Dr. Phil is "bullet-proof: Why toxic workplace allegations against Phil McGraw's show are unlikely to have the same impact as similar accusations against Ellen DeGeneres

The Hollywood Reporter

Less than two years after Buzzfeed's Krystie Lee Yandoli exposed the toxic workplace environment at The Ellen DeGeneres Show, she released a new investigation on Thursday into similar toxic behavior allegations at the Dr. Phil show. "The similarities are striking: Dispiriting accusations of a culture of fear, intimidation and racism; a group of anonymous staffers pinning blame on executive producers; and implications that the name-brand talent have, at best, abdicated their own oversight responsibilities," says Gary Baum. "The difference is simple. It’s what derailed Ellen and will, barring something unforeseen, allow Dr. Phil to bound along with no discernible impact. DeGeneres built her image on niceness. Her catchphrase, which made her look like a hypocrite, was 'Be kind.' McGraw didn’t. Rather, he’s spent an on-air career burnishing what Yandoli terms a 'trademark brand of snarky straight talk,' which itself appeals to a self-selecting demographic suspicious of softness and in thrall to his imperious energy." As Baum notes, McGraw has been "exposed before" with previous accusation of exploitation.