Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane recently slammed Oprah Winfrey for helping boost the careers of Dr. Phil (Phil McGraw), Dr. Oz (Mehmet Oz), and Jenny McCarthy, all of whom he claims are advocates of “pseudo-science,” The Daily Beast reported. Notably, McGraw and Mehmet have both made controversial statements in favor of reopening the U.S. economy amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Oprah has done some wonderfully altruistic things with her career, but the use of her platform to amplify the voices of dubious characters rather than legitimate scientists has been a disservice,” MacFarlane recently tweeted. “I hope she will lend her own powerful voice to correct it.”
The American animator used his tweet to link to an article from The Los Angeles Times that covers McGraw and Mehmet’s comments on COVID-19. McGraw controversially used misleading statistics to compared coronavirus deaths to other public health risks, while Oz pushed the reopening of schools and appeared to minimize the possibility of lives being lost.
While Oz later walked back his comments, both he and McGraw have faced criticism in the past for using their massive platforms to promote misinformation and engage in what The Los Angeles Times calls ethically questionable behavior.
Speaking to The Daily Beast , MacFarlane touched on his tweet and reiterated that he believes Winfrey has — for the most part — used her platform for positivity.
“The exception to that is the elevation of these purveyors of pseudoscience. People like Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, all the way back to Jenny McCarthy and the anti-vax movement.”
Oprah, honey, I hope you kept the receipt. pic.twitter.com/Zcb2x1w3RF
— Randy Rainbow (@RandyRainbow) April 17, 2020
MacFarlane called the contrast between Winfrey’s “positive work” and her connection to “junk science” part of a “strange dichotomy” that he believes many people are having “trouble reconciling,” particularly as coronavirus continues to affect the United States and surrounding world.
The 46-year-old filmmaker also touched on the suggestion that Winfrey should challenge Donald Trump for the presidency in 2020 — an idea pushed back against at the time.
“We don’t want to create a world where dedicated public service careers become undesirable and impractical in the face of raw celebrity,” he tweeted.
Seth MacFarlane donated $2 million to NPR after slamming Fox for enabling Fox News’ ‘fringe sh*t’ coverage pic.twitter.com/fbVeHTuj8F
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) June 21, 2018
As The Inquisitr previously reported, Winfrey has faced a public backlash from many others outside of MacFarlane for her role in Oz and McGraw’s careers.
MacFarlane has spent his career making money for Fox with his animated shows. As reported by Forbes , the company’s news channel is facing a lawsuit by the nonprofit group Washington League for Increased Transparency and Ethics (WASHLITE) for calling the coronavirus a hoax.