Dr. Mehmet Oz has been doling out medical advice to the masses since he first appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 2004. But while he once won over the queen of all media, other household names have made it evident that they don’t find him totally trustworthy.
After his “Oprah” introduction, Oz went on to host his own daytime talk show centering around health. Many tuned in to heed the heart surgeon’s words, but a claim he made in 2011 about apple juice supposedly containing arsenic cast doubt upon his validity, per CBS. After running tests, the Food and Drug Administration stated, “There is no evidence of any public health risk from drinking these juices. And FDA has been testing them for years.”
Oz again faced backlash in 2014 for claiming certain supplements would aid in weight loss, and this time, politicians stepped in. “I don’t get why you say this stuff because you know it’s not true. So why, when you have this amazing megaphone and this amazing ability to communicate, why would you cheapen your show by saying things like that?” then-senator Claire McCaskill asked the television host during a hearing, per USA Today. Despite Oz’s tarnished reputation, Donald Trump appointed him a member of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition in 2018. Since then, “The Dr. Oz Show” has been canceled, but as the physician continues to be a public figure, celebrities and politicians have clearly made their dislike for Oz crystal clear.
Joe Biden fired Dr. Oz from his political position
A year after Joe Biden took office as President of the United States in 2021, he requested that Dr. Mehmet Oz step down from his position on the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition, CNN reported. A White House staff member stated that the reasoning behind the decision was that Oz was running for Pennsylvania senator and the administration forbids running candidates to perform duties on advisory boards. “The White House just emailed me demanding my resignation by the end of the day. Clearly, Joe Biden can’t be around anyone who doesn’t completely fall in line with his fear-mongering authoritarian one-size-fits-all COVID handling. I am proud of my service and will not resign,” Oz declared.
True to his word, Oz didn’t step down, so Biden fired him, along with Herschel Walker, who was running for the Georgia Senate, per USA Today. The former Columbia University surgeon did not go quietly and shared, “This was a political firing because I’m calling out Biden’s failures on inflation, immigration, and COVID. The Woke Left will not silence or stop me from being a bold, conservative voice in the U.S. Senate.”
Oprah Winfrey endorsed Dr. Oz’s opponent
It was the diss heard around the world — or at least in Pennsylvania. As the race for the state’s Senate seat in 2022 got tight, Oprah Winfrey completely changed her opinion on Dr. Mehmet Oz after their 20-year relationship. The media mogul backed John Fetterman over her former daytime talk show protégé and stated during a virtual event, “I said it was up to the citizens of Pennsylvania … but I will tell y’all this — if I lived in Pennsylvania, I would have already cast my vote for John Fetterman, for many reasons.” The move wasn’t too surprising, as Winfrey has been vocal about her support for Democratic candidates, but it still had to sting for Oz.
When asked by Fox News (via The Wrap) how he felt about Winfrey’s support of his opponent, Oz magnanimously stated, “I love Oprah … She and I have different politics, and that’s okay.” It’s unclear how much the weight of Winfrey’s endorsement of Fetterman did to secure his win, but Oz’s loss had to be a bitter pill to swallow, especially without the backing of his longtime friend and mentor.
John Fetterman hilariously trolled Dr. Oz during his campaign
When Dr. Mehmet Oz ran for Senate in Pennsylvania instead of his home state of New Jersey, he got a lot of flak, which John Fetterman used to his advantage. In July 2022, the senator posted a picture on X, formerly known as Twitter, of a sky banner that read, “Hey Dr. Oz. Welcome home to NJ! [love], John.” He then wrote, “To all yinz [and] youse down the shore today: hope you saw my very nice message to one of NJ’s famous longtime residents.”
To all yinz + youse down the shore today: hope you saw my very nice message ✈️ to one of NJ’s famous longtime residents 🥰 pic.twitter.com/xiVd6q5JIm
— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) July 10, 2022
The trolling didn’t stop there. A few days later, Fetterman tweeted a Cameo from “Jersey Shore” star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, who low-key shaded Dr. Oz. “I heard that you moved from New Jersey to Pennsylvania to look for a new job and personally, I don’t know why anyone would want to leave Jersey, because it’s like the best place ever and we’re all hot messes,” she shared. Polizzi continued, hinting that Oz would lose the race by stating, “Don’t worry because you’ll be back home in Jersey soon, this is only temporary.” It seems like the campaign money was well-spent, as Fetterman beat the doc in the race for senator that year.
Elizabeth Warren thinks Dr. Oz is unfit to run CMS
As Donald Trump was gearing up to lead the country for the second time, he revealed that he picked Dr. Mehmet Oz to oversee the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “I have known Dr. Oz for many years, and I am confident he will fight to ensure everyone in America receives the best possible Healthcare, so our Country can be Great and Healthy Again! Dr. Oz will be a leader in incentivizing Disease Prevention, so we get the best results in the World for every dollar we spend on Healthcare in our Great Country,” Trump stated, per CNN.
Following the announcement, Senator Elizabeth Warren tweeted, “Running Medicare and Medicaid for over 100 million Americans isn’t like hosting a daytime talk show. Dr. Oz is another rich guy who doesn’t care if your healthcare costs go up or an insurance company denies you coverage. These decisions have life and death consequences.” An X user agreed, writing, “Oz just cares if he makes MORE money. And if he gets more tax cuts.”
Stephen Colbert poked fun at Dr. Oz heading CMS
Donald Trump’s picks for his administration got a lot of people talking, especially those who wondered if Dr. Mehmet Oz is qualified to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. During his opening monologue on the November 19 episode of “The Late Show,” host Stephen Colbert told the audience, “Donald Trump is continuing to shovel steaming piles of nominee into his cabinet. This afternoon, he announced his latest choice for the administrator of Medicare and Medicaid — it’s Dr. Mehemet Oz.” The host continued, “He’s still picking people he sees on TV. Next up, the head of Amtrak goes to Thomas the Tank Engine.” Colbert also mentioned Oz’s long list of debunked treatments, such as the time he told viewers to take colloidal silver, which can cause skin to turn blue.
Back in 2022, Colbert dissed the conservative politician on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” by naming numerous health remedies Oz suggested to his audience that were proven to have dubious efficacy, such as taking raspberry ketone supplements to lose weight and using strawberries to brighten teeth. He then joked, “None of these work, of course, but hey, there is one simple trick to make you healthier. Take two household bananas, jam one in each ear until you can’t hear Dr. Oz anymore.”
