Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement of Mehmet Oz’s Pennsylvania Senate opponent John Fetterman isn’t phasing the famous TV doctor one bit, instead brushing it off as the two having “different politics.”
Dr. Oz first came into public life after appearing numerous times for five seasons on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and, in 2009, her Harpo Productions produced the syndicated series, “The Dr. Oz Show,” throwing him even further into the spotlight. So her support of Fetterman rather than her one-time protégé had many on social meeting joking, “Ouch! That had to hurt.”
Sunday, Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade asked the Pennsylvania Republican senate candidate if Winfrey’s endorsement bothered him. Oz responded, “No, I love Oprah…She and I have different politics, and that’s OK.”
Though Winfrey had previously refrained from offering an opinion on Oz running for office — saying in Dec. 2021 that it was “up to the residents of Pennsylvania to decide who will represent them” — on Thursday, she took a stronger stance to support Fetterman.
“I said it was up to the citizens of Pennsylvania,” she said as she hosted “A Virtual Voting Conversation.” “But I will tell you all this, if I lived in Pennsylvania, I would have already cast my vote for John Fetterman for many reasons.”
Oz likened Winfrey’s decision to the diverse political landscape of Pennsylvania, underscoring that it is a “purple state” that could swing Democrat or Republican during major elections, like the upcoming midterms on Tuesday.
“In a purple state like Pennsylvania, your neighbors have different political views than you do,” he said. “One of the beautiful parts of democracy and living in a state like Pennsylvania is that you get to talk to your neighbors and work things out.”
The Republican candidate also addressed the widespread support, monetary and otherwise, of his opponent, noting “we’re still keeping up with him,” and urged those who were concerned about the support for Fetterman — which he noted that “you should be” — to contribute to his own campaign instead.
Oz admitted that he is “not a politician” but as a “heart doctor” — which, as a retired cardiothoracic surgeon, is true — and listed how this background will help “unite” the state.
“We have done an aggressive job getting the right story out,” Oz said. “We’ve been very disciplined like surgeons are, but I’m not a politician, Brian. As you know, I’m a heart doctor, and we focus on big issues, we unite people that fix those problems. We don’t want America divided.”
