With America Teetering,  Oprah Must Speak Out Against Dr. Oz

By J. Max Robins, June 26, 2022

When Dr. Mehmet Oz decided to run as a Republican for Senate in Pennsylvania, Oprah Winfrey, who turbocharged his talk show career and made him about the wealthiest former-cardiac surgeon in America, had little to say, yay or nay. With our democracy under assault, it was within Oprah’s power to derail the candidacy of her pal who had morphed into Donald Trump’s favorite MD. Instead the Queen of All Media punted.

“One of the great things about our democracy is that every citizen can decide to run for public office,” Oprah said in a statement to New York magazine. “Mehmet Oz has made that decision. And now it’s up to the residents of Pennsylvania to decide who will represent them.”

Oprah’s tepid comment might have been understandable back in December, when Oz entered the Pennsylvania race. But that was before the  Supreme Court reversed Roe v Wade and neutered state gun control laws in two shocking days that  reversed 50 years of democratic progress. Oprah may have seen her earlier non-endorsement as sufficient, and in keeping with her desire to let voters decide. Now, with so many of our personal freedoms at stake, that stance doesn’t cut it. As Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz discovered, we can’t afford to “pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.”

At  Odds with Oz

That man, who Oprah once dubbed “America’s favorite physician”  had nurtured a political bromance with Donald Trump since the 2016 White House race. Trump named Oz to his sport, fitness and nutrition council in 2018, and he has been making regular house calls on Fox News since, just as he did on Oprah’s daytime show. And when he launched his senate campaign, courting Trump’s minions, he gave a big thumbs-up to the Supreme Court’s clear intention to overturn Roe v. Wade, adding that he was also a big Second Amendment guy.

With laws undermining basic human rights being overturned, one wonders why Oprah hesitates to condemn a man who has embraced his role as MAGA’s MD of choice. She is clearly at maddening odds with Oz.

CNN once called Oprah the most influential woman in the world, and she has used that influence before to change history, as she did in 2007 when she gave loud and proud support to Barack Obama’s then-longshot White House bid. No way could she do the same for Oz, who has morphed into a cookie-cutter Trump toadie. His candidacy is an off-Oprah-brand minefield.

One must dig deeper to comprehend why the Media Queen has not banished Oz and thrown down with his Senate race rival, Lt. Governor John Fetterman, especially in the wake of events of the last few weeks. Early pundit prognosis is that the race is a toss-up for the seat of retiring Republican Senator Pat Toomey. However, there is consensus that if the Democrats have any chance whatsoever to hold on to a majority in the Senate, they must flip Pennsylvania.

Oprah Could Help the Dems

Both Oz and Fetterman face serious hurdles. A carpetbagger candidate, Oz changed his residency from his New Jersey mansion to his in-law’s Pennsylvania residence. Many die-hard Trumpers are wary and doubt Oz’s rightwing bona fides – with good reason. Since winning the primary, Oz has made moves that underscore suspicions in MAGA minds. As Axios reported, Trump was a “near-ubiquitous fixture” in Oz’s primary marketing materials. Since he bagged the GOP nomination, however, The Donald has nearly vanished from his ads and website. With Trump weakened by the Jan. 6 Congressional hearings, Oz has pulled his campaign away from the fringe to the conservative middle. That ploy could keep scores of Trump true believers away from the polls.

Fetterman has some major issues as well. During the primary, he suffered a stroke and is still recovering. How much he’s up for facing his telegenic competitor is an open question. In addition, Fetterman has had to fend off criticism over a troublesome 2013 incident during his term as mayor of the Pittsburgh suburb of Braddock. Thinking he’d heard gunfire, Fetterman, armed with a shotgun, detained a Black man running toward a local school. The man he detained turned out to be an unarmed jogger. While a progressive on most issues, the shotgun incident has cost Fetterman support in urban areas. The Oprah seal of approval could go a long way in overcoming challenges Fetterman faces with Black voters, as well as with Winfrey’s female fans. So far there’s no known connection.

Not that candidates haven’t tried. Throughout the Pennsylvania primaries, both Fetterman and his fellow democratic primary opponents, notably State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, made overtures to Oprah. Kenyatta, who has now thrown his support strongly behind Fetterman, made some Hollywood headway with Denzel Washington and the Pennsylvania-born Wanda Sykes. Still, Oprah has stuck with her original statement and has kept clear of the race.

Bottom Line Above All

Even in these most precarious times, I’m not surprised. I’ve watched Oprah Incorporated since the late ‘80s as TV Editor and columnist at Variety. I’ve repeatedly observed that Priority No.1 is to burnish a winning “be your best self” brand that sells everything she touches as authentic, empathetic and loyal. She is the original Supreme Influencer, and Fetterman is highly unlikely to have her anoint him as the chosen one in a Senate race. Therefore, a non-endorsement of Dr. Oz is the best Pennsylvania Democrats can hope for.

Oprah has been steadfast in her Oz alliance throughout his scarred career, one so marred by endorsements of worthless medical treatment and pseudoscience that he’s been dragged before Congress. Likewise, she has stayed silent about his political love affair with Trump as the bucks kept rolling in from his 13-year-run as host of the Oprah-created Dr. Oz talk show, which only ended with his entrance into the Senate race. To condemn Oz at this point, and support his opponent, would beg the question of why she didn’t cut him loose years ago.

In 2011, Kitty Kelly published Oprah: A Biography. In the intro, Kelly refers to an interview Oprah gave to the New York Daily News when it was announced the poison pen biographer was delving into her life. “I’m not cooperating, but if she wants to write about it, that’s fine. This is America, I’m not encouraging or discouraging,” Oprah told the reporter, who noted that Oprah winked and added, “And you know I can encourage!”

That “this is America” statement is eerily similar to what Oprah had to say about Dr. Oz’s senate run. Clearly, she doesn’t endorse him, but the buck stops there. To take the righteous step and “encourage” his Democratic rival John Fetterman seems a cause the billionaire Media Queen won’t get on board with. Why would you risk exposing how long you’ve put the bottom line before your beliefs?

Now is the Time, Oprah

I’ll tell you why. Because in the past few weeks we’ve seen shock waves that prove our democracy is teetering, with more lost freedoms to come. Helping to undo the candidacy of a doctor who has reversed his once-long-held moderate belief begs one to joke about a “hypocritic oath.” Oprah may still believe that her silence speaks volumes, still speaking up is what’s necessary when democracy is under assault. Here is a chance for the most influential woman in the media world to take a stand and be her best self. If this is America, and if America is still the land of opportunity, Oprah would be well served to seize this one.

J. Max Robins (@jmaxrobins) is  executive director of the Center for Communication. The former editor-in-chief of Broadcasting & Cable, he has contributed to publications, including the Wall Street Journal, Columbia Journalism Review and Forbes. Read more from J. Max Robins at www.jmaxrobins.com

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