ENCORE: Dr. Oz: Supplement Spin Doctor

Summary

Scamfluencers Episode ENCORE: Dr. Oz: Supplement Spin Doctor

Hosts: Scaachi Koul and Sarah Hagi
Release Date: December 23, 2024
Podcast: Scamfluencers by Wondery

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Introduction to Dr. Mehmet Oz’s Rise and Fall

In this enlightening episode of Scamfluencers, hosts Scaachi Koul and Sarah Hagi delve deep into the meteoric rise and dramatic downfall of Dr. Mehmet Oz, a once-respected heart surgeon turned daytime TV sensation and political figure. The narrative unfolds with Dr. Oz's early achievements, his strategic pivot to television fame, the subsequent entanglement with dubious health supplements, and his eventual scrutiny by federal regulators and political adversaries.

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Early Life and Medical Career

Dr. Mehmet Oz was born in 1960 in Pennsylvania to immigrant parents from Turkey. His father, Mustafa Oz, was a distinguished cardiothoracic surgeon who instilled in Mehmet a relentless pursuit of excellence. Under his father's stringent expectations—"did anyone do better than you?"—Oz excelled academically, earning both medical and business degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. By 26, he was a cardiac surgery resident at New York’s Presbyterian Hospital, renowned for performing complex heart transplants.

Notable Insight:
Dr. Oz reflected on differing healthcare approaches, stating in a podcast with Krista Tippett, “[...] in Turkey you would never leave a patient in the hospital unless you had a relative with them” (07:34).

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Transition to Television and Initial Success

In 1995, a pivotal moment occurred when Dr. Oz successfully performed a high-profile heart transplant for Frank Torre, the brother of New York Yankees manager Joe Torre. This surgery not only saved Frank's life but also catapulted Oz into the national spotlight, blending his medical expertise with public acclaim.

By 1999, Oz ventured into writing with his book Healing from the Heart, promoting integrative medicine—a blend of traditional and alternative practices. Despite internal resistance from his colleague Jerry Whitworth, Oz founded the Cardiovascular Institute and Integrative Medicine Program, emphasizing supplements and lifestyle changes to prevent illness.

Notable Quote:
In his book, Oz advocated for holistic health measures, stating, “take supplements and exercise daily to prevent illness” (13:37).

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The Oz Effect: Capitalizing on TV Fame

Oz’s TV journey began with his production of Second Opinion, a show on the Discovery Channel aimed at addressing critical health concerns. His collaboration with Oprah Winfrey significantly amplified his reach. Following numerous guest appearances, Oprah’s endorsement led to the launch of The Dr. Oz Show in 2009, becoming the most successful daytime TV launch in over a decade. Oz was celebrated as one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People and was earning up to $10 million annually from his show.

Notable Achievement:
At the 38th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in June 2011, Oz tied for the Outstanding Talk Show Host award alongside Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa, symbolizing the peak of his television career (21:12).

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Promotion of Dubious Supplements and Ethical Concerns

As The Dr. Oz Show expanded, so did its focus on weight loss and alternative health remedies. Episodes often featured products like green coffee bean extract and raspberry ketones, which lacked substantial scientific backing. Oz’s influence led to what became known as the “Oz Effect,” where featured products saw skyrocketing sales despite minimal efficacy.

In April 2012, dietary supplement company Pure Health capitalized on Oz’s endorsement by promoting green coffee bean extract on his show. Lindsay Duncan, the CEO of Pure Health, appeared as an “expert” despite lacking genuine knowledge about the product. This collaboration resulted in $50 million in sales over three years, highlighting the problematic intertwining of media influence and unverified health claims (25:12).

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Senate Hearing and Regulatory Scrutiny

By 2014, Dr. Oz faced increasing scrutiny from federal regulators and U.S. Senators questioning the validity of his health claims. In June 2014, Oz testified before a Senate subcommittee on consumer protection, where Senator Claire McCaskill aggressively challenged his promotion of unverified supplements. Despite his attempts to defend the clinical trials supporting his recommendations, Oz admitted, “I recognize that oftentimes they don't have the scientific muster to present as fact” (28:37).

Notable Confrontation:
Senator McCaskill confronted Oz with his own show's transcripts, accusing him of promoting “snake oil” salesmanship (28:37).

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Legal Battles and Professional Backlash

The fallout from regulatory actions was swift. In January 2015, the FTC sued Lindsay Duncan for deceptive marketing practices related to Pure Health’s supplements, leading to a $9 million settlement. Additionally, investigative studies, including one by the British Medical Journal, revealed that over half of Oz’s health claims on his show were either unverifiable or debunked.

Consequently, medical professionals began distancing themselves from Oz. In April 2015, a collective of doctors urged Columbia University to sever ties with him, citing his dissemination of misinformation and unethical promotion of supplements. Oz retaliated publicly, vowing not to be silenced and attacking his critics in a 30-minute on-air monologue (31:34).

Notable Retaliation:
Oz declared, “These 10 doctors are trying to silence me. I vow to you, right here, right now, we will not be silenced” (31:50).

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Political Ambitions and Further Decline

Undeterred by the mounting criticism, Dr. Oz announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania in November 2021. His political campaign, however, was riddled with controversies:

• Residency Questions: Oz had primarily lived in New Jersey, prompting investigations into his eligibility to run in Pennsylvania.

• Financial Disclosures: Reports revealed Oz owned substantial stock in pharmaceutical companies producing products he promoted, including over $600,000 in hydroxychloroquine stocks—a drug he endorsed during the COVID-19 pandemic without disclosing his financial interest.

• Public Missteps: Campaign videos showcased Oz appearing out of touch, such as his confused references to grocery stores and misplaced blame on political figures for unrelated issues.

The culmination of these issues led to a significant loss in public trust. By March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Oz promoted hydroxychloroquine as a treatment despite emerging evidence of its ineffectiveness and potential harms. His endorsement contributed to nationwide shortages, further tarnishing his reputation.

