Dr. Oz faces backlash ahead of ‘Jeopardy’ gig, called a ‘disgrace’ to Alex Trebek’s legacy
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Dr. Mehmet Oz begins his controversial Jeopardy! stint tonight, and if Monday’s teaser is any indication, social media isn’t going to be a warm place for the media personality.
It was revealed in February that Oz, who rose to fame as a health expert on The Oprah Winfrey Show, was added to the roster of guest hosts following Alex Trebek’s death. The announcement was immediately met with criticism from fans and former contestants given the doctor’s divisive nature, with many pointing out his history of peddling “baseless” and “wrong” medical advice on television. That narrative resurfaced on Monday after the official Jeopardy! account tweeted a preview of Oz’s monologue.
“It is such an honor to be a guest host,” Oz begins. “I was fortunate to become friends with Alex and visited him and this show as often as I could. One of my favorite memories was of Alex showing me with immense pride, a room full of letters of support and love for him from you, the fans.”
That love wasn’t reciprocated in Oz’s direction. The clip has been viewed more than a million times with Jeopardy! fans upset over The Dr. Oz Show host’s involvement in a game show about, you know, facts.
Oz was labeled a “snake oil salesman,” a term which has followed him ever since he was grilled on Capitol Hill in 2014 for peddling “magic weight-loss” cures on his show. (“I actually do personally believe in the items I talk about in the show. I passionately study them. I recognize that often times they don’t have the scientific muster to present as fact,” Oz told members of a Senate panel at one point.)
Many loyalists called Oz’s hosting gig a “disgrace” to Trebek’s legacy and called for viewers to boycott the show for two weeks.
Yeah, overall the feedback was not positive.
Oz has not responded to the most recent criticism.
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