Emmy Magazine<\/a><\/em>, Oprah was asked about the criticism surrounding her decision to give both men a national platform.<\/p>\n\u201cPeople criticize me for Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz, because of their politics or their views,\u201d Winfrey acknowledged.<\/p>\n
But Oprah isn\u2019t exactly taking responsibility for the paths her former proteges chose to follow.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody has their own path in life, and it has not one thing to do with me, and I don\u2019t have one thing to do with them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Winfrey explained that her original decision to feature the two men had nothing to do with politics.<\/p>\n
Instead, she genuinely believed they had something valuable to offer her viewers.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cAt 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,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n
In Dr. Phil\u2019s case, Winfrey said the two became acquainted during her 1998 legal battle over comments she made about beef and mad cow disease.<\/p>\n
McGraw supported her during the lengthy trial, and Oprah was impressed by his practical approach.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was so practical, so down to earth, so real,\u201d she recalled. \u201cI thought, \u2018Oh, you could help a lot of people. You should come on my show.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Oz entered the picture<\/a> several years later after being introduced to Winfrey by her longtime friend Gayle King.<\/p>\nThe television personality said she appreciated Oz\u2019s ability to explain complicated medical subjects in terms that she could understand.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe explained practical things like colon cancer and bowel movements,\u201d Winfrey said. \u201cI thought he had the language for explaining medical things in a way that was helpful to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nSo she brought him onto her show, too.<\/p>\n
And, as Oprah sees it, that\u2019s where her responsibility ends.<\/p>\n
Both men eventually became successful television personalities in their own right. They also became supporters of President Donald Trump<\/a>, with Oz going on to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and McGraw serving on Trump\u2019s Religious Liberty Commission.<\/p>\nFor Oprah, however, the fact that their careers took a political turn years after she helped introduce them to America isn\u2019t something she believes should be pinned on her.<\/p>\n
In her mind, she gave them a platform because she believed they could help people.<\/p>\n
What they did with that platform afterward was up to them.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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