Celebrity News February 29, 2024
Dr. Phil Hopes World ‘Extends Some Grace’ to Wendy Williams (Exclusive)
After leaving his hit talk show, Dr. Phil McGraw is back!
“Extra’s” Billy Bush sat down with Dr. Phil, who moved to Texas to launch his own TV network and has been busy writing his brand-new book "We've Got Issues: How You Can Stand Strong for America's Soul and Sanity."
Along with discussing his new ventures, Dr. Phil weighed in on some major headlines, like those about Wendy Williams.
Dr. Phil hasn’t seen the Lifetime documentary on Wendy, but he noted that he’s seen “all the promos.”
In the “Where Is Wendy Williams?” doc, Williams' son revealed that she is suffering "alcohol-induced" dementia.
Wendy Williams Has ‘Alcohol-Induced Dementia’ Son Says in New Doc
View StoryHe said, “I was on her show a half-dozen times. When she stepped back from it, she contacted me and I talked to her off-camera some. I got to know one thing about her… I found her to be a very nice, very caring, very sincere person. And so I hope the world just extends her some grace at this point.”
Dr. Phil also shared his take on what America is talking about: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s relationship. He said, “I like her. I think she’s very talented… They seem to go together well.”
He even offered his place for a wedding venue, saying, “I’ve got 5 acres… I got room.”
His new book "We've Got Issues: How You Can Stand Strong for America's Soul and Sanity" centers on the issues plaguing America right now and how the country can restore its collective mental health. Dr. Phil commented, “I’m always gonna deal with real people facing real challenges looking for real solutions, but the questions have changed. I think family is the backbone of any society and I think the family in America is under attack. Some of it is unintended consequences of technology and some of it is by design.”
Dr. Phil brought up the impact of social media on kids, saying, “We check our phones 352 times a day on average. That includes old people. And young people, what they don’t know is they’re actually targeting not just the child in general, the teen in general, but their mental health.
“They’re specifically saying, ‘If I can get them upset, anxious, depressed, or lonely, they will click more and more and more,’” Dr. Phil argued. “So the algorithm is designed to feed the conflict that makes them feel that way. Makes them mentally and emotionally sick for profit.”
Dr. Phil is launching his new network in April. He dished, “April 2, Merit Street Media. We think we’ll launch somewhere between 75 and 90 million homes. I think it will be the biggest launch since FOX.”
He emphasized, “This is a destination network. I want people to be able to turn it on in the morning, leave it on all day, and not be concerned that their kids are gonna see something that they have to worry about.”