Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey is washing her hands of Dr. Phil McGraw and Dr. Mehmet Oz — two television stars whose careers she helped launch before they veered sharply to the political right and into President Trump’s orbit.
“People criticize me for Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz, because of their politics or their views,” the billionaire media mogul told Emmy magazine in an interview published last Tuesday.
“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.”
The distancing is striking because Winfrey was instrumental in introducing both men to a mass audience on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” before her Harpo Productions helped turn them into stand-alone television brands.
Oprah Winfrey speaks onstage during the Forbes Self-Made 250 Celebration at the Museum of the American Revolution on June 17, 2026, in Philadelphia. Getty Images
Winfrey acknowledged as much, saying the reason she gave both men their “breaks” was that she believed they had information worth sharing.
“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,” Winfrey said.
McGraw’s relationship with Winfrey dates to 1998, when he helped her during a six-week Texas trial stemming from a lawsuit filed by cattlemen who accused her of defaming the beef industry.
“Dr. Phil, he was so practical, so down to earth, so real,” Winfrey told Emmy.
“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.”
Dr. Phil McGraw has spoken in support of President Trump at several public appearances in recent years. AFP via Getty Images
Winfrey said McGraw’s advice made such an impression that she decided to put him before her viewers.
“I felt that he was so instrumental in helping me,” she said. “I thought, ‘Oh, you could help a lot of people. You should come on my show.’”
McGraw became one of Oprah’s most familiar experts, ultimately logging 118 appearances, according to official statistics from the show.
His first book, “Life Strategies,” became a bestseller in 1999, with Publishers Weekly crediting Oprah’s endorsement as one factor behind its success.
Harpo then created “Dr. Phil,” which premiered in September 2002 as the first spin-off from “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
The show became a daytime juggernaut, ranking behind only Oprah for nine seasons before taking over as the syndicated daytime-talk leader after Winfrey ended her show in 2011.
Dr. Mehmet Oz won President Trump’s endorsement during his 2022 Republican Senate bid and later joined his administration as head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Getty Images
But McGraw’s public profile has taken a pronounced political turn in recent years.
He appeared at Trump’s Madison Square Garden campaign rally in October 2024, where he defended Trump and his supporters, although he later insisted the appearance was not an endorsement and declined to reveal how he voted.
McGraw subsequently accompanied Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel during an enforcement operation in Chicago alongside Trump border czar Tom Homan.
Trump appointed McGraw to his Religious Liberty Commission in May of last year.
Winfrey, by contrast, has repeatedly backed Democrats even while describing herself as a registered independent. She endorsed Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris and campaigned for Stacey Abrams in Georgia.
The political split with Oz is even more explicit.
Oprah Winfrey says she has “not one thing to do with” the later paths of Dr. Phil McGraw and Dr. Mehmet Oz, despite acknowledging that she gave both television stars their big breaks. Getty Images for Amazon
Winfrey said longtime pal Gayle King first introduced her to the heart surgeon, whose skill at translating medical subjects for ordinary viewers convinced her to bring him onto the show.
“Gayle introduced me to Dr. Oz,” Winfrey told Emmy. “He explained practical things like colon cancer and bowel movements.”
“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.”
Oz began appearing on “Oprah” in 2004 and became one of the program’s most recognizable medical experts.
Harpo later produced “The Dr. Oz Show” with Sony, helping transform him from a recurring TV doctor into a nationally syndicated star.
Harpo and Oz also became co-founders of the digital-health company Sharecare alongside Sony, Discovery and other partners.
Dr. Phil McGraw is seen outside the White House in Washington, DC, on Friday, June 26, 2026. Bloomberg via Getty Images
Oz eventually entered Republican politics, running for US Senate in Pennsylvania in 2022 as a conservative Republican after earlier describing himself as more moderate.
Trump endorsed Oz in the GOP primary, which he won before losing the general election to Democrat John Fetterman.
Winfrey made clear where she stood in that race.
Just days before the election, she publicly endorsed Fetterman over the man whose television career she had helped propel.
Oz later returned to Washington as an appointee of the Trump administration.
The Senate confirmed him in April 2025 as administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, giving the former Oprah regular direct authority over one of the federal government’s biggest health agencies.
The Post has sought comment from Winfrey, Oz and McGraw.
