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For almost 40 years, a stamp of approval from Oprah Winfrey has been the ultimate status symbol, and a near-guarantee of commercial success \u2014 just ask Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil.<\/p>\n
Winfrey\u2019s talk show launched in 1986 and became a sensation. The talk show raked in Daytime Emmy awards, and the host\u2019s sway with the audience was undeniable. Winfrey\u2019s influence was, and still is, so potent that marketing pros called the boost in sales following an endorsement \u201cthe Oprah Effect.\u201d Books have shot to the top of bestseller lists, brands such as Spanx and Ugg have become household names and multiple television personalities have been launched, including two controversial health professionals whose endorsements from Winfrey haven\u2019t exactly aged well for some fans.<\/p>\n
During a recent interview with the Television Academy\u2019s Emmy Magazine, Winfrey addressed her ties with the conservative TV personalities, saying \u201cPeople criticize me for Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz, because of their politics or their views.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the \u201990s, Phil McGraw was a licensed psychologist who co-founded a trial consulting firm and was hired to help Winfrey when she was sued in Texas for questioning the safety of beef on her show amid a mad cow disease epidemic happening in the U.K. According to disgruntled cattlemen, the \u201cOprah Effect\u201d doesn\u2019t just have the power to boost sales, it can drop them too.<\/p>\n
Of all the alarming things that happened in L.A., Dr. Phil hanging out with Trump\u2019s border czar during immigration raids was the weirdest.<\/p>\n
Winfrey won the case in 1998, and was so impressed by McGraw that she invited him onto her show and he subsequently landed a weekly segment. A few years later, he launched his own talk show with Winfrey\u2019s backing.<\/p>\n
\u201cDr. Phil, he was so practical, so down to earth, so real. And he would ride in the car with me every morning on the way to trial, where I\u2019m literally sitting on trial for six weeks. I felt that he was so instrumental in helping me. I thought, \u2018Oh, you could help a lot of people. You should come on my show,\u2019\u201d she told the outlet.<\/p>\n
Dr. Oz came into the fold, Winfrey said, by way of introduction from her best friend, fellow television personality and news anchor Gayle King.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe explained practical things like colon cancer and bowel movements,\u201d Winfrey told Emmy Magazine. \u201cI thought he had the language for explaining medical things in a way that was helpful to me. I thought it would be helpful to many other people. And that is how they ended up on the show.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Mehmet Oz made his debut on \u201cThe Oprah Winfrey Show\u201d in 2004, and in the next few years he made more than 60 appearances, offering health advice to viewers. In 2009, he followed in Dr. Phil\u2019s footsteps and launched his own talk show, with Winfrey\u2019s production company backing the venture.<\/p>\n
At 6 feet 3 and 236 pounds, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is, like more than two-thirds of Americans, overweight.<\/p>\n
In recent years, Dr. Phil has aligned himself with MAGA, and in October 2024 he spoke at Donald Trump\u2019s Madison Square Garden presidential campaign rally. Last year, he embedded with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials during raids, including in Chicago, where he and his crew taped arrests.<\/p>\n
In 2020, when Dr. Phil celebrated a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, he thanked Winfrey in his speech, saying she has mentored him and moved him forward in life. \u201cNo doubt about it… You cannot understand the power of the O factor,\u201d he said. \u201cThere would be no Dr. Phil without Oprah, so blame her if you\u2019re going to blame somebody.\u201d<\/p>\n