Notable Political Statement:
In a Washington Examiner op-ed, Oz claimed, “When you mix politics and medicine, you get politics instead of solutions. That's why I'm running for the US Senate, to help fix the problems and to help us heal” (37:19).

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Final Downfall and Legacy

Facing declining ratings and widespread criticism, The Dr. Oz Show was shut down after 13 seasons as Oz focused on his Senate campaign. His opponent, Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, capitalized on Oz’s controversies, ultimately defeating him by five points. Post-election, Oz’s professional affiliations dwindled—his roles at Columbia University and his relationships with major backers like Oprah Winfrey and former President Donald Trump were severed.

Conclusion by Hosts:
Scaachi Koul and Sarah Hagi reflect on Oz’s journey, highlighting the dangers of leveraging professional expertise for personal gain. They emphasize that Dr. Oz’s story serves as a cautionary tale about the ethical responsibilities of medical professionals and the susceptibility of audiences to charismatic but unverified influencers.

Notable Reflection:
Koul muses, “If you're good at something, just do that. Don't do new things. You don't need to add an extra layer to something that you're already good at” (44:32).

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Key Takeaways

• Ethical Boundaries: Dr. Oz’s transition from a respected surgeon to a TV personality blurred the lines between medical ethics and commercial interests, undermining public trust in healthcare professionals.

• Influence and Responsibility: The “Oz Effect” exemplifies how influential figures can manipulate public perception, leading to the widespread adoption of unverified and potentially harmful health products.

• Regulatory Vigilance: Oz’s Senate hearing underscores the necessity for stringent oversight of media personalities who leverage their platforms to promote health-related products and claims.

• Personal Ambition vs. Professional Integrity: Dr. Oz’s ambition to build a personal brand ultimately compromised his professional integrity, resulting in legal battles, loss of credibility, and political defeat.

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Resources and Further Reading

The episode extensively referenced works that provided in-depth analysis of Dr. Oz’s career and controversies:

• The Making of Dr. Oz by Julie Belous for Vox
• The Operator by Michael Specter for The New Yorker
• The Experiments of Dr. Oz by Chip Brown for The New York Times
• How a Fake Doctor Made Millions from the Oz Effect and a Bogus Weight Loss Supplement by Abby Philipp for The Washington Post

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Credits

Written by: Adrienne Chung
Additional Writing: Scaachi Koul and Sarah Hagi
Production Team: Jen Swan, John Reed, Charlotte Miller, Lexi Perry, Sarah Enni, Eric Thurm, James Morgan, Scott Velasquez, Ryan Lohr, Matt Gant, Desi Blaylock, Kate Young, Olivia Richard, Ginny Blume
Executive Producers: Jeanine Cornello, Stephanie Jens, Jenny Lauer Beckman, Marshall Louie
Sound Design: James Morgan
Fact Checking: Will Tavlin

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This episode of Scamfluencers offers a comprehensive exploration of how Dr. Mehmet Oz leveraged his medical credentials to build a media empire, the ethical pitfalls he encountered, and the ultimate repercussions of prioritizing fame and profit over professional integrity.

Transcript

[Sachi Cole]

Wondery subscribers can listen to Scamfluencers early and ad free right now. Join Wonder plus in the Wondery app or Apple Podcasts. Sarah, One of our very own scammers has been making headlines recently, and not because of a scam. Technically, it's Dr. Mehmet Oz.

[Sarah Haggie]

Oh my gosh, what could possibly be going on right now with him?

[Sachi Cole]

Oh, only good news, my friend. President elect Donald Trump, who supported Dr. Oz's unsuccessful bid for a Senate seat in 2022, has picked him to be the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services. So since Dr. Oz is back in the political game, I thought it was a good time to revisit our episode on him, where we tell the story of this overachieving child of immigrants who rose to prominence as a respected heart surgeon and then got caught up in the allure of TV fame after appearing on Oprah. This scam has it all. Questionable supplement claims, shady conflicts of interest, and a seriously embarrassing session in front of the Senate. And there's truly no telling what the next chapter will hold. So enjoy this refresher and stay tuned. Sarah, as you know, I have a lot of guilty pleasures, and today I wanted to tell you about one of them, which is daytime tv.

[Sarah Haggie]

Sachi, as someone who skipped an insane amount of school growing up, I am right there with you. Like, all I did was watch daytime tv. That's how I learned what everything was.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah, and I love it. But the truth is, we don't normally think of daytime TV as having any impact on our political futures. Like, in what world do Maury Povich and his countless paternity tests really matter? That's the point, right? It doesn't matter.

[Sarah Haggie]

Yeah, I mean, I was a big Oprah head. I would watch her every single day when I got home from school. And I remember people being like, maybe Oprah should be president. Do you remember that?

[Sachi Cole]

I do. And it's funny that you mention Oprah, because this story I'm about to tell you has to do with Oprah's power to turn other people into superstars overnight. For better and often for worse. It's April 2012. An audience is gathered in Studio 6A at New York's Rockefeller Center. When the lights go up and the applause sign flashes, a tall, slim man bounds on stage. He's wearing a suit and has quaffed brown hair. It's Dr. Mehmet Oz, the host of CBS's daytime talk show called, duh. The Dr. Oz Show. And he's one of the biggest daytime TV stars in the world. He stares right into the camera as if he's speaking directly to you.

[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

This little bean has scientists saying they found a magic weight loss cure for every body type. It's green coffee beans.

[Sachi Cole]

Green Dr. Oz is at the top of his game. The show is in its third season and it gets around 3 million viewers a day. He's just won back to back daytime Emmy awards in the Outstanding informative talk show category, and he's been called America's Doctor by none other than Oprah Winfrey. His show's massive popularity has been fueled by episodes promising a new miracle cure for whatever health issue you're most anxious about. Want to avoid heart attacks? Dr. Oz will tell you what to eat. Afraid of cancer? Dr. Oz has the solution, and he's really starting to hone in on one thing his audience can't seem to get enough of weight loss. Like with these green coffee beans.

