As the Trump administration’s immigration raids ramped up across America, many were stunned to see a former daytime TV staple take center stage — Philip McGraw, commonly known as “Dr. Phil,” who accompanied ICE agents during raids around Chicago.
McGraw, who came to national fame alongside Oprah Winfrey and hosted “Dr. Phil” for more than two decades, said he had embedded with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as they apprehended “known criminals and terrorists.”
McGraw in the past year has become a vocal supporter of Trump’s immigration positions, discussing his views on TV, podcasts, social media and even at a Trump rally.
In a statement when he ended his CBS daytime show in 2023, McGraw said had “grave concerns for the American family” and that he was “determined to help restore a clarity of purpose as well as our core values.”
He offered a glimpse into his views on immigration during a “Dr. Phil” show in January 2023. That’s when McGraw told his guests and audience that he believes U.S. immigration laws were not being properly enforced and that “we can’t get our act together by doing this the right way.”
But before last year, McGraw did not appear to have ever used terms such as “illegal,” “border,” “immigration” or “ICE” in his social media content.
That all changed in 2024.
Dr. Phil’s words on immigration
- Dec. 5, 2024: The Pinal County Sheriff posted a “thankful” message to McGraw for bringing “attention to the current crisis on our southern border.” McGraw and Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, had visited local officials in Arizona to discuss immigration.
- Dec. 4: On McGraw’s podcast, Homan said hardline actions are necessary to secure the border, with McGraw adding that “it’s going to be my honor to help you do it.”
- Oct. 28: He posted a piece on the “smugglers’ highway” in Pinal County, Arizona.
- Aug. 27: Trump appeared on McGraw’s Merit TV show saying recent immigrants were “terrorists” released from South American and African jails.
- July 25: McGraw profiled the death of 10-year-old Alex Wise, who was allegedly “killed by an illegal migrant who had been deported five times.” A suspect in the fatal hit-and-run crash was arrested and detained by ICE because he’d been previously deported, officials said.
- April 11: He wrote on the platform X, “America, we’ve got issues at our border. I went to the border to see this crisis firsthand and I’ve learned it’s even worse than I had imagined.”
- Feb. 26: He went on “The View” to claim that young migrants are being forced into unspeakable conditions on this side of the border as “we are using American tax dollars into known prostitution and sweatshops.”
- Feb. 5: McGraw told Fox News that Chinese immigrants are stealing agricultural secrets and sending that information back home.
- Feb. 2: McGraw posted a picture of himself with armed forces with the caption, “at the border today with the men and women protecting our country.”
As he was becoming more vocal about immigration, McGraw launched his new media venture.
Merit TV — which has a direct streaming option as well as spots on DirectTV, Spectrum and other linear providers — launched 10 months ago, claiming to seek “common ground through clarity and common sense, providing traditional family content while also disrupting the news landscape with unbiased reporting on issues that mattter (sic) most to Americans.”
Merit TV is also affiliated with the Trinity Broadcasting Network, which carries programming from well-known conservatives like former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and child star-turned-social conservative Kirk Cameron.
But it was the name recognition McGraw built on his daytime talkshow that was apparent in Chicago this week.
In one scene from the raids, a man being detained by ICE told McGraw, “You’re Dr. Phil.”
“How do you know me?” McGraw responded.
“I’ve seen ‘Dr. Phil’ on TV,” the man answered.
The notion of a TV figure popping up in such an out-of-context situation in regards to Trump and his policies shouldn’t surprise anyone, Syracuse University professor and TV historian Robert Thompson said.
“He likes people who are good on TV, who have been on TV who are celebrities and who are willing to play with him, and ‘Dr. Phil,’ of course, has been on TV for a long time,” Thompson said.
“I guess seeing ‘Dr. Phil’ pop up in the center of one of these major events in the first couple of weeks of operations, it’d be surprising in any normal circumstances. But it’s not surprising in the real circumstances of today.”
Samira Puskar contributed.
