4 Times Oprah Made The World Worse With Junk Science

4Oprah Inflicted Dr. Phil Upon The World

The Dr. Phils of the world feel like they get produced in a greasy factory, but he needed the same breaks as many entertainers. After years of practicing as a psychologist, Phil McGraw cofounded a trial consulting firm where he helped with the mental side of trials, like preparing witnesses. In 1995, Oprah faced a food libel lawsuit from a Texas beef company after she told America that a mad cow disease scare had turned her off beef, and McGraw’s firm was brought on to help. Oprah won the lawsuit, and was so impressed by McGraw’s contribution that she invited him onto her show. 

You’ll recognize the unknown law dude walking behind her in the clip. 

Dr. Phil was such a hit that his folksy advice on love and life became a weekly feature. In 2002 he got his own show, with Oprah as executive producer. Dr. Phil made McGraw a multimillionaire, and only Oprah herself pulled better ratings. So it’s too bad the show was riddled with bullshit. 

Recounting Dr. Phil’s scandals would take its own article, but let’s recap a few lowlights. He crashed Britney Spears’ hospital room to cash in on her breakdown, he aired a special that exploited Shelly Duval’s mental health issues (ads used a clip of Duval insisting that the deceased Robin Williams was “shapeshifting”), he used the “Dr.” part of his name in a conflict-of-interest riddled promotion for a diabetes drug the FDA only recommended as a last resort, he called a nine-year-old a “serial killer in the making,” a guest with substance abuse issues was given a bottle of vodka and a Xanax in his dressing room, his weight loss products and rehab centers have faced litanies of lawsuits, and his whole pop psychology shtick has generally been derided as simplistic, ineffective, and predatory. Yes, that was the short version. 

Angela George

It doesn’t even get into all the people who sued him for holding them captive. 

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In Phil’s defense, a study suggested that his show can give viewers the confidence they need to seek out professional therapy, an approach he often recommends. He’s a man people listen to … and so of course he just had to go full COVID-denier. His show kept filming as other productions shut down amid surging L.A .case numbers, and in April 2020 he went on Fox News to compare coronavirus deaths to automobile fatalities and pool accidents, citing inaccurate statistics before veering off to opine that lockdowns would destroy lives “for years.” Fox contrasted Phil, who is no longer licensed to practice psychology and has never been a medical doctor or economist, with Dr. Fauci, like they were just two colleagues having a disagreement. 

4 Times Oprah Made The World Worse With Junk Science
Source: Pinoy Daily News