Since “Jeopardy!” tried to amplify the future visit of Dr. Mehmet Oz in the show, social media users broke up with the TV star because they are “dangerous“And shilling”medical misinformation for profit. ”
Oz, a former health expert on the Oprah Winfrey Show, has long been a controversial figure in the medical world. In addition to repeatedly trafficking weakened weight loss products and providing a platform to “debate” the benefits of conversion therapy, a 2014 British Medical Journal study found that half of his medical advice was “unfounded or wrong.” In 2015, a group of medical colleagues even wrote to the dean of medicine in Colombia, saying that the school’s partnership with him is “unacceptable”.
More recently, Oz – whom Donald Trump appointed to the Sports, Fitness and Nutrition Council in 2018 – suggested that schools should reopen during the coronavirus pandemic because “only” 2% to 3% more people he could die.
Oz’s selection as “Jeopardy!” The guest host is part of the show’s greater effort to get assorted hosts to act as stand-ins until a more permanent one takes over Alex Trebek, the longtime beloved host who died of pancreatic cancer last year.
In February, “Jeopardy!” issued a press release announcing that Oz will be hosted for a period of time, praising him as the winner of 10 Emmy Daytime awards for “The Dr. Oz Show” and boasting of his role as a physician at NewYork Presbyterian-Columbia Medical Center and as the author of “over 400 original publications, book chapters and medical books.”
The announcement sparked a vague initial concern, prompting The Ringer to speak with the former “Jeopardy!” competitors last month on the decision to put Oz in Trebek.
Lindsey Shultz, winner of four games in 2019, who works as a public health analyst, told The Ringer: “When you made your career in the popular media, at best convey confidence in unproven remedies – and, at worst, by default, causing me to doubt the process the rest of us are going through and I was at the end of the spirit trying to defend a full calendar year – I’m not sure a fact-based show is the best place for you ”.
Later, over 500 former “Jeopardy!” the contestants signed a letter published on Medium to oppose Oz’s selection as a guest host.
“Dr. Oz is what has become a dubious trend in America: raising the head of accredited speakers at the expense of rigor and academic consensus, “the letter reads, calling it a slap in the face.
When “Jeopardy!” The Twitter account shared Oz’s introduction for his first appearance on Monday, with critics responding by calling him “dangerous, self-enriching fraud ” and a “chief charlatan of pseudo-science. ”
The name of actor LeVar Burton has even started to evolve on Twitter, as people have said that they want the host of “Reading Rainbow” to be the host of “Jeopardy!” instead of Oz.
“Danger!” and LeVar Burton did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
Prior to Oz’s hosting concert, Katie Couric acted as host for two weeks and raised $ 230,504 in donations for Stand Up To Cancer. The cumulative gains made during Oz’s appearance will go to HealthCorps, “a national nonprofit body committed to eliminating health inequity in at-risk communities by educating and empowering students by providing them with tools to improve their physical and mental health.”
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