Dr. Oz Attempting TV Comeback After Failed Senate Run
Dr. Mehmet Oz's future is uncertain after the television doctor lost his bid to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate earlier this month. He is reportedly hoping to plot a television comeback, but producers are "refusing" to talk to him. Oz, 62, hosted The Dr. Oz Show for 13 seasons until production ceased in November 2021 when Oz announced his run for political office.
"No one in the mainstream will touch him," a source told Radar Online on Nov. 28. "You can't alienate half of your audience with a political stance and expect to bring in an audience on your return to television." The tabloid reports that Oz "impressed" executives at Fox News and Newsmax, but neither outlet has made a formal offer.
Oz's preferred route for a comeback is a new daily talk show. "He wants a daily gig. But it is not going to happen," sources told Radar Online. Another added that Oz is "beating the bushes to revive his health-oriented talk show and groveling to everyone he knows to give him a break, but he's not making much progress."
Even producers who worked on The Dr. Oz Show are not returning his calls, the insiders told Radar. "He can't even get a word with his former producers," a source told the outlet. "Dr. Oz is a social creature who likes to hear himself talk, and it's beginning to dawn on him that he's just now wanted in Hollywood circles anymore."
Oz first gained television stardom as a regular guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show before he got his own show in 2009. Despite frequent criticism of the questionable medical advice Oz pushed on his show, the host won four Emmys for Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host and the series itself won five Outstanding Informative Talk Show Emmys. After Oz announced he would run as a Republican for the U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania, the show was canceled. The last new episode aired in January.
Oz's failed political campaign was mired with problems. He had no direct connection to Pennsylvania and many of his questionable medical claims came back under scrutiny. His support for research experiments that involved the killing of dogs made headlines and stunned people when he posed next to a vintage car made for Adolf Hitler during a fundraiser. He also had a strong anti-abortion stance. Days before the election, Oprah Winfrey even endorsed his Democratic challenger, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, over Oz. Oz still received 46.3% of the vote, but Fetterman came out on top with 51.2%. The Pennsylvania U.S. Senate seat was the only one to flip from Republican to Democratic during the 2022 midterm elections.
Since conceding, Oz has remained quiet. His only tweet since election day came on Thanksgiving. "Wishing you all a joyous Thanksgiving," he wrote on Nov. 24. "I'm appreciative of my many new friends this year and am especially grateful for the freedoms with which we are blessed in America."