Oprah Winfrey has defended her decision to provide early career platforms for Dr. Phil McGraw and Dr. Mehmet Oz, acknowledging that their political views have diverged significantly from her own. Winfrey, who has endorsed political opponents of former President Donald Trump, stated that her initial intention was to share valuable information with the public.
"People criticize me for Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz, because of their politics or their views," Winfrey said in an interview with Emmy magazine. "Dr. Phil, he was so practical, so down to earth, so real."
She recalled McGraw assisting her during a six-week trial in the 1990s when she was sued by Texas cattlemen, leading her to believe he could help many people. Winfrey also noted that her friend Gayle King introduced her to Dr. Oz, who explained complex medical topics in an accessible manner.
"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," Winfrey stated.
Both McGraw and Oz gained national recognition through Winfrey's eponymous show before launching their own successful talk programs. McGraw's show, "Dr. Phil," aired from 2002 to 2023, while "The Dr. Oz Show" ran from 2009 to 2022.
In recent years, both personalities have aligned with conservative political viewpoints. McGraw spoke at a Donald Trump rally in Madison Square Garden, which he described as an "act of rebellion" after his requests for an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris were ignored. He later clarified that the speech was not a formal endorsement of Trump, stating that he does not "like or agree with everything Donald J. Trump does or says."
Dr. Oz, who worked with the Trump administration as the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has publicly praised the former president's health records. Winfrey met Oz in 2003 when he and his wife created a medical series for the Discovery Channel, and he went on to appear on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" over 60 times starting in 2004.
Winfrey emphasized that while she provided them with opportunities, each individual charts their own course. "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," she 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."
A representative for Dr. Phil stated that McGraw is "eternally grateful to Oprah for the opportunity she provided him all those years ago, and for her recent kind words." The statement also noted that both he and Winfrey have continued to build successful enterprises while charting their own distinct paths.
Representatives for Dr. Oz did not immediately respond to requests for comment.