Sony Pictures announced that it would end “The Dr. Oz Show” as its host runs for Senate.
As The Daily Wire previously reported, Dr. Mehmet Oz announced that he would make a bid for the seat of retiring Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA). Though he is running as a Republican, Oz has formerly donated to Democratic politicians such as Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH).
His television show — presently in its thirteenth season — will end on January 14, 2022. ABC News reported:
Television stations in Philadelphia, New York City and Cleveland that are seen in Pennsylvania had already taken “Dr. Oz” off the air, for fear that the Federal Communications Commission’s “equal time” rules would allow rival candidates to seek similar air time.
In many parts of the country, “Dr. Oz” will be replaced by “The Good Dish,” a combination talk-cooking show where hosts Daphne Oz, Gail Simmons and Jamika Pessoa will serve up a dish of the day. Producers boasted it would be “the most fun you can have in the kitchen without having to do the dishes.” The show is an outgrowth of a weekly segment on “Dr. Oz,” much like Oz’s television career got an early boost from Oprah Winfrey. Sony said it has commitments to air “The Good Dish” in stations representing 90% of the nation’s population.
“Audiences have been loving what Daphne, Gail and Jamika have been serving up during their weekly segments on ‘The Dr. Oz Show’ for years,” said Sony executive Zack Hernandez. “We have long believed ‘The Good Dish’ would make an excellent stand-alone series and are delighted to be able to deliver this fresh take on the cooking genre to our station partners and their viewers across the country.”
In an op-ed for The Washington Examiner, Oz explained that his candidacy will be centered upon offering a response to COVID-19 that does not infringe upon civil liberties:
The reality of our challenges has crystallized during the pandemic. Over 750,000 in the United States have died from the virus, a devastating toll for families and communities. Many of those deaths were preventable. COVID-19 became an excuse for the government and elite thinkers who controlled the means of communication to suspend debate. Dissenting opinions from leading scholars were ridiculed and canceled so their ideas could not be disseminated.
Instead, the government mandated policies that caused unnecessary suffering. The public was patronized and misled instead of empowered. We were told to lock down quietly and let those in charge take care of the rest. When we tested positive for the virus, we were also told to wait at home until our lips turned blue and we got sick enough to warrant hospitalization. To be clear, this is not a typical medical protocol. Elites with yards told those without yards to stay inside, where the virus was more likely to spread. And the arrogant, closed-minded people in charge closed our parks, shuttered our schools, shut down our businesses, and took away our freedom.
Oz has also said that Oprah Winfrey encouraged him to launch the campaign.
“She told me to follow my heart,” Oz said during an interview with Fox News anchor Bret Baier. “She’s been a wonderful mentor to me, fairest woman I’ve ever worked with, and a great, sage adviser of mine.”
“I don’t want her to get involved in any way,” he added. “I don’t want to hurt her … I don’t want people to have to take bullets when I should be taking them myself.”