Oprah Winfrey recently sat for an interview with the Television Academy’s Emmy Magazine and didn’t hesitate to address some of the controversial people she’s helped rise to fame. Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz are two of the biggest conservative television personalities, and neither would’ve gotten their start without Oprah. However, she’s made it clear she doesn’t align with their views, saying, “I don’t have one thing to do with them.” Keep reading for more information.
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Oprah Addresses Giving Dr. Oz And Dr. Phil Their Big Breaks
Worldwide, Oprah Winfrey has become known as the talk show host of all talk show hosts. Her show saw unprecedented success and has been wildly popular since it launched in 1986, meaning many people who appear on their show find fame as well. Speaking to Emmy Magazine, Oprah spoke about how she really feels about welcoming Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil onto her show now that they've become quite conservative.
"People criticize me for Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz, because of their politics or their views," Oprah explained, but Oprah did much more than that. After licensed psychologist Phil McGraw and his consulting firm helped Winfrey win a legal battle back in 1998, she invited him onto her show and he eventually landed a weekly segment. A few years later, with Oprah's support, he launched his own talk show.
"Dr. Phil, he was so practical, so down to earth, so real," Oprah said. "And he would ride in the car with me every morning on the way to trial, where I'm literally sitting on trial for six weeks. I felt that he was so instrumental in helping me. I thought, 'Oh, you could help a lot of people. You should come on my show."
A similar set of events occurred with Dr Oz, who made his debut on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2004 after being introduced to her by Gayle King. "He explained practical things like colon cancer and bowel movements," Winfrey said of Dr. Oz. "I thought he had the language for explaining medical things in a way that was helpful to me. I thought it would be helpful to many other people. And that is how they ended up on the show." Dr. Oz went on to make more than 60 appearances on the show and eventually launched his own talk show, with the support of Oprah.
However, Oprah's made it clear she has no affiliation with either men anymore, and doesn't align with their views. "Everybody has their own path in life, and it has not one thing to do with me, and I don’t have one thing to do with them," Oprah said. "At the time, the reason and intention behind me giving them their breaks was I thought they had valuable information to share that had been meaningful to me.
