in no way fosters racism, inappropriate interactions with guests, bullying and harassment, or any other unprofessional behavior.”

H. Patrick Morris, an attorney for the 71-year-old talk show host, said in a statement to E! News, “BuzzFeed was offered dozens of current and former staff to talk to but when the reporter started hearing the truth which ruined their salacious narrative they declined. Dr. Phil takes every guest and their circumstances very seriously and spends enormous amounts of time preparing for his time with them, including consulting with world class experts.”

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