Oprah Winfrey has publicly distanced herself from two prominent figures in Donald Trump's political orbit — Dr. Phil McGraw and Dr. Mehmet Oz — both of whom she elevated to national fame through her long-running daytime program.

Winfrey gave McGraw his first major television platform in 1998, years before he launched his own syndicated show. Oz received a similar introduction to audiences in 2004. Both men leveraged Winfrey's vast viewership to build their own media empires: "Dr. Phil" debuted in 2002 and "The Dr. Oz Show" in 2009, both outlasting "The Oprah Winfrey Show," which concluded its run in 2011.

Today, both men are firmly embedded in Trump's sphere of influence. McGraw accompanied ICE agents during a raid in Chicago and was subsequently appointed to Trump's Religious Liberty Commission, despite not holding a license as a therapist. Oz now serves as administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and has aligned himself closely with vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Their current roles place them in areas that affect public policy and government messaging, which helps explain why their past association with Winfrey continues to draw scrutiny well beyond entertainment coverage.

Winfrey, a high-profile supporter of Kamala Harris during her presidential campaign against Trump, addressed the growing public criticism of her former protégés in an interview with Emmy Magazine.

"People criticize me for Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz, because of their politics or their views," Winfrey said. "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."

She added: "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 offered warmer reflections on McGraw specifically, crediting him as a steady presence when Texas cattle ranchers sued her in 1998 over remarks she made about beef safety. She praised his grounded, relatable demeanor as the quality she believed would connect with television audiences. Her introduction to Oz, she recalled, came through her longtime friend Gayle King.

Since embracing Trump's political agenda, Oz has reversed several of his earlier positions. He previously advocated for mandatory, government-subsidized health insurance for those unable to afford coverage. In his current role as a Trump administration official, however, he has helped dismantle a subsidy that had kept Medicare drug premiums in check. Oz has also stated that Medicaid recipients spend their time watching television rather than working, and has retracted his prior support for transgender youth, describing the movement as rooted in "false science."

McGraw has drawn criticism for minimizing the importance of COVID-19 social distancing measures, at one point comparing pandemic deaths to car crashes and pool drownings. His television program has faced multiple lawsuits, including one from a woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted at a treatment facility he recommended on air, and another from a guest who claims she was held against her will during a taping. Former staff members have additionally described a toxic workplace culture that relied on racist stereotypes to boost ratings.

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