Latest news with #MeritTV
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dr. Phil Defended ICE Raids in Heated Debate With Bill Maher, but Now He Says: ‘I Don't Think I'm Qualified to Talk About Politics'
Dr. Phil admitted in an interview with The New York Times published on Sunday that 'I don't think I'm qualified to talk about politics.' It's a remark that raised eyebrows online given Dr. Phil has publicly backed Donald Trump and taken part in ICE raids, be it personally in Chicago or by sending a camera crew to cover them in Los Angeles for his MeritTV network. According to The Times, Dr. Phil told ICE agents that his network was embedded with them to 'tell your story and have your back.' The quote in The Times was also published less than two days after Dr. Phill appeared on Bill Maher's HBO talk show 'Real Time' and got into a heated debate with the host over his participation in ICE raids (via New York Post). It started when Maher asked: 'Why are you going on these ICE raids? I don't understand that. You're a guy who we know for so many years who has been working to put families together. To bring families who are apart and heal them. And now you're going on raids with people who are literally separating families.' More from Variety Professional Bull Riders Accuses Dr. Phil of 'Orchestrating' Merit Street Bankruptcy and Forming New Company to Avoid Paying Creditors Dr. Phil's Cable TV Network Files for Bankruptcy and Sues Christian Broadcaster TBN, Its Former Partner Terrence Howard Turned Down Marvin Gaye Biopic Because He Didn't Want to Kiss a Man: 'I Would Cut My Lips Off' 'Well, now that's bullshit,' Dr. Phil responded before defending his actions. 'Look, if you arrest somebody that's a citizen, that has committed a crime or is DUI'd with a child in the backseat, do you think they don't separate that family right then, right there? Of course they do!' 'But that's not what's going on,' Maher countered. Dr. Phil said he had seen 'files' that proved why the ICE raids he was on were needed, explaining: 'They've got a rap sheet, 12, 14 different cases long of child predators that they're taking off the street… These are the worst first that they're taking off the streets. Who would want them back in their communities?' Earlier in the episode, Maher criticized ICE agents for wearing masks so that they can't be noticed by the public. The mask wearing is allegedly the result of these agents being doxxed online. '[Legislators are] putting their names, their pictures, their addresses of their families on the internet, they're putting them on telephone poles,' Dr. Phil said. 'So, of course, they're wearing masks so they don't get outed, so people can do violence against their families.' Earlier this summer, Dr. Phil's Merit Street Media filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection — and the TV talk-show host's company sued former partner Trinity Broadcasting Network, alleging breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in August 2025 What's Coming to Netflix in August 2025 Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Behind Dr. Phil's Media Flameout
Phil McGraw's Merit Street Media is in bankruptcy court and is simultaneously suing its distribution partner, Trinity Broadcasting, for breach of contract that the company says led to the chapter 11 filing. But signs that the 15-month-old network was struggling were there well before Merit Street began bankruptcy proceedings on July 2. In its lawsuit, Merit Street says Trinity Broadcasting — known for its Christian programming, and with a distribution network that reaches about 65 million homes in the U.S. — forced its network, Merit TV, into expensive third-party distribution deals rather than using Trinity's own network of local stations and provided 'shoddy production services' for Merit TV's programs, among other issues. McGraw's own Peteski Productions gave Merit Street a bridge loan to cover some ongoing operations, but Merit Street's precarious finances made securing outside infusions of capital impossible, leading to the bankruptcy filing. More from The Hollywood Reporter Phil McGraw's Merit Street Media Files for Bankruptcy, Sues Distribution Partner Trinity Broadcasting Dr. Phil Says Donald Trump "Understands Importance of Allies" in Israel Support Hulk Hogan, Dr. Phil, Elon Musk Speak at Donald Trump's Insult-Filled Rally at Madison Square Garden Several attempts to reach Trinity Broadcasting for comment were unsuccessful. Prior to the bankruptcy filing, however, there were a number of indicators that Merit TV was undergoing a rocky start to its life — even putting aside the questionable notion of launching a linear TV venture in a time when streaming is the default option for the largest share of viewers. And even the linear TV part of Merit Street's offering (which also includes a FAST channel and mobile app) wasn't fully locked down: The channel is available over the air (though often on digital subchannels) in most major markets and is available on some — but hardly all — cable and satellite providers. Comcast's Xfinity service, YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV don't carry it. On the programming front, McGraw's Dr. Phil Primetime is the flagship show for Merit TV, but it also featured a morning and evening newscast and a handful of original shows, including ones hosted by Nancy Grace and former Bachelor host Chris Harrison. Merit Street also announced a deal with the Professional Bull Riders tour to carry its events, which kicked off in July 2024. By October, however, PBR had pulled its programming from Merit TV, saying the network had yet to pay rights fees. The two sides are in arbitration over the dispute. (PBR moved on to sign a rights deal with Fox Nation, the Fox News streaming platform.) More recently, the evening