Doctor, doctor

MSNBC/November 10, 2003
By Jeanette Walls

Men may be from Mars and women from Venus, but a critic is charging that famed relationship guru John Gray has credentials from the twilight zone.

Dr. John Gray’s phenomenally best-selling book has spawned a mini-industry in the ten years since it was published, and Gray is a highly paid speaker and “expert” who holds forth on shows such as “Nightline.” But now there are charges that the “doctor” isn’t a doctor at all.

“Some might think that John Gray is trained in psychology and/or counseling, but instead he has degrees in Eastern Philosophy and they are hardly Ivy League,” reports CultNews.com, which goes on to say that Gray’s PhDs, as well as his MA and BA, were honorary or from non-accredited universities or “worthless” documents from “diploma mills.” And that, apparently, brings his membership in various professional organizations into question.

Gray’s office denies or dismisses the charges. “CultNews.com’s commentary about Dr. John Gray is very poorly researched, incorrect, mean-spirited and of little consequence,” a rep for Gray replied in a lengthy response, that goes on to say, “It was never the endorsement of academic institutions that made John Gray’s books popular but the grass roots movement of millions of individuals who personally benefited from his ideas.”

“The facts remain undisputed that none of John Gray’s degrees are accredited and he is essentially a high school graduate passing himself off as a doctor,” Rick Ross, the head of CultNews.com tells The Scoop, “and it’s doubtful that when people buy his books they understand that.”