Severnty-three-year-old Dr. Phil, whose real name is Phil McGraw, has generously allowed Entertainment Tonight (ET) to get a sneak peek at some exciting things happening in the coming weeks.
The talk show host gave a tour of his network’s Texas studio, Merit Street Media, and discussed his latest book in an exclusive interview with ET’s Kevin Frazier.
According to McGraw, “Merit Street” was not a random selection. He believes in the American ideal of meritocracy, which holds that one should be rewarded for their efforts and contributions. He said there’s a junction where Main Street America and Merit Street converge, and his goals and the enormous studio in which his new program, Dr. Phil Primetime, is filmed are based on that vision.
The new network features well-known hosts on its Merit Street programming, including Steve Harvey, Nancy Grace, and Chris Harrison.
McGraw expressed his deep worry about the current state of affairs in the US. He is concerned that the American family, its values, and the whole idea of truth are under assault. He is hoping for more exposure than what daytime could provide regarding audience size and platform.
Late in February, McGraw published a new book titled We’ve Got Issues: How You Can Stand Strong for America’s Soul and Sanity. The book centers on a simple notion- returning to facts. He lists the oversaturation of cancel culture as one of the country’s most pressing problems.
Dr. Phil made this point in an interview with Jordan Peterson last month.
According to Dr. Phil, the state and federal governments recognized that the schools were a lifeline for those students, yet they shut them down nonetheless when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and threatened or chastised parents and doctors, among others, who disagreed.
He was very critical of the activities taken by the CDC and the Department of Education, claiming that these organizations ignored studies showing that kids were far less vulnerable to COVID-19.
Lockdowns, however, have far-reaching consequences, including adverse effects on children’s mental health and education in addition to societal and economic expenses, as shown in research.
He told ET that the book We’ve Got Issues perfectly describes our situation. People think woke and cancel culture has gone too far and are starting to push back. He believes Dr. Phil Primetime is airing at the perfect moment because folks are now prepared to apply common sense.
