Robbins began promoting seminars for
motivational speaker and author
Jim Rohn when he was 17 years old. He subsequently learned to
firewalk and incorporated it into his seminars. In May 1995, Robbins Research International (RRI) settled with the
Federal Trade Commission over alleged violations of the agency's
Franchise Rule. Under the settlement, RRI did not admit to having violated any law, but agreed to pay $221,260 in consumer redress. In 2000,
Wade Cook sued Robbins for allegedly using copyrighted terms from Cook's book
Wall Street Money Machine in his seminars. A jury awarded Cook a $655,900 judgment, which was appealed. Cook and Robbins settled for an undisclosed amount. In July 2010,
NBC debuted
Breakthrough with Tony Robbins, a reality show that followed Robbins as he helped the show's participants face their personal challenges. NBC canceled the show after airing two of the planned six episodes due to low viewership of 2.8 million. In March 2012, the
OWN Network picked up the show for another season beginning with the original first season set to re-run and thereafter leading directly into the new 2012 season. In April 2012, Robbins began co-hosting ''
Oprah's Lifeclass'' on the OWN Network. In July 2012, the
San Jose Mercury News published a story reporting that several people had been burned and hospitalized during one of Robbins's fire-walking events on July 19, 2012. This story was picked up by other media outlets, including Fox News,
The New York Times, and CNN. Aspects of these reports were later challenged by Robbins himself along with some of the on-site medical professionals. On June 24, 2016, it was reported that "dozens were burned and required medical attention after attempting to walk on hot coals during a fire-walking event at a Tony Robbins seminar in Dallas, Texas". A spokeswoman for the Robbins organization stated, "Someone unfamiliar with the process of the fire-walk called 911 reporting the need for emergency service vehicles […] there was no need for emergency personnel […] only 5 of 7,000 participants requested an examination beyond what was readily available on site." In 2014, Robbins joined a group of investors to acquire rights to launch a
Major League Soccer franchise in Los Angeles referred to as the
Los Angeles Football Club. The team entered competition in 2018. Tony Robbins' 2014 event "
Date with Destiny" in Boca Raton, Florida was the basis for the documentary
Tony Robbins: I Am Not Your Guru, directed and produced by
Joe Berlinger. It premiered at the
South by Southwest film festival in March 2016 and was released by
Netflix on July 15, 2016. In 2016, Robbins partnered with
Golden State Warriors co-owner
Peter Guber and
Washington Wizards co-owner
Ted Leonsis to purchase
Team Liquid, an
eSports professional gaming organization. Robbins has worked on an individual basis with
Bill Clinton,
Justin Tuck,
Hugh Jackman, and
Pitbull. He has counseled businessmen Peter Guber,
Steve Wynn, and
Marc Benioff.
Philanthropy In 1991, Robbins founded the
Anthony Robbins Foundation, to help young people, homeless people, hungry people, elderly people, and imprisoned people. In 2014, he donated the profits of his book,
Money: Master the Game, along with an additional personal donation, through
Feeding America to provide meals to people in need. Robbins helped raise money for
Operation Underground Railroad. ==Personal life==