[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

When turned into a supplement, this miracle pill can burn fat fast. For anyone who wants to lose weight, this is very exciting. And it's breaking news.

[Sachi Cole]

About 30% of the episodes on the Dr. Oz show focus on losing weight, but this episode is different because this time Oz's claims of a so called magic answer will land him directly in the crosshairs of the U.S. senate. It's the beginning of the tide turning against Oz and it'll force millions of faithful viewers to ask themselves, what exactly is the good doctor prescribing and does it work? All right, Audible's best of 2024 picks are here, so discover the year's top audiobooks, podcasts and originals in all your favorite genres.

[Sarah Haggie]

That's right. From memoirs and sci fi to mysteries and thrillers, Audible's curated list in every category is the best way to hear 2024's best in audio entertainment.

[Sachi Cole]

Exactly like a stunning new full cast production of George Orwell's 1984 or heartfelt memoirs like Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's lovely one.

[Sarah Haggie]

There's also the year's best fiction, like the Women by Kristin Hannah and Percival Everett's brilliantly subversive James. I would love to listen to Sally Rooney's Intermezzo out this year, and I think it was one of my favorite 2024 releases.

[Sachi Cole]

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[Sarah Haggie]

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[Sachi Cole]

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[Sarah Haggie]

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[Sachi Cole]

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[Sarah Haggie]

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[Sachi Cole]

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[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

Come and give me your attention. I will ever learn my lesson.

[Sachi Cole]

Turn my speakers to 11. I feel like a Legend Today we're following the remarkable rise and spectacular downfall of one of the country's most famous television doctors. Dr. Oz's multi decade career spans the most high stakes and competitive worlds. Life or death, surgery, cutthroat tv, and eventually national politics. In a life built for public consumption, it's on the biggest and brightest stages that Dr. Oz will eventually crumble. I'm calling this one Dr. Oz the supplement Spin Doctor Legend. Well Sarah, we know by now that Dr. Oz has a, shall we say, complex relationship with medicine. And it all goes back to his family roots. His father, Mustafa, was also a doctor in Turkey. The elder Oz was a driven and ambitious man. He moved his family to Cleveland in the 1950s to be a medical resident, and that's where Mehmet Oz was born in 1960. A year later, Mustafa trained in cardiothoracic surgery in Atlanta. He eventually moved the family to Delaware, where he became the chief of thoracic surgery at a hospital. He reached the peak of Western medicine. But when Oz spent childhood summers in Turkey, he witnessed a different approach to healthcare. Here's what he says about it years later on the podcast on Being with Krista Tippet.

[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

Take Turkey as an example. You would never leave a patient in the hospital there unless you had a relative with them. In the United States we have visiting hours. No one can see the patient. We block them out.

[Sarah Haggie]

You know, I do kind of understand what he's saying here. Like the healthcare system I feel like in the west does not really prioritize morale and like having family visit.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah, I mean Western medicine is generally a lot colder, but at home it's playing by the rules, that counts. All through Oz's childhood, Mustafa demands excellence. If Oz scores 97% on an exam, his father doesn't say, good job. He asks, did anyone do better than you? It's big immigrant parent energy. I remember it very well. But for Oz, it seems to work. He gets into Harvard, and then he earns both medical and business degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. By the time he's 26, he's a resident in cardiac surgery at New York's Presbyterian Hospital, run in collaboration with Columbia University. His career is on track, but his parents want him to be happy outside of work too. So one night in 1984, Mustafa and Oz's mom invite him to meet them for dinner. They're meeting another couple, renowned cardiothoracic surgeon Gerald Lamol and his wife. Gerald's a bit of a medical rebel. He's credited as the first surgeon to play rock music in the operating room. Very cool. But the two couples aren't here to talk medicine. Oz is single and Gerald's 21 year old daughter Lisa is also single. And the two sets of parents are hoping that Oz and Lisa will hit it off. Lisa is petite, with long dark hair and piercing blue eyes. She's an actress and she actually played a recurring character on Dallas, one of the most successful shows of the 80s. Lisa's parents don't tell her that this dinner is a setup. But when she arrives at the restaurant and Oz greets her, she can't take her eyes off of him. The two of them start dating, and just seven months later, Oz proposes. At this point, things really couldn't be going much better for Dr. Oz. But he doesn't just want to excel at medicine. He wants to change healthcare. And he's going to start with what he can control. His operating room. It's 1995 and Oz is thriving. He wins a prestigious award for best research by a medical resident, and he gets a patent for a device that he creates that detects heart failure. But Oz wants to approach healthcare differently. Lisa's recently become a Reiki master, and her dad Gerald, along with his unconventional ideas about medicine, has become Oz's mentor. And since Oz is now a young hotshot surgeon at Columbia University, the higher ups indulge in some of his alternative ideas about health. Then one day, he meets Jerry Whitworth, a registered nurse. Jerry has blue eyes and brown hair, and he describes himself as a free spirit. He's also interested in combining traditional and alternative medicine. Both men believe that mind, body techniques and things like energy, healing, hypnosis and massages can help people before, during, and after heart surgery. Together, they create the Cardiac Complementary Care center to research the use of these approaches with patients at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center. And this includes bringing 52 year old Julie Moths into the operating room. Now, Julie is an energy healer who manages the Vibes. Here's how she talked about her work at the hospital in an interview with CNN at the time, I asked him to experience the vibrational energy, the heart of the new heart, and experience the vibrational energy of the body and slowly bring the two together.

[Sarah Haggie]

Yeah, if I'm getting heart surgery, the last person I want is someone who's like, let's think about the Vibes.

