Fact Check: Is Dr. Phil dead? Viral internet death claim debunked
If you have been an avid fan of Phil McGraw from the Dr. Phil show, chances are that you have heard about the rumor of his death. Lately, social media has been flooded with posts from users claiming that the American television personality passed away last month, in May 2023.
All of it started after a few social media users began sharing screenshots of his alleged Wikipedia page, which showed that Dr. Phil passed away on May 19, 2023. Another screenshot claimed that:
“McGraw was found unconscious at a golf course he was attending with his family. Paramedics arrived at the scene, and attempted to perform CPR for approximately three hours, but were unsuccessful. McGraw was pronounced dead at 5:45 PM.”
Mentioning how the cause of his death was a "collision with a bimp that was flying in the air," the images were circulated across many platforms, which made many people believe that the news was true. However, there was no official confirmation from his family members or reliable source of his death.
At the same time, there were many others who debunked the news by claiming that the screenshots from his Wikipedia page were untrue and probably photoshopped, as currently, his page shows no such details about his death. Furthermore, the TV host has also been quite active on social media, as he recently posted about a cause he has been supporting.
Hence, this clearly shows how the death rumors were fake, as Dr. Phil is still alive and well.
Dr. Phil is not dead; the TV host is alive and well
Word spreads fast on social media. Similarly, the news of Dr. Phil's death spread like wildfire when a few social media users began posting about it. However, since there has been no official statement about the same, the TV personality has been pretty active on social media.
A number of the TV show host's fans have also used social media sites like Twitter to debunk the news of his passing.
While Dr. Phil is alive, social media users also wish to know more about him. Being a doctorate in clinical psychology, Phillip Calvin McGraw, born in 1950, is 83 years old. The TV personality gained fame after appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show. In September 2002, he bagged his own show.
Born and brought up in Oklahoma, McGraw grew up with two sisters and a brother. He later shifted to Kansas, studied at Shawnee Mission North High School, and later pursued a BA in Psychology from Midwestern State University.
In terms of his private life, he wed Debbie Higgins McCall in 1970. Then, in 1973, the marriage was called off. Then, in 1976, Dr. Phil married Robin Jo Jameson, his current wife. The couple has two kids, Jay McGraw and Jordan McGraw.
While Dr. Phil has not responded to the rumors about his death, as internet users, it becomes the duty of social media users not to believe in such hoax news until a reliable source confirms and verifies the same. However, in order to prevent the spread of false information, such news should not be reshared and should be reported instantly.
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Dev Sharma