newscast was scrapped in favor of a morning show and live hourly updates during other parts of the day. Following the bankruptcy filing, all shows — including Dr. Phil Primetime — have stopped production, leaving Merit TV as something of a zombie channel. Reruns of McGraw's various programs and a few infomercials fill the day. The last available morning newscast on the Merit TV app is from July 1. On the digital side, Merit TV's YouTube channel has fewer than 90,000 subscribers, and while a handful of videos there have tallied a million or more views (based on YouTube's 30-second qualifier), the biggest one from the last three months has just 40,000. Merit TV also made headlines — not particularly positive ones — for McGraw's embedding with ICE agents on raids in the early days of Donald Trump's second presidential administration. In the segments aired on Merit TV, 'border czar' Tom Homan states that that the raids showcased problems with so-called sanctuary cities, which McGraw (and Merit's newscasters) seemingly take at face value. McGraw also interviewed Trump several times during the 2024 campaign. Merit TV never reached a wide audience — in primetime, it averaged a paltry 27,000 viewers in 2024, ranking 130th among broadcast and cable outlets. The company touted its January performance (albeit without any detailed numbers), noting that Merit TV moved up to 65th place for the month. That would have meant an average audience in the low six figures, based on 2024 data, and was also the peak for Merit TV: By the second quarter of 2025, its audience dipped to just 17,000 primetime viewers. Best of The Hollywood Reporter How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023 Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire
Bloomberg
21-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Dr. Phil's Media Company Cuts 40 More Jobs, Pauses Evening News
Merit Street Media, the company founded by celebrity psychologist Phil McGraw, has cut jobs and paused some programming, according to a spokesperson. The business, based in Fort Worth, Texas, laid off about 40 staffers this week. An evening news show airing on the company's MeritTV network is being retooled and could return in the fall, the spokesperson said. A morning news program continues and will be supplemented by hourly news breaks.
West Australian
17-06-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
World left waiting as Trump departs G7 for Situation Room leaving behind cryptic messages
US President Donald Trump made an abrupt early exit from the G7 summit in Canada on Tuesday as he rushed back to the White House Situation Room to try to avert a full-blown conflict in the Middle East. Mr Trump's sudden post-dinner dash from the mountain wilderness of Kananaskis, Alberta, on Monday evening (Tuesday morning AEST) was described as a positive development by Emmanuel Macron and 'understandable' by the Australian government even as it deprived Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of his eagerly anticipated first face-to-face meeting with the US President. Mr Macron told reporters Mr Trump was pushing for a possible ceasefire between Israel and Iran as they entered their fifth day of reciprocal airstrikes with military and civilian casualties rising on both sides. 'An offer was made especially to get a ceasefire and to then kick-start broader discussions,' Mr Macron said, insisting any attempt to overthrow the Iranian regime would be a 'strategic error.' But as he boarded Air Force One in the Canadian twilight, Mr Trump took aim at 'publicity seeking' Mr Macron's ceasefire statement as 'wrong!' 'He has no idea why I am now on my way to Washington, but it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that. Whether purposely or not, Emmanuel always gets it wrong. Stay Tuned!,' he said. The cryptic social message followed an apparent warning from Israel's ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, about a possible impending military operation that would take the world by surprise. 'When the dust settles, you're going to see some surprises Thursday night and Friday that will make the beeper operation almost seem simple,' Mr Leiter told Merit TV. The ambassador was referring to an audacious Israeli attack last September that targeted pagers and walkie-talkies used by members of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Trump's Truth Social outburst capped a day where he had earlier stoked alarm with the stark warning that, 'Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!' without elaborating on the reason why the city's 10 million residents should flee. 'Iran should have signed the 'deal' I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again!' he said in the same message. In the Iranian capital city, images of panicked residents stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Karaj-Chalus road out of Tehran merged with dramatic footage of an overnight missile strike on a state TV station that caused debris to fall on the news anchor during a live broadcast. In North America, it had been a confusing 24 hours of mixed messages from the Trump administration. The US President had initially signalled he would not put his name to a joint statement on the Middle East drafted by G7 leaders from France, the UK, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada, but he later relented. The statement, issued on Monday evening local time, reiterated a 'commitment to peace and stability in the Middle East.' It stressed support for the security of Israel and its right to defend itself, while restating that 'Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.' 'We urge that the resolution of the Iranian crisis leads to a broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza,' said the statement. