Oprah Winfrey distances herself from MAGA stars she helped create
Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Dr. Mehmet Oz attends the 2026 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Grapevine, Texas, on March 26, 2026. REUTERS/Callaghan O'Hare
Oprah Winfrey publicly distanced herself from Dr. Phil McGraw and Mehmet Oz, two prominent MAGA-world fixtures.
Winfrey helped launch both Dr. Phil McGraw and Mehmet Oz's careers in the 1980s and 2000s.
In an Emmy Magazine interview, Winfrey said, “People criticize me for Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz, because of their politics or 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.
“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.”
McGraw joined President Donald Trump's Religious Liberty Commission despite not being a licensed therapist and accompanied ICE agents during a Chicago raid.
Oz now runs the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, gutting drug subsidies and attacking Medicaid recipients while reversing earlier progressive positions.
McGraw faced criticism for downplaying COVID precautions, and his show faced multiple lawsuits, including allegations of sexual assault at recommended facilities and toxic workplace practices involving racist stereotypes.
Winfrey credited McGraw with supporting her during a 1998 beef safety lawsuit.