Dr. Phil McGraw’s former publicist alleges humiliating antigay insults and discrimination. He’s suing

A former publicist for TV therapist Dr. Phil McGraw says the talk show host fired him because he is gay.Jerry Sharell filed a lawsuit against McGraw and Envoy Media alleging discrimination. In the complaint, Sharell alleges that McGraw, best known as the host of Dr. Phil Primetime, put him on an extended hiatus and excluded him when McGraw relocated staff from Los Angeles to Texas to launch Envoy Media.The lawsuit, The Dallas Morning News reports, also alleges that McGraw insulted Sharell during meetings because of his sexuality. The complaint recounts one instance in which McGraw noticed Sharell reviewing emails on his phone and told the group, “Jeez, he’s gayer than a fruit basket and not listening.”Related: Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg brings another antigay hate crime case after beating of 12-year-old boyBut the greatest insult, Sharell alleged, came when McGraw relocated more than a dozen staff members to the Fort Worth, Texas, area, leaving him behind. Sharell said several pieces of evidence led him to conclude that he was intentionally excluded because he was gay.“The realization 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,” the complaint states, calling the rejection a “gut punch.”McGraw’s attorney denied that Sharell’s hiatus was discriminatory or intended to be permanent.“Jerry Sharell was put on hiatus over the summer as is common in this industry, especially with a media startup," Chip Babcock, McGraw’s attorney, said in a statement to the Morning News. "He was not fired for any reason and certainly not because of his sexual orientation."Related: ‘I don’t even know what that word means’ says South Carolina mayor who used antigay slur at meetingMcGraw’s representatives also argued that such discrimination would be out of character for him. Over the years, his show has featured LGBTQ+ celebritie