Dr. Phil Defended ICE Raids in Heated Debate With Bill Maher, but Now He Says: 'I Don't Think I'm Qualified to Talk Abou

[Eugene]

Source: Variety

Aug 12, 2025 7:06am PT

Dr. Phil Defended ICE Raids in Heated Debate With Bill Maher, but Now He Says: ‘I Don’t Think I’m Qualified to Talk About Politics’

By Zack Sharf

Dr. Phil admitted in an interview with The New York Times published on Sunday that “I don’t think I’m qualified to talk about politics.” It’s a remark that raised eyebrows online given Dr. Phil has publicly backed Donald Trump and taken part in ICE raids, be it personally in Chicago or by sending a camera crew to cover them in Los Angeles for his MeritTV network. According to The Times, Dr. Phil told ICE agents that his network was embedded with them to “tell your story and have your back.”

The quote in The Times was also published less than two days after Dr. Phill appeared on Bill Maher‘s HBO talk show “Real Time” and got into a heated debate with the host over his participation in ICE raids (via New York Post). It started when Maher asked: “Why are you going on these ICE raids? I don’t understand that. You’re a guy who we know for so many years who has been working to put families together. To bring families who are apart and heal them. And now you’re going on raids with people who are literally separating families.”

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Read more: https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/dr-phil-defends-ice-raids-bill-maher-debate-1236487272/

Alternate link: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/dr-phil-defended-ice-raids-140623776.html

[Blue Owl]

1. Dr. Phil and Bill -- talk about a small bag of dicks

[maxsolomon]

6. You don't appreciate Maher's push back?

Who else on teevee actually takes on Conservative assholes at length?

[Blue Owl]

8. Not as much as I didn't appreciate Maher's dinner with sHitler (aka tRump)

[Abolishinist]

9. Some prefer to REDUCE the size of the Democratic Tent.

Otherwise referred to as the purity police.

[MIButterfly]

2. "Dr." Phil. I don't think he's qualified to talk about anything.

Don't get me started. Suffice it to say I've always thought he was an asshole of gigantic proportions. I never liked him. I wish he would just shut up and go away. I'm glad his stupid network failed. I hated even seeing it listed on the guide on TV.

Thank you, Oprah, for foisting this idiot (and Dr. Oz) on us. Not to mention calling Ghouliani "America's mayor." I am so over Oprah. I used to like her, but that was then and this is now.

[PatSeg]

3. I've always found Dr. Phil to be a slimeball

But this is a new low for even him.

[mwmisses4289]

4. The only thing you might be qualified to discuss, "Doctor"

is whether you prefer sweet tea or unsweetened tea, peach pie or cobbler, and maybe what cleaning products you use at home. Otherwise, shut the eff up and go away.

[UTUSN]

5. Yet that way-late "insight" hasn't and won't make him stop his MAGA talking.

[themaguffin]

7. He's just Phil.. the Phil the grifter.