--- title: "Oprah Winfrey says Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz’s politics have nothing to do with her" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/media/oprah-winfrey-says-dr-phil-and-dr-ozs-politics-have-nothing-to-do-with-her" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/oprah-winfrey-says-dr-phil-and-dr-ozs-politics-have-nothing-to-do-with-her" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/media/oprah-winfrey-says-dr-phil-and-dr-ozs-politics-have-nothing-to-do-with-her.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/oprah-winfrey-says-dr-phil-and-dr-ozs-politics-have-nothing-to-do-with-her" category: "Media" published: "2026-08-13T19:46:29.831Z" source_reported: "2026-08-13T18:26:37.000Z" updated: "2026-08-13T19:46:29.831Z" trust_score: 42 critic_score: 55 hype_score: 35 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-13T20:45:15.009270+00:00" --- # Oprah Winfrey says Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz’s politics have nothing to do with her *The media mogul defended her decision to platform the two TV personalities, now Trump allies, on her show in the 1990s and 2000s* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 42 of 100, higher is better. Only one outlet provided a full report; others are digests. - Craft 55 of 100, higher is better. Quotes and context limited to one outlet's report. - Hype 35 of 100, lower is better. Headlines overstate Winfrey's distancing; body is measured. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Oprah Winfrey introduced Dr. Phil McGraw as a weekly expert on her show in 1998 and Dr. Mehmet Oz as a medical expert in 2004. - Both men later became allies of Donald Trump, with McGraw serving on Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission and Oz leading Medicare & Medicaid Services in 2025. - Winfrey stated in an interview that their careers and political views have nothing to do with her, defending her original decision to platform them. - The left-rated outlets below led on Winfrey’s response, while the centre-rated digest carried the story without additional framing. Oprah Winfrey has addressed criticism over her role in launching the careers of Dr. Phil McGraw and Dr. Mehmet Oz, two television personalities who later became allies of former US president Donald Trump. Winfrey featured McGraw, a psychologist who let his licence lapse two decades ago, as a weekly expert on her show starting in 1998. Oz, a physician with degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, began appearing as a medical expert in 2004. Both men went on to host their own long-running programmes, *Dr. Phil* and *The Dr. Oz Show*, which outlasted Winfrey’s original talk show. McGraw now serves on Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission and has promoted MAGA initiatives through his conservative cable network, Merit Street Media. Oz was appointed to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in 2025 and has supported Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again agenda. In an interview with *Emmy Magazine*, Winfrey said the criticism she faces for platforming the pair is unrelated to her original reasons for featuring them. She stated, “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.” Winfrey added that she believed both men had valuable information to share at the time, citing McGraw’s support during a 1997 lawsuit and Oz’s ability to explain medical topics in accessible terms. ## What the coverage left out No right-rated outlet ran this story at all. None of the digests or the full report mentioned that Winfrey’s interview with *Emmy Magazine* was published on 12 August 2026, or that she has not commented on McGraw or Oz’s political roles since their appointments in 2025. The unrated digest from *The Zambian Observer* included Winfrey’s defence but did not add new details. ## Who covered it Shares of the 6 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 67% (4) - Centre: 33% (2) - Right: 0% (0) 1 of 7 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-13T20:45:15.009270+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 6 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-13T21:15:16.158Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The four left-rated digests and the full report in *The Independent* led on Winfrey’s defence of her decision to platform McGraw and Oz. *The Independent*’s full report quoted Winfrey’s statement that their political paths have “not one thing to do with me” and detailed her reasons for featuring them, including McGraw’s support during her 1997 lawsuit and Oz’s medical expertise. The digests from *theGrio* and *Raw Story* also carried Winfrey’s distancing of herself from the men’s current politics. - The left-rated reports included McGraw’s role on Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission and his promotion of MAGA initiatives through Merit Street Media. *The Independent*’s full report noted that McGraw accompanied ICE agents on a raid in Chicago in June 2025. The digests from *theGrio* and *Raw Story* described both men as “MAGA-world fixtures” and highlighted their spinoff shows, which outlasted Winfrey’s original programme. - Winfrey’s past support for Kamala Harris during the 2024 election was mentioned in *The Independent*’s full report, which contrasted her political stance with that of McGraw and Oz. The report also included criticism of both men’s medical expertise, particularly McGraw’s comments during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he suggested social distancing was unnecessary. ### Centre - The centre-rated digest from *Internewscast* carried the story without additional framing or quotes. It noted that Winfrey played a “pivotal role” in introducing McGraw and Oz but did not include her defence of her decision or details about their current political roles. The digest did not mention McGraw’s role on Trump’s commission, Oz’s appointment to Medicare & Medicaid Services, or Winfrey’s distancing of herself from their politics. ### Right No separate framing summary. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 3 - high: 2 - unknown: 2 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Just Jared](https://justjared.com/2026/08/13/oprah-winfrey-comments-on-dr-phil-dr-ozs-politics-responds-to-criticism-for-giving-them-platforms) — Oprah Winfrey Comments on Dr. Phil & Dr. Oz's Politics, Responds to ... - [Internewscast](https://internewscast.com/news/oprah-winfrey-responds-to-backlash-over-dr-phil-dr-oz) — Oprah Winfrey Responds to Backlash Over Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz - [The Independent](https://independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/oprah-winfrey-dr-phil-dr-oz-trump-b3032634.html) — Oprah Winfrey addresses criticism for making two pro-Trump TV personalities famous - [The Independent (US)](https://the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/news/oprah-winfrey-dr-phil-dr-oz-trump-b3032634.html) — Oprah Winfrey addresses criticism for making two pro-Trump TV personalities famous - [The Zambian Observer](https://zambianobserver.com/oprah-sets-the-record-straight-on-the-trump-aligned-doctors-she-made-famous) — Oprah Sets the Record Straight on the Trump-Aligned “Doctors” She Made Famous - [theGrio](https://thegrio.com/2026/08/13/oprah-winfrey-dr-phil-dr-oz-criticism-response) — Oprah Winfrey defends her past support of Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz, says paths have 'not one thing to do with me' - [Raw Story](https://rawstory.com/trump-oprah) — Oprah dumps MAGA fixtures she made into stars: 'Don't have one thing to do with them' ## Questions **Why did Oprah Winfrey feature Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz on her show?** Oprah Winfrey said she featured Dr. Phil McGraw and Dr. Mehmet Oz because she believed they had valuable information to share. She cited McGraw’s support during her 1997 lawsuit and Oz’s ability to explain medical topics in accessible terms as reasons for platforming them in the 1990s and 2000s. **What are Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz’s current political roles?** Dr. Phil McGraw serves on Donald Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission and promotes MAGA initiatives through his conservative cable network, Merit Street Media. Dr. Mehmet Oz was appointed to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in 2025 and has supported Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again agenda. **Which outlets covered Oprah Winfrey’s response to criticism?** Four left-rated outlets and one centre-rated outlet carried the story. The left-rated reports included *The Independent*, *theGrio*, and *Raw Story*, while the centre-rated digest was from *Internewscast*. No right-rated outlet ran the story. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. 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