One look at Dr. Phil’s life – his fame, his riches, his seemingly effortless journey to the heights of dazzling success – and it’s easy to forget that he was once a struggling young man just like any other.
Indeed, given what we know about Dr. Phil’s past, one could easily come to the conclusion that he had a tougher time of things than many others do.
Yet his resilience and determination is what define him, helping shape his character so that he was ready to stand up to the rigors of celebrity life.
While on The Coach Mike Podcast last year, hosted by celebrity life coach, Mike Bayer, Dr. Phil spoke candidly about the trauma of growing up in an abusive household.
As per Amomama, the television personality explained: “We moved around a lot.
“We moved every two or three years because my dad was an alcoholic.”
Dr. Phil would go on to state that he tried to avoid his father as much as possible during those years, due to the fact that his dad was prone to unpredictable mood swings and disturbing behavior as a result of his drinking.
“[I] came and went through the bedroom window so I didn’t have to go through the house. It was total chaos…Yelling, screaming violence, domestic violence,” Dr. Phil shared.
Yet things would get worse before they got better for the future television host. During his teenage years, Dr. Phil experienced a level of poverty only a few others can relate to.
“I’ve been homeless,” Dr. Phil revealed in 2021. “I’ve lived on the streets of Kansas City… I’ve slept in a cardboard box.”
In 1996, though, he met Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey was in the midst of being sued for defaming the beef industry during one of her shows, and hired Dr. Phil to provide counsel and assist her at trial. She would eventually win her case, and Dr. Phil soon became a regular on The Oprah Winfrey Show thereafter.
Four years later, he launched his own show. The rest, as they say, is history.
24 Emmy nominations and years of wildly successful ratings later, and Dr. Phil has become a household name all over the world.
His love life also fell into place when he married his wife, Robin McGraw.
“I actually knew that first evening I sat and visited with him that he was The One,” his wife told Closer in an exclusive interview back in April 2018.
“We talked about our needs, and I told him that I couldn’t be married in a home with conflict. My mother and father never raised their voices, and my father adored my mother, so I had to know that I was loved and adored. I told him I don’t live in a fairy tale, but I needed to be treated with dignity and respect.”
I don’t know about you, but I think Dr. Phil is an inspirational man who proves that hard work and determination can take you anywhere.
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