[Sachi Cole]

Vibes are important for medicine.

[Sarah Haggie]

Yeah. I mean, this Julie woman does not sound like someone I want around me at any point in my life.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah, probably not. Well, Oz is able to exert influence on the powers that be at his hospital. But then, in the fall of 1996, he gets unexpected exposure to a whole new audience.

[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

Like a jewel sparkling in the October night, Yankee Stadium is playing back to the gills.

[Sachi Cole]

In October, the Yankees make it to the World Series. It's their first shot at the championship in 19 years. But their manager, Joe Torre, is distracted. His brother Frank is in the hospital. It doesn't look good. Frank's already had three heart attacks, and now he needs a heart transplant. And then, just as the Yankees are about to play the first game in the Series, some good news. They found a donor for Frank. And one of the surgeons performing the transplant is Dr. Mehmet Oz. The surgery goes off without a hitch. Frank is healing, Joe is relieved, and Dr. Oz gets to be the knight in shining armor. As the Yankees go on to win the World Series, the entire city explodes in celebration.

[Sarah Haggie]

This is crazy, because for everything I know about Dr. Oz and how much I've been exposed to him throughout my life watching tv, I didn't actually know he was a skilled surgeon that could perform a heart transplant. Like I really just thought he was. Oh, like he's just a normal medical doctor, but he is actually quite skilled.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah, he's a real ass doctor. Dr. Oz is thrust into the spotlight. People act like he won the World Series and something in him switches. His colleague later says that this moment was Oz's first big splash of publicity and he loved it. By this point, he performs about 250 operations a year. He's also contributed to eight books and written more than 100 medical papers since he began as a resident. And in 1999, he also publishes Healing from the Heart. It's a book about his radical approach to Western medicine. In it, he talks a lot about integrative medicine, which includes taking supplements and exercising daily to prevent illness.

[Sarah Haggie]

Yeah, so this is when it really begins.

[Sachi Cole]

I mean, it's good advice. You should work out to prevent illness.

[Sarah Haggie]

But that's how they get you. It starts off with normal things. You go, yeah, I guess I should be exercising. Maybe I should be taking these vitamins.

[Sachi Cole]

While Oz is appearing on news segments and seeking out publicity, hyping up his work at the Cardiac Complementary Care Center. But his co founder, Jerry, wants to pump the brakes on all the media attention until they gather more evidence to support their alternative approach. By 2000, Jerry's had enough and he pulls the plug on the center. But Oz trucks along, creating his own newer thing, the Cardiovascular Institute and Integrative Medicine Program. It's basically the same idea, but now it's tied solely to the Dr. Oz name. And he doesn't stop there. Oz wants to build a legacy outside of the operating room, outside of the hospital, outside of the world of medicine entirely. Dr. Oz wants to be famous. Three years later, Lisa's closing in on a deal that will change their lives forever. Her friend just landed a new gig at Discovery Channel. So Lisa makes a pitch. What if Dr. Oz, one of America's most acclaimed surgeons, brought his expertise and his message to the masses with a TV show?

[Sarah Haggie]

Great idea.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah.

[Sarah Haggie]

It's not right, but it's good tv.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah. Here we fucking go. Lisa understands the power of the screen and what it can do for the Dr. Oz brand. Her producer friend is in, and they develop a new show called Second opinion. With Dr. Oz. World renowned heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz takes on the most critical health concerns of our times. Discover the future of medicine from those who are making it and become a world expert on your own body.

[Sarah Haggie]

I wonder what the tone of this show is, because this was at the point when Discovery Channel wasn't as we know it now.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah.

[Sarah Haggie]

So I do wonder if this was like, you know, this first kind of show he had, if it was perhaps a little less sensational or if it wasn't as cuckoo.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah, it was a little more grown up, for sure. But Second Opinion only gets one season. That said, it kickstarts a new era of Dr. Oz's life and career. He gets comfortable on camera and develops an easygoing yet authoritative style. More importantly, he builds a relationship with one of his first guests, a daytime TV pioneer who came on to talk about weight loss. None other than Oprah Winfrey. About a year later, Oz is in a giant building in downtown Chicago. The awning outside reads, the Oprah Winfrey show in 2004. This is hallowed ground. The Oprah show has been running for nearly 20 years and averages 9 million viewers a day. It's easily the number one daytime show of its time. After Oprah appeared on Second Opinion, her producers called Oz to ask him to come onto her show. And he shows up wearing $14 powder blue scrubs and purple latex gloves, looking like he just got out of the operating room. And, Sarah, he's a hit. He quickly lands himself a regular guest spot, and his segments are all over the map. Like, here he is on Oprah talking about belly fat.

[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

We're gonna teach a little bit of vocabulary today. This is a critical part of it called the omentum. It sounds like momentum, but without the.

[Sachi Cole]

M. Where is it?

[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

Where is it in your body? It's actually hooked up to your stomach, but I did better. I brought you some.

[Sachi Cole]

And of course, my personal favorite, anal fissures.

[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

I'm gonna be the anus. You can put that down. Good. Because you gotta be the poop.

[Sarah Haggie]

Okay.

[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

All right. Put your fingers in there. Now you open up in here.

[Sarah Haggie]

This is pretty funny. And very typically Oprah, like, we're talking about a woman who put a bunch of fat representing the weight she lost on a wagon and pulled it out in front of her audience. So none of this surprises me. And also, it is really crazy that this guy is obviously very intelligent and very skilled. Like, he's a heart surgeon, but that doesn't mean he has, like, a special expertise and, like, all that kind of stuff. Like, he knows as much as just about any doctor then, right?

