Dr Phil’s former publicist alleges his termination was driven by anti-gay discrimination

Jerry Sharell, former longtime publicist for Dr Phil McGraw, has filed a lawsuit against the famous American TV host, alleging that the termination of his employment was driven by anti-gay discrimination.

Sharell, who is gay, claimed he was told in late March that his position was being placed on “hiatus” for financial reasons, but alleges that his sexual orientation was actually “a substantial motivating reason” for his loss of employment.

The publicist worked with McGraw for over 10 years and subsequently filed a lawsuit against both McGraw and Envoy Media.

Jerry Sharell alleges Dr Phil McGraw made anti-gay remarks

According to The Dallas Morning News, the lawsuit alleges that McGraw made a derogatory comment about Sharell’s sexuality. It claims McGraw said: “Jeez, he’s gayer than a fruit basket and not listening.”

The claimant also alleges that he was excluded from operations when McGraw moved from Los Angeles to Texas in 2023, after ending his daytime TV show and launching Merit Street Media in Dallas.

The lawsuit states that Sharell “came to the conclusion that [McGraw] intentionally excluded him from the migration… and all ‘brick and mortar’ operations to Texas because [Sharell] is openly homosexual.”

Sharell describes the termination of his employment “hurtful and confusing”

It adds: “The realisation that [McGraw] did not want him present in the building or attending meetings with… executives who would be partnering with Merit Street Media was both deeply hurtful and confusing.”

Sharell is seeking a jury trial and unspecified financial compensation, including back wages, benefits and lost future earnings.

In response, Chip Babcock, the lawyer for McGraw and Envoy Media, claimed that the termination of the claimant’s employment was not driven by his sexual orientation.

McGraw’s lawyer, Chip Babcock, says his termination was not driven by his sexual orientation

“Jerry Sharell was put on hiatus over the summer as is common in this industry, especially with a media startup. He was not fired for any reason and certainly not because of his sexual orientation,” he said in a statement to USA Today.

“These allegations against Envoy and Dr. Phil are made up out of whole cloth as he has a 25 year history of treating the LGBTQ+ communities with dignity and respect, including standing up for his guests who were attacked because of their sexual preferences,” the statement continued. “This lawsuit is really an effort to avoid a pending arbitration to which Sharell contractually agreed, which he has now violated in a number of ways. The company and Dr. Phil will vigorously defend these claims.”

Workplace discrimination in the US

Terminating someone’s employment because of their sexual orientation or gender identity is illegal in the US under Federal Law.

The US Supreme Court ruled in the 2020 case Bostock v. Clayton County that firing someone for being LGBTQ+ is a form of sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.