Dr. Mehmet Oz is the GOP nominee for Pennsylvania senator this election, but his campaign was dealt an embarrassing blow when former mentor Oprah Winfrey publicly voiced her support for his opponent, John Fetterman.
While hosting "A Virtual Voting Conversation" on Thursday, November 3, the media mogul announced her endorsement of Fetterman, along with several other candidates including Beto O'Rourke for Texas Governor, Stacey Abrams for Georgia Governor and Raphael Warnock for Georgia Senator.
"I said it was up to the citizens of Pennsylvania and of course, but I will tell you all this, if I lived in Pennsylvania, I would have already cast my vote for John Fetterman for many reasons," Winfrey shared, before reminding fans that the midterm election is "not the only race that matters."
"If we do not show up to vote, if we do not get fired up in this moment, the people who will be in power will begin making decisions for us," she continued. "Decisions about how we care for our bodies, how we care for our kids, what books your children can read, who gets protected by the police and who gets targeted."
Fetterman, who has served as the Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania since 2019, was thrilled by the famed talk show host's support. "She’s an icon. It’s unbelievable," he said after hearing the news. "It’s an honor and I’m so grateful that she understands what’s at stake here in this race."
The Lt. Governor later shared the audio clip of Winfrey's endorsement to his Instagram, captioning the snippet, "Oprah knows Dr. Oz very well and decided to support us 'for many reasons.' The best November surprise."
This endorsement came as a shock to some, as Winfrey was heavily involved in rocketing Dr. Oz to fame in the early 2000s. She frequently had him as a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show and her company Harpo Productions later helped produce The Dr. Oz Show.
However, according to the television personality turned politician's campaign, there are no hard feelings.
"Doctor Oz loves Oprah and respects the fact that they have different politics," his spokesperson, Brittany Yanick, said in a statement. "He believes we need more balance and less extremism in Washington."
ABC News reported Fetterman's response to Winfrey's endorsement.
