Dr. Mehmet Oz is likely known by most Americans for his role as a celebrity doctor who rose to fame for his appearances on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and eventually his own TV series: “The Dr. Oz Show.” Now, he’s in the spotlight once again as he runs for a seat in the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania.
This isn’t the first time a TV personality has dived into the political sphere, but who exactly is Oz, and what led him to run for the U.S. Senate?
About Dr. Oz
Mehmet Cengiz Oz, known as Dr. Oz, was born in Ohio in 1960 to Turkish immigrant parents. He was raised in Delaware and graduated from Harvard before earning a doctor of medicine and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Wharton School of Business, respectively, according to Britannica.
He then went on to become more versed in the field of surgery and became a professor of surgery at Colombia University. Later in his career, he took a particular interest in non-Western medicine, incorporating meditation, hypnosis, acupuncture and other experimental practices into his work.
In 2005, Oz wrote his “You” book series, which led to his appearances on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” His book and appearances on other TV shows garnered him the nickname “America’s Doctor,” and eventually led to his own spinoff series — “The Dr. Oz Show,” Britannica states.
“The Dr. Oz Show” began in 2009 and ran until this year, when he began his run for Senate. The show featured segments on health and wellness information, even occasionally hosting celebrities. The show was a success with viewers, earning nine daytime Emmy Awards, according to IMDB.
Controversies
During his time in the TV spotlight, Oz leaned even more toward his untraditional approach to medicine. According to an article published in the journal Missouri Medicine, Oz would advertise weight loss supplements on his show that had no scientific claims backing up their efficacy.
In 2015, a letter from 10 prominent physicians scolded Columbia University for giving Oz a platform, citing his “egregious lack of integrity.” Oz dismissed the statement, stating that he brings information to the public that provides multiple points of view, which he said doesn’t “sit well with certain agendas which distort the facts,” CNN reported.
In a 2012 episode of “The Dr. Oz Show,” Oz provided a platform for a weight-loss doctor who was advocating for “human chorionic gonadotropin,” or HCG, a fertility treatment that was rumored to suppress hunger and lead to weight loss — when combined with a 500-calorie daily diet, per The Washington Post.
However, the Food and Drug Administration later warned seven companies about promoting HCG treatments, and said that the promotion of the product and claims of its weight-loss properties were violating federal law.
While giving these treatments a platform on his national television show, Oz did also warn viewers of the dangers of low-calorie diets, the Post adds.
However, Pieter Cohen, a Harvard graduate and an anti-HCG expert who appeared on that episode, stated that Oz’s platforming of such treatments could undermine the work of legitimate medical practitioners.
“What’s really sad about the situation is how he used all that prestige and authority to then lead people down a path of nonsense,” Cohen told The Washington Post. “It undermines all of us, all of us trying to be credible physicians, doing the right thing.”
Oz even had a partnership with Usana Health Services, a Utah-founded supplement manufacturer that has come under investigation by federal authorities and has been “accused of operating like a pyramid scheme,” according to The Associated Press. Usana was a sponsor of “The Dr. Oz Show,” paying around $50 million to be a “trusted partner and sponsor,” of the show, blurring “the line between medical advice and advertising,” AP stated.
“Oz may have made his reputation as a surgeon. But he made a fortune as a salesman,” AP continued.
Political career
In November 2021, Oz announced that he’d be running for the U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania in the 2022 midterm elections.
As a first-time politician, Oz wrote for the Washington Examiner that the COVID-19 pandemic was what pushed him to run for office.
“During the pandemic, I learned that when you mix politics and medicine, you get politics instead of solutions. That’s why I am running for the U.S. Senate: to help fix the problems and to help us heal,” Oz wrote.
He states that just as he did as a doctor, he wants to offer solutions for Americans — not just medically, but politically.
“Pennsylvania needs a conservative who will put America first, one who can reignite our divine spark, bravely fight for freedom, and tell it like it is,” Oz said.
What’s his connection to Pennsylvania?
The Philadelphia Inquirer states that Oz had lived in North Jersey for more than 30 years, and didn’t move to Pennsylvania until 2020.
In late 2020, he moved into his wife’s parents’ home in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, where he registered to vote, obtained a driver's license, and obtained his medical license. The Inquirer states that Oz likes to remind voters that he received a degree from the University of Pennsylvania in the 1980s.
In April, personal finance documents from Oz state that he and his wife purchased a home for $3.1 million in Montgomery County, and will be living in his in-laws’ home until renovations on their new home are finished.