Getty Dr. Phil McGraw and his wife Robin Jameson McGraw speak during the 15th Annual Race to Erase MS at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza hotel on May 2, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.
Phil McGraw, the host of daytime TV’s Dr. Phil show, is married to Robin Jameson McGraw, who frequently appears alongside him as a guest. The two have been married since 1976, celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary in 2016.
Robin, 64, and Phil, 67, are the parents of Jay, who was born in 1979, and Jordan, born in 1986. Jay McGraw, is an author married to former Playboy Playmate Erica Dahm. Phil was previously married to Debbie Higgins from 1970 to 1973, when their marriage was annulled.
Robin also has a sister, Cindi Broaddus, who survived having acid poured onto her car. Phil McGraw has said he considers her to be one of his heroes.
Here’s a look at Robin’s life and career:
1. The McGraws Filed a $250 Million Defamation Lawsuit Against the National Enquirer for Repeatedly Publishing ‘Lies’ About Their Relationship, but Later Dropped It
Robin and Phil McGraw with their grandchildren, London and Avery, in 2016. (Getty)
Being a popular daytime talkshow host makes Phil a favorite target of tabloids, especially the National Enquirer. It got so bad that in July 2016, the couple told the Daily Mail that they filed a $250 million lawsuit against the National Enquirer for continuing to publish “lies” about the couple over a 13-year period. However, just a few months later, the lawyers for the National Enquirer’s parent company told Buzzfeed that they dropped the lawsuit. The two sides did not comment on a possible settlement, though.
“The lawsuit has been resolved to the mutual satisfaction of all the parties,” an America Media Inc. spokesperson told BuzzFeed News. “The parties have agreed to make no further comment about the lawsuit or its resolution.”
“Enough is enough, it’s time for them to own up,” Phil told the Daily Mail. “As a member of the media, I have a deep respect for the First Amendment. But it does not protect these people who knowingly print lies for money, particularly lies about my wife.”
Phil’s lawyer even told the Daily Mail that the Enquirer serves “no legitimate purpose in society.”
The 42-page complaint was filed in West Palm Beach, Florida and specifically targeted countless stories in the Enquirer about the couple getting a divorce. One cover even claimed that Robin kicked Phil out of their house. “There has never been talk of divorce or even separation,” Wood told the Mail.
Robin does have her own Instagram profile, @Robin_McGraw.
2. Robin Says They Never Fight, Which Is Why They Have Stayed Together So Long
In a 2014 interview with New You Magazine, Robin said that one of the secrets of their long-lasting marriage is never fighting with her husband. Even her friends can’t believe that the two never fight.
“But we don’t fight and it’s because we had a conversation early on and I told him that it’s not natural for me to be in a house where people are screaming and yelling – my parents didn’t do it, I don’t do it and I don’t want to live in a house like that. He got it and has never raised his voice around me. We don’t fight,” Robin told the magazine.
The interview was the first time she was on the cover of a magazine by herself. She also told the magazine that her husband is still a “flirt,” adding, “A piece of advice I’d tell women: Learn what your husband considers flirting and learn what makes your husband happy.”
She also told New You that she didn’t have an easy childhood, as her father was an alcoholic. “I lived in uncertainty every day because of it and didn’t like the feeling. I made decisions early on that I was going to do everything I could to be in control of myself and my life,” Robin said.
3. In 2014, She Launched Her Own Revelation Lifetstyle Brand
In 2014, Robin decided to launch her own business, The Robin McGraw Revelation Lifestyle Brand. Her mission was to “encourage women to believe it is not selfish to put themselves first and to know that they deserve to embrace their beauty, health and happiness, and that they must take care of themselves so they can take care of those they love.”
In addition to the brand, she also launched The robin McGraw Revelation Foundation, which aims to help victims of domestic violence live happy and healthy lives. She started the foundation first, in October 2013, and it began with the Aspire Initiative, which aimed to lower intimate relationship violence in the U.S. The initiative even included a free app called Aspire News, which is still available.
Robin is also a founding board member of her husband’s Dr. Phil Foundation. She is officially the “Family Advocate and Ambassador” for the foundation.
Robin has also worked as a spokesperson for Court Appointed Special Advocates for Foster Children (CASA) and Girl Scouts of the USA.
4. Her Name Was Used in a False Endorsement Scheme That the McGraws Only Found Out About Through Viewers
In a March 2016 episode of Dr. Phil, Phil and Robin confirmed that many of the companies using her image and likeness to sell skincare products are frauds. They only heard about them after getting letters from viewers, complaining that they had been scammed.
“We’re chasing these people, and we’re not going to stop until we find them,” Phil vowed on the show. “To hear that there are people out there using our marriage and my name and image to sell lotion and creams that I have absolutely nothing to do with really drives me crazy.”
The episode featured the story of a viewer named Diana, who claimed that one company just wanted her to pay shipping. But they later started charging her for $101 every two weeks.
There have also been critics who say Robin has had plastic surgery after comparing old photos of her to more recent ones. However, she has denied this.
In reality, anti-aging products are part of Robin’s lifestyle brand. According to her site, Robin McGraw Revelation will give the consumer “brighter, smoother, healthier-looking skin every day.”
When Robin appeared on the cover of Bella New York, she told the magazine what her goal was in creating the products:
“When I started, I knew I wanted something that would be easy to use and that worked. I’ve had many people over the years ask what I do to take care of my skin, so I wanted to create the same regime that works for me and that I believed in,” she said.
5. Her Sister, Cindi Broadus, Had a Vat of Sulfuric Acid Thrown at Her & Was Told She Only Had a 30 Percent Chance of Survival
Robin’s sister is Cindi Broaddus, who appeared on Dr. Phil in 2005. According to his show website, Broadus was the victim of a random criminal act, when a person threw a vat of sulfuric acid over an overpass she and a friend were driving under in Oklahoma. The acid went right through her windshield and burned her face. Doctors told her that she only had a 30 percent chance of survival.
In an interview with Larry King in 2005, Phil said he visited his sister-in-law in the hospital. He called her a “true hero.”
“I have to say, she has been a true hero all of her life. All of her life. So it doesn’t surprise me that she has handled this horrible tragedy like she has, because she’s always been there for everyone else. And so, you know, she’s just a — she’s just a real hero,” Phil told King.
In 2008, Braudus appeared on The Doctors to tell her story. Thanks to reconstruction surgeries, she has regained functionality in her mouth and other parts of her face, but decided against other cosmetic surgeries.
“I just decided I’m OK with who I am. I will never look the same,” she said on The Doctors. “I’m proud of myself. I am a courageous person.”
Broaddus later turned her story into a book, A Random Act.