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong told ABC's Afternoon Briefing the Government welcomed the statement. 'We want to see security and peace for Israelis and for Palestinians and all the people of the region,' she said, repeating calls for 'de-escalation' and a return to 'dialogue and diplomacy' to avoid 'risk to more civilians and more countries.' As reports circulated of the US possibly becoming involved in the conflict, Senator Wong pointed to official US administration language of 'maintaining what is described as a defensive posture.' 'But I come back to the central point. Everybody agrees Iran is a threat. It's been a destabilising force in the region for many years,' she said. US-based website Axios, citing four sources briefed on the issue, reported that the White House was in talks with Iran to set up a meeting between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to reach a diplomatic solution on a nuclear deal and end the war between the two nations. The meeting, if confirmed, could be a pivotal moment in determining whether the US would be pulled into a wider conflict to eliminate Iran's nuclear program or if there was a pathway back to diplomacy. US officials have indicated the Pentagon's 30,000-pound 'bunker buster', the only air-delivered bomb capable of destroying the highly protected underground enrichment facility at Fordow, could be wielded as leverage to push the Iranians back to the table for a deal. Just hours after Mr Trump's evacuation order, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News the President was still seeking a nuclear deal with Iran. 'What you're watching in real time, is peace through strength and America First … We are postured defensively in the region to be strong in pursuit of a peace deal. And we certainly hope that's what happens here,' he said. 'President Trump has made it clear it (a deal) is on the table, the question is whether Iran will take it,' he said. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi had earlier indicated that Tehran was open to the prospect, suggesting in a post on X that Mr Trump could stop the war with 'one phone call' to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he was 'genuine about diplomacy.' As tensions continued to escalate in the region, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese repeated the Government's warnings that assisting Australians trapped in both countries presented 'challenges' due to closed airspace. 'We want to make sure that people are looked after, but they need to be looked after safely as well,' urging those affected to shelter in place. Experts say that while the crisis may hold few immediate ramifications for Australia, there could be a longer-term impact. If the US became directly involved on strikes against Iran, it may call on Australian support, said Dr Alex Bristow from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), pointing to requests for 'through access and overflight for US aircraft in northern Australia' during the strikes on Yemen in October 2024. 'Iran has threatened to retaliate against countries providing military support to Israel and Australia has nationals throughout the region,' he said. Canberra would also be concerned about the US maintaining deterrence in the Indo-Pacific if the US was distracted by a protracted crisis in the Middle East, he said. Dr Ben Zala, senior lecturer in International Relations at Monash School of Social Sciences, agreed. 'A United States that is utterly distracted by an all-consuming conflict in the Middle East is not a terribly reliable partner for its East Asian allies,' he said. Australia must also reckon with the fallout of the crisis for the global economy, growth and the volatility of oil prices, warned Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Tuesday. 'It's a perilous moment for the Middle East, but also a perilous moment for the global economy,' he told Sky News.
New York Times
10-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
A Familiar On-Air Face Amid the L.A. Protests: Dr. Phil
The protests and scattered clashes with law enforcement in Los Angeles have played out live on cable news, with top anchors scrambling to cover the events in person. They have been joined by Dr. Phil. Once a genial on-air psychologist known as a sidekick to Oprah Winfrey, Dr. Phil McGraw has emerged in recent years as a conservative-leaning personality with ties to President Trump, whom he interviewed, sympathetically, several times during the 2024 election season. On Friday, Dr. McGraw and a camera crew from his fledgling television network, MeritTV, were recording in Los Angeles before and after the raidsby agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Dr. McGraw seemed to be promoting Mr. Trump's anti-immigration agenda by embedding with immigration agents during a raid in Chicago in January. His experience resulted in a semi-viral video clip in which Dr. Phil approached a detained man and asked questions like, 'You've never been deported before?' 'You're Dr. Phil,' the man replied, seemingly surprised. 'I've seen you on 'Dr. Phil,' you know? On TV.' A MeritTV spokesman said that in Los Angeles Dr. McGraw spent time with immigration enforcement agents but did not participate in any raids himself. 'In order to not escalate any situation, Dr. Phil McGraw did not join and was not embedded, as he previously was in Chicago,' the spokesman, Jerry Sharell, said in a statement. Dr. McGraw also interviewed Thomas D. Homan, Mr. Trump's border czar. Mr. Sharell said their conversation was taped on the days before and after Friday's raids, although Dr. McGraw did spend time with Mr. Homan at a local Homeland Security field office in Los Angeles on Friday. The interview is airing on MeritTV, which features true crime programming and talk shows like 'Dr. Phil Primetime.'
