Dr. Phil has come under fire in the wake of “toxic workplace” allegations leveled against the program, but the host has already fired back. On Thursday, a report published by BuzzFeed News details allegations made by a dozen current and former employees of the show. Among the claims are accusations of verbal abuse, fear, intimidation, and racism. Through his lawyer, Phil McGraw (aka Dr. Phil) has vehemently denied these claims.

“It is a clickbait story, because as everyone knows, Dr. Phil sells tickets,” McGraw’s personal attorney, Patrick Morris, told Variety. “BuzzFeed was offered dozens of current and former staff members to talk to but when BuzzFeed started hearing the truth, which ruined their salacious narrative, they declined. Dr. Phil focuses on content for the program and doesn’t get involved in staff relations, but the staff at the program in no way uses ethnic origin such as described.”

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A Dr. Phil spokesperson added: “BuzzFeed’s ‘clickbait story’ containing verifiably and objectively false characterizations and reporting of the publicly available contradictory results of these legal cases [including dismissal with prejudice due to a lack of merit, not even being a party and other factual errors] raises significant doubts about the credibility of the other unsubstantiated, anonymous claims relating to the show and its staff, which are not true. BuzzFeed has been provided with dozens and dozens of attributed statements of fact, from current and past staff. Verifiable data contradicting the entire premise of their ‘anonymously attributed,’ sensationalized and baseless article."

Could Dr. Phil Be the Next Ellen?

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“Everyone was just pretty miserable," one former Dr. Phil staffer claims, according to BuzzFeed News. “You would walk into the building and there was just a palpable dread and anxiety Dr. Phil — the show about mental health where everybody who works on it has terrible mental health because our work conditions were really bad.”

Echoing many others, the staffer explained, “I would have nightmares. I would literally be working in my sleep and have nightmares about something being wrong or not turning in something the right way. Even when I quit, I had to go to therapy for it, which is crazy because you’re working for a therapist.”

ViacomCBS will be looking into these allegations before any potential action is taken. In a statement, a company spokesperson said, “Creating safe and inclusive working environments is a top priority… We provide multiple avenues through which employees can report complaints to the company both on the record and anonymously. We encourage any employee who believes that they or others within the company have been treated unfairly to report it without a fear of retaliation. We take seriously all such reports.”

News of a popular daytime television program getting leveled with toxic workplace allegations, followed by an internal investigation, might seem familiar. Ellen DeGeneres was similarly accused of hosting a toxic workplace with Ellen, and an investigation followed several staffers coming forward in a BuzzFeed News story. Multiple high-level executives were fired after the investigation was complete, though DeGeneres kept her job with the show continuing to move forward.

However, the damage was done, and people had tuned out of watching Ellen in droves after the controversy. It was reported last year that DeGeneres would end her talk show at the end of its 19th season, culminating with a planned exit from daytime television in 2022. While the show was hit with falling ratings, DeGeneres insisted that the show ending had nothing to do with the controversy and said that it had been her plan to leave at this point for many years.

“I was going to stop after season 16. That was going to be my last season and they wanted to sign for four more years and I said I’d sign for maybe for one,” DeGeneres told The Hollywood Reporter. “They were saying there was no way to sign for one. ‘We can’t do that with the affiliates and the stations need more of a commitment.’ So, we [settled] on three more years and I knew that would be my last. That’s been the plan all along. And everybody kept saying, even when I signed, ‘You know, that’s going to be 19, don’t you want to just go to 20? It’s a good number.’ So is 19.”