This morning I watched 2 shows from 2007 and this is when I liked him. He really seemed to genuinely care about the guests and helped them with sensible advice. Now when I do occasionally watch he is exploiting people, dispensing one-sided, close-minded advice, and he and Robin are peddling their wares. The show has gone down and I'm amazed it still has a strong following.
shareI was wondering how the show has changed. I've only seen the past two seasons, except recently I've seen some older episodes from years ago. (on OWN). In those older seasons he was much calmer and less confrontational with his guest, behaved more like a real\professional doctor. He was more like Phil Donahue in terms of temperament. Now, his show is more like Maury Povich, where the guests are screaming at each other during much of the hour, and its clear the the producers (behind the scenes) are either setting guest up to take a big fall once taping begins, or the producers are encouraging people to be confrontational with each other and with Dr. Phil. I truly get a feeling that the show is being handled\produced like the Maury Povich show and\or like Professional Wrestling, where the drama is manufactured\scripted to have the look\feel the front page of the National Enquirer.
shareYou can watch older episodes on YouTube. Dr. Phil was definitely more caring and actually wanting to help when the show began. His ego was half the size it is now.
I don't bother to watch regularly any more. It's always the same format, he's confrontational until the final ten minutes, then he's compassionate and sending them off to some dual diagnosis centre.
And the audience seems well behaved too. Applauding everything Dr. Phil says at the right moment.
This man is a horror.
Watching an ep from season 15 and it's about a young woman from a wealthy background who's on drugs and drinking while pregnant and she's living as a homeless person. Not normal behaviour, I would have thought. Indicative of someone in need of help, I would have thought.
But what does "Dr" Phil do? Willfully misinterprets what the woman says in order to score verbal points and to make himself look like a hot-shot. He tells her she's not a big deal (not important, in effect) and that the ONLY reason he's helping her is because she's a 'wrapper' i.e. she's carrying a baby. That's this woman's only worth.
Astonishing, coming from a supposed health professional.
What this woman is doing to herself and her unborn child is wrong, no question, but making fun of her is not helpful nor is making her feel even more worthless than she obviously already does!
Get this fool off TV. Oprah you screwed up big time endorsing this man.
"Puss rules!"
"It's Pus"