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah. I wouldn't say he's necessarily an expert on pooping, but he is the man we're listening to about these topics. But let's fast forward a few years to 2009. After 88 appearances on the Oprah Show, Oprah and her production company offer Oz his own show, the Dr. Oz Show. And it's the most successful daytime TV launch in more than a decade. Oz keeps getting bigger. He's named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of the Year. And later, financial documents will show that he's making as much as $10 million a year from the show. And don't forget, Dr. Oz is still employed by Presbyterian Hospital. As a surgeon. His success and pop culture relevance far surpass anything his dad could have envisioned. But his level of ambition has no ceiling. And as his star rises, that ambition soon turns to greed. His methods and beliefs will go from unusual to deeply questionable. It's great when you can get someone a gift that they wouldn't necessarily get for themselves. That little bit of luxury that they don't know that they're missing. For quality gifts at an affordable price, check out Quint's.

[Sarah Haggie]

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[Sachi Cole]

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[Sarah Haggie]

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[Sachi Cole]

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[Sarah Haggie]

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[Sachi Cole]

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[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

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[Sachi Cole]

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[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

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[Sachi Cole]

It's June 2011, more than a year after the Dr. Oz show debuted. Oz and Lisa sit amongst the beautiful people inside the Las Vegas Hilton for the 38th annual Daytime Emmy Awards. They smile as Anderson Cooper announces the award for outstanding talk show host. He says that there's a tie. Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa for Live with Regis and Kelly and Dr. Oz. Here he is in his acceptance speech.

[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

Humans historically have always had healers in their communities. People they trusted People who had insight. I think much of America has lost that connection. And what we do this show about is to get folks to realize that all they have to do is love themselves as much as we love them.

[Sachi Cole]

Later in the ceremony, Oprah is honored after wrapping up the 25 year run of her show. And then the Dr. Oz show wins another award for outstanding informative talk show. It's an appropriate handoff as the Oz show is about to move into Oprah's former time slot. Across much of America, the torch is officially passed. But the pace of making the Dr. Oz show is relentless. They tape more than 160 episodes a year, and the focus starts to zero in on promoting what some might call dubious health suggestions. Some episodes are about Oz's specialty, the heart, but many others focus on weight loss with titles like Dr. Oz's Three Day Detox, Oz Approved Seven Day Crash Diet, and Eat Yourself Skinny. As a doctor, Oz has a medical and ethical mandate, to tell the truth. But as a TV star, it's about keeping viewers hooked. And over the course of the show, he finds that the best way to do that is to hit at people's fears and insecurities about their bodies. One topic he touches on almost as often as weight loss is cancer. In an interview with the New Yorker, Oz called cancer quote our Angelina Jolie. We could sell that show every day. There are also some really dicey episodes, like ones about communicating with dead relatives and gay to straight conversion therapy. And Oz once claimed on air that apple juice sold in the US contained arsenic.

[Sarah Haggie]

Oh my God.

[Sachi Cole]

That's like an old wives tale we heard in junior high.

[Sarah Haggie]

Also to call cancer your Angelina Jolie.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah.

[Sarah Haggie]

Is so deeply twisted. That's insane. He's like, you know what? Love that cancer. It sells the magazines.

[Sachi Cole]

Well, Oz is torn between his ethical responsibilities and the temptations of having such a humongous platform. If he says something like this about raspberry ketones on his show.

[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

Now I've got the number one miracle in a bottle to burn your fat.

[Sachi Cole]

Stores can't keep them on the shelves. This is known as the Oz effect. And that has some people seeing Oz not just as a name, but as an opportunity. It's April 2012, and Lindsey Duncan is feverishly typing out an email to his team. Lindsay's the founder and CEO of the dietary supplement company Pure Health. He trades in the world of naturopathy and calls himself a celebrity nutritionist. Lindsay has thin lips, brown eyes, and a gleaming white smile. And right now, his eyes are locked on the computer Screen. A producer for the Dr. Oz show has just emailed him regarding the opportunity of a lifetime. Based on what we know from court documents and reporting from the Washington Post, the producer asks if Lindsay has studied green coffee bean extract as a weight loss supplement. And if so, would he be able to talk about how it works? His team immediately says yes. Lindsay would be happy to appear on the show to talk all about it. But the truth is, Lindsay has never heard of green coffee beans or what its extract could do. What he does know is the power of the Oz effect. So hours after agreeing to go on as an expert on green coffee bean extract, Lindsay starts doing his homework on what it even is. Then he places an order for the raw materials to make it. And then, days later, he tells Oz's audience all about how magic this bean really is.

[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

Participants who took green coffee bean extract lost a total of 17 pounds each. The most interesting part of this clinical trial that was done on humans, not rats or monkeys is that there were absolutely zero side effects.

[Sarah Haggie]

If this was a thing that were true, the whole world would be completely and fundamentally changed.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah, it's like people who think that silver will kill, cure cancer. As if the healthcare industry wouldn't monetize that immediately.

[Sarah Haggie]

No, exactly. It's like one of those things that's like on an infomercial that's playing at 3:00am, you know?

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah. Well, during his appearance, Lindsay also mentions a company he trusts as a source for the green coffee bean extract, Pure Health. But he never mentions that it's his company to anyone at the Dr. Oz show, everything Lindsay says on the show is geared towards selling his supplements. He and his staff direct oz's team to PureHealth100.com is the place viewers can go to buy green coffee bean extract. It's a site that they literally just created in time for Lindsay's appearance on the show. Dr. Oz helps Lindsay shill the stuff, no questions asked.

[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

It comes from the fruit of the coffee plant. And the reason it's different from regular old coffee beans, it hasn't been roasted. It holds on to this element that seems to help people lose weight.

