Dr. Mehmet Oz is the former television host of "The Dr. Oz Show," a retired American-Turkish cardiothoracic surgeon, author, and politician. For years, he was known by the name Dr. Oz due to his long-running television show. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised by Turkish immigrant parents in Wilmington, Delaware. He has a distinguished education career, graduating from Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania before starting his residency for surgery at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. At Columbia, Oz was able to maintain a professor of surgery role from 2001 until he retired as professor emeritus in 2018.
One of the main reasons Oz became a reality tv show host was because of the early support of Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey's production company, along with Sony Pictures Television, launched his show, which ran for 13 seasons. Oz became a household name for his daytime television show that promoted obscure medicine and faith healing practices. However, when Oz launched his political career in 2022, Winfrey chose to support and endorse his Democratic political opponent.
After Sean Parnell, the Trump-endorsed frontrunner in the Pennsylvania Republican Senate primary, dropped out, Oz announced he was running in the race. During the race, he was criticized for his Turkish citizenship. Moreover, Oz, in order to retain his citizenship, served in the Turkish Army for two months back in the 1980s. He also had a residency in the state of New Jersey prior to running for the election.
Oz eventually received the endorsement from former President Donald Trump and won a narrow victory over former Bush administration Treasury official David McCormick to become the Republican nominee for the Senate race. However, during the 2022 midterm election, lieutenant governor and Democratic nominee John Fetterman defeated Oz with 51% of the vote, according to the Fox News Decision Desk.
