According to the staff, who all wish to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, it is not Dr. Phil himself who creates an unpleasant atmosphere but it is senior staff who yell at subordinates and hit them hard when a mistake is made. In addition, there would be racism and employees must manipulate guests when they participate in the show.
H. Patrick Morris, lawyer for 71-year-old Phil McGraw, states that BuzzFeed has deliberately been selective with sources, because their story about the abuses at the show of Dr. Phil otherwise if a house of cards had collapsed. According to the lawyer, sources that would tell the truth were deliberately not heard.
“Dr. Phil mainly focuses on the show and is not involved in the relations between themselves, but to his knowledge his staff would not be guilty of such practices,” the lawyer said.
“The claims of manipulation are simply too ridiculous for words, because guests find a safe place with him where they can tell their story. Also, the accusations of racism are not based on anything, this is simply not true. Apparently there are people who want attention, but in the wrong way. These accusations are false and pure and only used to write a sensational piece.”