Inside Dr. Phil's New Network and Why He's Pushing Back Against Cancel Culture With Latest Book (Exclusive)

Phil McGraw -- better known as Dr. Phil -- has a lot to be excited about in the coming weeks, and he's letting ET be the first to get a sneak peek.

In an exclusive new interview with Entertainment Tonight's Kevin Frazier, the 73-year-old daytime talk show host opened up about his new book and gave a tour of the Texas studio where his network, Merit Street Media, is based.

For the Oklahoma native, the goal with Merit Street Media is for his news organization to be in the middle of the country, both literally and metaphorically. The name came from the idea that stories should reach Middle America, but never alienate those who tune in to be purely presented with the facts in a merit-based fashion.

"Merit Street was not chosen at random. I think this country was built on a meritocracy, where you reward hard work and talent and contribution," he tells ET. "This is where kind of Merit Street meets Main Street America at an intersection."

That grand concept is the foundation for his bigger and better ideals, as well as the larger-than-life studio where his new show, Dr. Phil Primetime, films.

"Let me tell you, I've been on every news set in America -- ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CNN -- I've been on them all and I've never seen anything like what we have here," he says. "Hey, everything's big in Texas."

The new network also boasts big names like Steve Harvey, Nancy Grace and Chris Harrison, who each host their own shows on Merit Street. Harvey hosts Steve, while Grace leads Crime Stories With Nancy Grace. The name of Harrison's show has not been announced yet, but ET recently spoke with him about joining the network as the host of a dating reality series.

"Call it divine intervention, karma, kismet, whatever it is, the fact that Dr. Phil created this network in my own backyard here in Dallas, it means the world to me to, not only be returning to television, but to be doing it here in a hometown crowd," Harrison, 52, said.

On top of that, Harrison is teaming up with his wife, former ET correspondent Lauren Zima, to host a morning show, with The Bachelor alum gushing, "Not only do I get to return to television, I get to do it with the woman I love."

In February 2023, McGraw spoke exclusively with ET about his syndicated television show, Dr. Phil, coming to an end after two decades. He played coy about what was to come, however.

"I've been doing this for 21 years and I love it, I'm still very passionate about it, and make no mistake, I'm not moving on from television. I'm just moving on from daytime [TV]," McGraw said.

At the time, he described it as a primetime approach to what he described as a major issue for the American public, adding that he believes facts are not at the center of informational news programs now and that he hopes his new venture will change that.

"[It's] not just a show, but a whole approach to what's going on in America right now because... I'm very concerned with what's going on in America right now," McGraw said. "I'm concerned that the American family's under attack, that our values are under attack, that the very concept of truth is under attack. I wanted a bigger audience, a bigger play, a bigger platform than daytime can afford."

Centering a return to facts is also the concept behind McGraw's new book, We've Got Issues: How You Can Stand Strong for America's Soul and Sanity, which was released in late February. Among the top issues he believes the country is facing is cancel culture, which has been "pushed too far."

"The title of the book is We've Got Issues, and clearly we do," he tells ET. "They've pushed too hard, and people are going, 'Now wait a minute' ... They're pushing back now, and I think it’s the right time for this book. It’s the right time for Dr. Phil Primetime. I think people are ready for some common sense again."

Dr. Phil Primetime airs daily at 8 p.m. -- check local listings. His new book is now on bookshelves and everywhere books are available.

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