Biggest problem with Oprah 2020

SOME say the biggest hurdle for Oprah’s 2020 President bid is her friendship with Harvey Weinstein. They’re missing a bigger problem.

“OPRAH 2020” has gathered speed at a phenomenal pace, for obvious reasons: America is desperate to find a potential leader with the charisma, grace and intelligence on whom to pin its fragile hopes.

And while the TV queen looks a sensible prospect in comparison to Donald Trump, many have tried to dampen public enthusiasm with explanations of why another celebrity with no political experience would not be an ideal future president.

But it’s not just her status as actor and television star that makes Oprah’s possible bid for the job a questionable plan, nor her association with the disgraced Harvey Weinstein.

Rather, it is her history of entertaining the ideas of quacks, pseudoscientists and dodgy spiritual gurus that raises doubts over how wise electing President Winfrey might be.

Oprah Winfrey’s Golden Globes speech has many calling for her to be the next President — but there’s a sticking point. Picture: Paul Drinkwater/NBC via AP

The talk show host is credited with launching the career of celebrity psychologist Dr Phil, currently embroiled in a shocking scandal over alleged treatment of drug addicts on his show. Picture: AP Photo/Evan Agostini

ANTI-VAXXERS AND VAGINA INJECTIONS

Like many celebrities (take a bow, Gwyneth Paltrow), Oprah has at times provided a platform for views and advice that is not only unreliable, but dangerous. That’s the nature of our glamorous Hollywood role models.

The 63-year-old has treated viewers of The Oprah Winfrey Show to insightful interviews, rousing speeches and inspiring moments. But she has also regularly chosen to promote disproven theories and questionable characters in front of millions of fans.

As a president with no political background, just like Mr Trump, she would be reliant on advisers. Oprah’s oration skills may be as powerful as those of Barack Obama, but on policy, she would only be as good as the people around her. And she has form for picking the wrong friends.

The talk show host has taken credit for launching the career of celebrity psychologist Phil McGraw, who has faced numerous lawsuits, allegations of unethical conduct and claims Dr Phil staff helped guests procure drugs and alcohol ahead of episodes about battling addiction.

In 2007, she interviewed anti-vaxxer Jenny McCarthy, who claimed her son’s autism was caused by a jab intended to fight measles, mumps and rubella. And the airtime didn’t end there — McCarthy became a regular guest and Oprah’s network signed her as a blogger two years later.

The media mogul was heavily criticised in 2006 for endorsing New Age self-help book The Secret, which explores “energy fields” and “vibrations” and claims visualisation can enable you to achieve anything you desire. A woman with cancer appeared on the show a year later saying she had decided to skip chemotherapy in favour of positive thinking after studying the philosophy. While the host tried to persuade her to seek treatment too, she refused, and died three years later.

Oprah has also offered a platform to ‘miracle cure’ proponents including Dr Oz, pictured, as well as pseudoscientists and spiritual gurus. Picture: Oprah.com

The media mogul’s relationship with Harvey Weinstein has raised questions over her judgment — a skill vital for a celebrity president reliant on policy advisers. Picture: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

‘PEOPLE WRITE HER OFF AS QUACKADOO’

A 2009 guest was Suzanne Somers, who Oprah praised for her conviction in the face of expert doubt over her anti-ageing regimen, which included taking 60 supplements a day, injecting oestrogen into her vagina on a daily basis and using “chelation therapy” to draw toxic metals out of her bloodstream if she was exposed to cigarette smoke. “Many people write Suzanne off as a quackadoo,” said Oprah. “But she just might be a pioneer.”

One thing is certain — this self-made billionaire who has triumphed over adversity is, for many, the embodiment of the American Dream. She has enormous influence.

And while producer and philanthropist often noted both sides of medical debates while eagerly exploring novel cosmetic procedures and treatments on her long-running show, many experts feared the detail was lost on audiences.

So while Oprah delivered a million votes for Obama, sticks up for the marginalised and has done much for good causes, she also backed “miracle cure” proponent Dr Oz.

“If she told viewers that arsenic would make them beautiful, we’d be getting hundreds of calls from people asking us for arsenic,” plastic surgeon Dr V Leroy Young told the New York Times in 2006,

We still don’t know if Oprah has any intention to run for President in 2020. But if she did, she’d probably win, with everything that means for her adoring public.