Report: Mehmet Oz Left Longtime Staffers Jobless and ‘Blindsided’ After Senate Campaign Announcement

Celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz reportedly left his longtime staffers jobless and “blindsided” after he announced his run for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania.

Oz, the former host of The Dr. Oz Show, ended his show in November, opting for a congressional campaign to replace retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA). Oz decided to remove his show from all markets after the Federal Communications Commission’s equal time rule required Fox television stations in New York City and Philadelphia to pull the show.

Some staffers who have worked on Oz’s namesake show since its start in September 2009 were left high and dry. “People who have worked for him for [13] years are now scrambling for work and are furious that he’s left them in a lurch financially after they worked their asses off for him for so long,” a source reportedly told Page Six.

A second source claimed Oz’s campaign announcement “blindsided everyone,” with most people finding out about it from the media, not Oz himself.

Additionally, Oz had his producers “working like dogs” during the final week of the show’s run to create content for his Senate campaign. “He was definitely asking for pictures and videos, but wasn’t saying what it was for. He was just asking for additional things and it turns out it was for his campaign,” a third source told Page Six.

Oz’s staffers were dumbfounded because the show had already been renewed for a 14th season, which would have guaranteed them employment for nearly two years.

“It was abrupt. No one had a clue. There was supposed to be another season. It was picked up, so that was almost two more years of guaranteed work that’s just gone like that,” the second source told Page Six.

Page Six reported that an insider described Oz’s actions as “heartless and selfish,” leading to staffers becoming depressed about the situation.

“They’ve lost jobs and they’re losing health benefits. No health benefits after working for America’s doctor for 13 years. He’s leaving his staff without benefits. No one was prepared for this,” a source reportedly told Page Six. “People stayed with him for a long time and now everyone is f–ked. It’s hard to find work.”

Some of Oz’s former staffers found work on his daughter’s show, The Good Dish, but they’ve since been left “out of a job twice” because Daphne Oz’s replacement show was canceled after two short months on the air.

Some felt that Oz’s daughter’s show was dead on arrival, telling Page Six, “there was never a possible way for it to work because it came together so last-minute.”

“People rose to the occasion, killing themselves to make it happen,” the source said about work on The Good Dish.

Oz’s staff would have liked to receive bonuses or severance packages “to thank them or help them through while they search for another job, but he just dropped a bomb and they were loyal,” Page Six reported.

However, a source close to Oz disputed the reports about his alleged “heartless and selfish” behavior.

A source close to Oz told Page Six:

Dr. Oz announced his candidacy for Senate in Pennsylvania in late November and sent his staff a letter in December. He waited to announce his candidacy until the frontrunner at the time dropped out. Dr. Oz promised to pay all their health benefits and salaries through the end of their contracts and he has been. There’s no content from the show that’s being used on our website.

Oz will face frontrunner Dave McCormick in the first Pennsylvania Republican Senate primary debate on Wednesday morning.