Dr. Joyce Brothers

No matter your age, you’ve likely encountered Dr. Joyce Brothers at some point in your life, whether you watched her television shows, listened to her advice on the radio, read her columns in Good Housekeeping, or spotted her in one of her innumerable cameo and game show appearances. Dr. Brothers was omnipresent in American media for over 50 years. A natural-born entertainer, she was first and foremost a mental health professional—often referred to as “the mother of media psychology”—who sought to do the most good for the largest number of people. The professional advice she offered to Americans in the comfort of their own living rooms helped normalize therapy and the public discussion of mental health, once deemed too private for broadcast television.

Dr. Brothers graduated from Cornell University in 1947 and began donating her material to the Cornell archives in 1987. What follows is a selection of materials highlighting the life and career of one of the most prolific professionals and celebrities of the last century.