Many of them moved across the country to start what they believed would be stable, well-paying jobs. Then on Friday, after just a few months, they were told they no longer had jobs.
THE layoffs at Dr. Phil’s media companyMerit Street Media, were first reported by Mediaite on Friday. On Monday, several of those laid off were already sending out their resumes.
Popular TV psychologist and talk show host Phil McGraw has ended his former show “Dr. Phil” in early 2023 and announced later that year that he would begin a new media company based in Fort Worth with news and a new talk show. “Dr. Phil Primetime” released on April 2.
“We were let go from a job out of the blue… no warning, no nothing,” said a former Merit Street Media employee who, like most interviewees, asked to remain anonymous due to the precarious employment situation she now holds. is found.
She and others said they were not given a reason for the layoffs and were fired without any kind of severance package. Former employees reported that dozens of people were fired.
Some of the former employees reported moving from states “more than 12 hours away” to Fort Worth just a few months ago. They had no idea how they were going to pay the rent on the 12 and 15 month leases they recently signed.
The Star-Telegram reached out to Merit Street Media’s press contact and two members of the human resources department, but neither responded to a request for comment.
The employees had just finished a recording when they were called to a “powwow” and told they had been let go. “That’s what she called it, pow-wow,” the former employee said.
Two of the former employees had already applied for new jobs and became competitors for each other on Monday morning. Others were still reeling from the news. Several already had the #OpenToWork logo in their LinkedIn profile photos on Monday.
“It’s overwhelming and I can’t even think about the next steps,” said another who also asked to remain anonymous. “I have never been fired or laid off from any job in my entire life and I have never been in a position where I felt so vulnerable in terms of being able to keep a roof over my head. .”
The Star-Telegram also spoke with a Merit Street freelancer who was not fired but said he disagreed with the way the layoffs were handled.
“It’s so sad, it’s unthinkable,” he said.
The freelancer said that while the layoffs were taking place, a large buffet was set up for talk show guests, including the lieutenant governor. Dan Patrick, who was on Merit Street studios to record a roundtable discussion with Dr. Phil and others “about whether God spared the life” of former President Donald Trump during his assassination attempt last month.
“It was basically a split screen where everyone was fired, and all the big bosses were having a big, massive celebratory buffet for, like, the new direction of the network,” he said. “So I think that bothers people too.”
Also present at the recording was Matt Crouch, president of Merit Street Media partner Trinity Broadcast Network.
A TBN blog post from March titled “Where Values and Vision Meet: TBN and street media of merit”, states that “Dr. Phil highlights the enduring importance of shared values in shaping a just and prosperous society.”
The layoffs came as no surprise to Mansfield native Carson Taylor, who now lives in California. He was hired by Merit Street Media for an editor position in July, but was informed on August 1 that his hire had been canceled.
“From my perspective, it is extremely disturbing and disappointing to see titans of the television industry with years of experience running a production company like these amateurs,” he said in writing. “Especially with Dr. Phil’s mental health record. To uproot people from other states, offer them a relocation package and their dream salary and then turn around and have nothing.”
