Dr. Phil McGraw, once a household name for handing out no-nonsense advice on daytime television, is now staring down the wreckage of a media empire that never got off the ground. According to a damning report from Slate, McGraw’s pivot from talk-show host to right-wing media mogul has gone from ambitious to outright disastrous — with layoffs, lawsuits, and bankruptcy filings stacking up as fast as his former TV ratings used to.
After aligning himself closely with Donald Trump and the MAGA movement during the former president’s second term, McGraw seemed determined to shift from self-help guru to conservative power player. He showed up at ICE raids, criticized racial justice protests, and stood proudly beside Trump after disasters like the Texas flooding. He even attended RFK Jr.’s swearing-in — all while increasingly painting himself as a warrior for “core values” under siege.
In 2024, he launched Merit Street Media, his big swing at creating a Fox News alternative with more cowboy hats and fewer filters. “American families and our core values are under attack. Together we are going to stand strong and fight for the very soul and sanity of America,” McGraw declared at the time.
But the mission to save America ran into a brick wall of reality.
The network flopped almost instantly. Viewership tanked — barely scraping together 27,000 weekly viewers. Behind the scenes, broadcasting partnerships collapsed. Employees were laid off in waves. By July, the company was forced to file for bankruptcy.
As Slate put it, “A total collapse finally kicked off this summer. In late June, Dr. Phil Primetime went on another ‘summer hiatus,’ and 40 more Merit Street Media staffers were laid off.”
It didn’t end there.
The Trinity Broadcasting Network, one of McGraw’s early distributors, slapped him with a lawsuit for fraud and misrepresentation. Another partner, Professional Bull Riders, claimed McGraw owed them $3.5 million — and accused him of using the bankruptcy as a shield to dodge payments.
Still, McGraw didn’t seem ready to walk away from the wreckage. He launched Envoy Media Company with fellow TV personality Steve Harvey — this time, marketing it as a “citizen journalism” platform. But industry insiders aren’t buying it. Critics see it as another shaky attempt to stay relevant while sidestepping growing financial obligations.
His dramatic shift from neutral daytime figure to MAGA-aligned firebrand hasn’t just failed to attract viewers — it’s alienated many who used to trust him.
As Slate reported, “McGraw decries politics in one breath, then repeatedly pops up at the White House and films videos about ‘Cowardly Democrats’ who ‘Spit in the Face of All Texans.’”
Even right-wing outlets aren’t impressed. The conservative UK platform UnHerd wrote that McGraw’s “reinvention as a culture warrior isn’t working,” citing the abundance of more established MAGA voices and his lack of political authenticity.
It’s a far cry from his Oprah-anointed beginnings, where his mix of southern charm and tough love built an empire. Now, McGraw is trying to carve out a space in a hyper-partisan media landscape that appears neither ready for him — nor interested.
So, in the words of the man himself: “How’s that workin’ out for ya?”