[Sachi Cole]

In the three years after Lindsay's appearance, Pure Health sells $50 million worth of green coffee bean extract products. But federal regulators and US Senators have questions about the show's pattern of dubious claims. And soon they will demand answers. It's June 2014, and Dr. Oz is in Washington, DC, sitting at a heavy oak table in front of a Senate subcommittee. His usual TV polish is gone. His hair falls across his Forehead messier than the slicked back look he usually sports on air. He's pale. There are bags under his eyes. Dr. Oz looks off. This is his most important public appearance probably ever. He's testifying in front of the Senate subcommittee on consumer protection. And though this is just a hearing, these senators appear ready to put Dr. Oz on trial. Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill takes the lead. She's dressed in a blue and white power suit, thick tortoiseshell glasses, and has a perfectly trimmed shock of blonde hair. This lady is not messing around. She is about to snatch Dr. Oz's soul out of his body by reading his own words back to him. She reads aloud from transcripts of his show where he makes claims about cures for weight loss. Senator McCaskill and the rest of the subcommittee grill Dr. Oz on the long list of, quote, cures. He's touted everything from diet pills to supplements, including the green coffee bean extract and raspberry ketones. Both lack any medical evidence that they actually work. I don't get why you need to say this stuff, because you know it's not true. So why, when you have this amazing megaphone and this amazing ability to communicate, why would you cheapen your show? Dr. Oz has never really been in front of any kind of critical audience. And as he tries to defend himself, it shows.

[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

Among the natural products that are out there, this is a product that has several clinical trials. There was one large one, a very good quality one that was done the year that we talked about this, in 2012.

[Sachi Cole]

I want him to know about that clinical trial because the only one I know was 16 people in India that was paid for by the company that was producing it. And it actually gets worse. Dr. Oz decides now is the time to be honest. Maybe too honest.

[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

If I can just get across the big message that I actually do personally believe in the items that I talk about in the show. I passionately study them. I recognize that oftentimes they don't have the scientific muster to present as fact.

[Sarah Haggie]

I mean, in any just world, this guy would not have a career as a daytime talk show host. He's a doctor. People are supposed to trust him.

[Sachi Cole]

I know. It's so bad. And again, Sarah, this is a subcommittee hearing, so no one is leaving here with a fine or jail time. But Oz is under oath. And Senator McCaskill is getting this all on the record. She's calling Oz a snake oil salesman in front of all of America. And the blows keep coming. Just five months after the Senate hearing, the British Medical Journal Publishes a study about his show. They found that at least half of all of Dr. Oz's claims either can't be verified by medical research or they've been straight up debunked. Then in January 2015, almost three years after Lindsey Duncan's appearance on Oz's show, the FTC sues Lindsay. They claim that he's no naturopath. Instead, he's just a marketer with distance learning degrees from a now defunct natural health college. They call Lindsey deceptive and they seek to ban him from making future false health claims. Lindsay quickly settles and agrees to repay customers $9 million.

[Sarah Haggie]

Wow, that is such a burn. You're a marketer with a distance learning degree. You're nothing.

[Sachi Cole]

It's so mean. And the FTC also reaches a $3.5 million settlement with the company that did the so called diet studies that Lindsay cited on the show. The researchers paid to write the studies admitted that they couldn't prove their findings. And federal regulators discovered that the data used in the studies, things like the participants weight, had been altered. The Dr. Oz show quietly removes any traces of affiliation with green coffee bean extract on its website. But they don't issue an apology. Instead, they release a retraction saying that this quote sometimes happens in scientific research. The story of the people and the products that Dr. Oz sells on his shows simply do not match reality. And the walls are starting to close in on him. Soon, the unrest about Dr. Oz reaches his professional home of Columbia University in New York. It's where he got his start as a cardiac surgeon, plus a faculty appointment with the medical school and a senior administrative position in the department of surgery. In April 2015, a few months after the FTC comes down on Lindsey Dunc, a group of doctors across the US release an open letter calling on Colombia to sever its ties with Dr. Oz. They say his work is full of lies and misinformation. Oz is pissed. He strikes back on his TV show.

[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

Doctors should never fight their battles or each other in public. But now I believe I must.

[Sachi Cole]

He launches into a 30 minute screed naming and personally questioning each of the doctors who called him out. Sarah, do you want to read what he says to end the segment? Sure.

[Sarah Haggie]

He says, these 10 doctors are trying to silence me. I vow to you, right here, right now, we will not be silenced. Oh my God. They're trying to silence you. What? There's like some conspiracy where they don't want people to know good things, like what it's implying is so fundamentally crazy.

[Sachi Cole]

Well, like all people who are silenced. Oz gets to publish a 1300 word rebuttal in Time magazine. And also, Matt Lauer, who has never done anything wrong, interviews Oz on the Today show specifically about firing back at his critics.

[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

You are a medical doctor. Have you upheld that trust over the years on your program? Without question I have. And I'm very proud of what we've done on this show.

[Sachi Cole]

Even with all of this media support for his counterattack, Oz's empire is on shaky ground. This 20 year grift has been very profitable for him, but now he needs to take refuge where all disgraced TV figures electoral politics hey prime members, have you heard? You can listen to your favorite podcasts ad free. Good news. With Amazon Music, you have access to the largest catalog of ad free top podcasts included with your prime membership. To start listening, download the Amazon music app for free or go to Amazon.com adfreepodcast that's Amazon.com adfreepodcast to catch up on the latest episodes. Without the ads.

[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

I feel like a legend.

[Sachi Cole]

In 2016, the US is in the throes of Trump mania. One of the big talking points of the election is whether Trump, at 70 years old, is physically fit to serve as president. Trump understands the power of TV like few others in American history, and he figures what better way to prove his fitness than by getting a clean bill of health from America's doctor? So he appears on the Dr. Oz Show.

[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

If your health is as strong as it seems from your review of systems, why not share your medical records? Why not?

[Sachi Cole]

Well, I have really no problem in doing it.

[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

I have it right here.

[Sarah Haggie]

I mean, should I do it?

[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

I don't care.

[Sachi Cole]

Should I do it? Trump hands Dr. Oz two sheets of paper which he says are from his doctor. Dr. Oz reviews them and declares him fit to run and serve as president.

[Sarah Haggie]

Well, I mean, if Dr. Oz is saying so, he looks at the papers and he was like, yeah, I think this guy should be president. He's fit to run for president.

[Sachi Cole]

Sure. Just two men that I trust for sure. But you know what, if you think about it, Oz and Trump are a natural fit. They're both celebrities who love the limelight. They have a tenuous relationship at best with the truth. And now they have a common enemy, the so called establishment. The establishment ridicules what they have to say, but both Oz and Trump say they represent the common man and that no idea, political or medical, is too out there. As you know, Trump goes on to win. But a couple of years into his presidency, In July of 2018, Oz reaches a $5.4 million settlement in a class action lawsuit over false advertising. The suit accuses him of exaggerating the benefits of weight loss supplements. Oz doesn't admit fault, but he promises not to re air three episodes of his show that promote the dubious products. And then he catches a break. Around this time, Trump creates a sports fitness and nutrition council and gives Oz a spot. The relationship with Trump and his voters seems fruitful, and Oz must think, if a loudmouth former TV host with no political experience can get to the top, then why can't he? It's March 2020. COVID 19, is spreading. Dr. Oz feels like a man meeting the moment he starts focusing a lot of energy on one potential treatment. Hydroxychloroquine. It's a medication commonly used to treat lupus. But on March 28, the FDA issues an emergency order to use it on some patients hospitalized with COVID About a week later, Oz is making the rounds on tv, touting the drug like this spot on a San Diego CBS affiliate.

[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

Less fever, less cough, and less pneumonia problems. And most doctors in the world, this is our number one choice of products you recommend.

[Sachi Cole]

Trump says hydroxychloroquine works for him. And that endorsement puts the Oz effect on steroids. The drug sells out everywhere. The demand is so strong, lupus patients are having a tough time filling their prescriptions. Then in April, studies show that using hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid could be causing more harm than good. The FDA says it can lead to severe cardiac events. After the study drops, Oz goes on Fox News to say, quote, we don't know if hydroxychloroquine actually works. But he never fully retracts his original recommendation. And here's the kicker. Two years later, it's revealed that OZ owns more than $600,000 in stocks of pharmaceutical companies that make and distribute hydroxychloroquine. It's something he never disclosed in any on air appearances. But by November 2021, things are moving fast for Oz. His third act in American life is about to begin, because this is when he announces he's running for Senate. Sarah, can you read a bit from his Washington examiner op ed?

[Sarah Haggie]

Yeah. He says, during the pandemic, I learned that when you mix politics and medicine, you get politics instead of solutions. That's why I'm running for the US Senate, to help fix the problems and to help us heal. I mean, this is obviously such bullshit because it's. The statement doesn't really make any sense. I just don't understand what his expertise is if you aren't supposed to be mixing politics and medicine.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah, I mean, it's all over the place. But the other thing to know is that he's running for Senate in Pennsylvania. Even though court records show that he's lived in New Jersey for most of his adult life, his homes, jobs and offices have always been based in New York and New Jersey. Insider reports that Dr. Oz began absentee voting in Pennsylvania elections in 2021 by registering with his in laws address. Weeks after announcing his run, Dr. Oz and Lisa buy a $3 million home in Pennsylvania's Montgomery County. But a national TV show turns out to be very different from a national campaign. Running for public office usually means releasing a lot of information, and that will forever change how Americans see Dr. Oz. Dr. Oz files the paperwork to run for public office in mid-2022, and the press dissents, analyzing the extent of his empire. A Philadelphia Inquirer investigation reveals Oz's net worth is somewhere between 100 and 400 million dollars. And when reporters dig into the financial statements, they find a lot of uncomfortable ties to companies that have appeared on the Dr. Oz Show. For years. Oz promoted a probiotic made by a company called Pantherics. The Daily Beast reports that while promoting its products, Oz owned a stake in the company and he served on its board for years and was paid as a consultant. Then Politico discovers that Oz had a lucrative relationship with USANA Health Sciences, a multi level marketing company that makes supplements, skin care and other wellness products. Oz was paid upwards of 50 million to feature their products on air and on his show's website, and he gave speeches and presentations on behalf of the company. The ratings for the show begin plummeting and after 13 seasons, Oz has to shut his show down because he's running for Senate. But he has his work cut out for him running against the popular, experienced and charmingly unpolished Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman. Though Oz may be unflappable in the operating room or his own soundstage, he suffers major stumbles on the national political stage, including in trying to act like he hasn't been a multi millionaire for more than half of his life. So, Sarah, it's time we talked about the crudite video.

[Sarah Haggie]

Thought I do some grocery shopping.

[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

I'm at Wagner's and my wife wants some vegetables for crudite, right? So here's a broccoli that's two bucks.

[Sachi Cole]

Not a ton of broccoli there.

[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

There's some asparagus, that's $4 and she loves salsa.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah, there's salsa there.

[Dr. Mehmet Oz]

$6.

[Sachi Cole]

Must be a shortage of salsa.

[Sarah Haggie]

What is he, he's just going to like the produce section and just picking stuff out? And what's the point he's trying to make that things are expensive.

[Sachi Cole]

Yes.

[Sarah Haggie]

That regular people can't make crudites anymore.

[Sachi Cole]

He is blaming Joe Biden for the cost of organic asparagus for his crudite platter.

[Sarah Haggie]

A crudite platter is just vegetables and like a dip, right?

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah, correct. It's a vegetable tray. And he's also talking about being at a place called Wegner's because he's confusing two American grocery chain names and fuse them into one. Like, the place he's referring to does not exist.

[Sarah Haggie]

I do love this display of how out of touch someone could be, you know?

[Sachi Cole]

Well, somehow it gets worse. A few months before the Senate race, John Fetterman has a life threatening stroke. And Oz, who is somehow still a licensed doctor, could use this as a moment to show some empathy and expertise. But instead, his spokesperson tells the media, quote, if John Fetterman had ever eaten a vegetable in his life, then maybe he wouldn't have had a major stroke and wouldn't be in a position of having to lie about it constantly. Even though it's just an Oz spokesperson, Oz never condemns the remark. He just says, quote, the campaign has been saying a lot of things. Oz's political career was dead before it ever really began. Oprah, his biggest backer for years, throws her support behind Fetterman, who ultimately beats Oz by 5 points. Almost every major link he's made in his 40 year career is gone. His show, his reputation, his positions at Columbia, even Trump is pissed that Oz lost and reportedly blames his wife Melania for suggesting that he back him. Dr. Oz, a generationally gifted heart surgeon, created an empire. But underneath it all, he took the very trust he gained with viewers and turned it into a grift. He did it with pills, unproven diet plans, magazine covers, primetime TV spots, and eventually a failed attempt to turn it all into votes. So has he answered his father's question? Did anyone do better than you, Oz? Sarah, has this story made you decide to give up on the medical profession entirely? Like, can we trust no one? Not even a doctor, not even a heart surgeon?

[Sarah Haggie]

I mean, if anything, this just shows that, like, you can be the best in your field of something that is so hard to do and still be totally blinded by the idea of being a little bit famous.

[Sachi Cole]

Do you think there's a version of the world where Dr. Oz just stays in his lane and he just becomes a really famous heart surgeon.

[Sarah Haggie]

No, I, I, I don't think so. I mean, like, I think he got a taste for fame. And also, you know, it's pretty rare to have a doctor be so good at being this eloquent. And he does have a gift for being able to speak publicly. And I think he got high off that feeling.

[Sachi Cole]

I think it's an interesting reminder that doctors are just people and people have terrible motivations.

[Sarah Haggie]

Yeah, doctors are just people and they can be easily swayed by fame, but also, they do take an oath for this to be a very altruistic profession. Not saying that stops people from doing bad things, but it's like he did go against everything there is to being a doctor after, you know, performing this miracle heart surgery. I think it's easy to believe you're the smartest guy that will ever exist when you can replace someone's heart with a different one and have them live.

[Sachi Cole]

Oh, yeah, listen, if I could do that, I would start believing my own hype as well.

[Sarah Haggie]

Like, there are very few things I could do and they give me an over inflated ego in a lot of ways. So I couldn't imagine being able to do this and not going a little bit crazy.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah, I think Dr. Oz thought he was the American dream. I mean, he's the child of immigrants. You know, he works his way up. I'm sure he doesn't view himself as a nuppo baby, despite the many connections he had in the medical space and that he was gonna make it and become president.

[Sarah Haggie]

100%. This guy would have run for president.

[Sachi Cole]

Well, Sarah, did you learn anything today?

[Sarah Haggie]

You know what? I did learn something today. I really thought Dr. Oz was just a general practitioner. I didn't know he was so skilled. And I think he kind of erased that from his own history by being crazy. So my whole thing is, if you're super accomplished at something, just stop there. You don't need a new thing. You don't need to add an extra layer to something that you're already good at.

[Sachi Cole]

Yeah. Today's lesson is if you're good at something, just do that. Don't do new things. You don't need to be good at several things. Things. Look at us. We're not good at anything. And here we are hosting this podcast that you are listening to.

[Sarah Haggie]

Yeah, imagine we tried doing more.

[Sachi Cole]

We're barely keeping this together. If you like scamplancers, you can listen to every episode early and ad free right now. By joining Wondery plus and the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short [e-mail] survey this is Dr. Oz, the supplement spin doctor. I'm Sachi Kol.

[Sarah Haggie]

And I'm Sarah Hagie. If you have a tip for us on a story that you think we should cover, please email [e-mail] we use many sources in our research. A few that were particularly helpful were The Making of Dr. Oz by Julie Belous for Vox the Operator by Michael Spector for the New Yorker the Experiments of Dr. Oz by Chip Brown for the New York Times and How a Fake Doctor Made Millions from the Oz Effect and a Bogus Weight Loss Supplement by Abby Philipp for the Washington Post.

[Sachi Cole]

Adrienne Chung wrote this episode. Additional writing by us Sachi Cole and Sarah Hagie. Our senior Our senior producer is Jen Swan. Our producer is John Reed. Our associate producers are Charlotte Miller and Lexi Perry. Our story editor and producer is Sarah Enni. Our story editor is Eric Thurm. Sound design is by James Morgan. Fact checking by Will Tavlin. Our music supervisor is Scott Velasquez for Freeze on Sync. Our senior Managing producer is Ryan Lohr. Our Managing producer is Matt Gant. Our coordinating producer is Desi Blaylock. Kate Young and Olivia Richard are our series producers. Our senior Story editor is Rachel B. Doyle. Our Senior producer is Ginny Blume. Our executive producers are Jeanine Cornello, Stephanie Jens, Jenny Lauer Beckman and Marshall Louie. For Wondery. We get support from Chime.

[Sarah Haggie]

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[Sachi Cole]

One of the cool things about Chime is that they offer fee free overdraft coverage up to $200. So if you ever need a little extra cushion, they've got your back. And when you make your next deposit, it automatically gets applied to your balance. No hassle at all. Make your fall finances a little greener by working towards your financial goals with Chime. Open your account in 2 [e-mail] scanpod that's chime.com scanpod Chime feels like progress.

[Sarah Haggie]

Banking Services and Debit card provided by the Bancorp App NA or Stride Bank NA members, FDIC Spot Me eligibility requirements and overdraft limits apply. Boosts are available to eligible CHIME members enrolled in Spot ME and are subject to monthly limits. Terms and conditions apply. Go to chime.com disclosures for details.