Fans of 'Jeopardy!' Are Furious As Dr. Oz Makes His Debut As a Guest Host, and the Hashtag '#Boycottjeopardy' Is Trending on Social Media

Fans of 'Jeopardy!' are furious as Dr. Oz makes his debut as a guest host, and the hashtag '#BoycottJeopardy' is trending on social media. The debut of Dr. Mehmet Oz as a guest host on Jeopardy! on Monday night was met with little fanfare. Outrage erupted on social media as the controversial TV personality began his two-week stint in the role, Dr. Oz becoming the latest celebrity to fill the void left by the late Alex Trebek, with some even calling for a "Boycott Jeopardy."

The polarizing TV doctor began his guest hosting duties by reflecting on his friendship with Alex Trebek, telling viewers that he was "so lucky to become friends with Alex, and I visited him and this show as often as I could." He went on to say that one of his "Alex showing me a room full of letters and support for him from you, his fans, was one of my favorite memories. And, above all, he was most proud of his relationship with all of you at home." As the show progressed, however, social media was flooded with disapproval of Dr. Oz, and the hashtag "Boycott Jeopardy!" even started trending on Twitter as viewers expressed their displeasure with the most retweeted game show in history.

"For the first time in literally decades I will not be watching #Jeopardy

I never thought Jeopardy would chase me away as a viewer but here we are" https://t.co/VhaCVK9Pvz — Jonathan Jewel  (@jonathanjewel) March 22, 2021

One person called Dr. Oz's appearance "a sickening insult to the memory of Alex Trebek" for Jeopardy! to increase the visibility of "his dangerous quack." That person went on to say that the game show couldn't possibly have chosen such a person "anyone who was more diametrically opposed to everything he stood for. You should be ashamed of yourself!" Several people stated that they would "[Boycott Jeopardy!] while Dr. Oz is the guest host," despite being long-time viewers of Jeopardy! Another person stated that they would be participating in the event "I took a two-week break from watching television. That charlatan will not be watched!"

Dr. Oz is the most recent guest host to take over for the late Alex Trebek, who hosted the quiz show until his death from pancreatic cancer. Dr. Oz, on the other hand, has a long history of controversy, according to USA Today, having been chastised for peddling controversial medical advice to his fans and being investigated by a Senate panel in 2014 for using his talk show to advertise questionable weight-loss products. In 2015, a group of physicians petitioned Columbia University to remove Dr. Oz from the medical school's faculty, and in April 2020, at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the TV personality provoked outrage and apologized, saying he "misspoke" after saying on Fox News that "the opening of schools may only cost us 2% to 3%, in terms of total mortality" which "might be a trade-off some folks would consider."

Dr. Oz is a schizer, a schill and a dangerous snake oil salesman. The biggest slap to the face of Alex Trebek’s memory that I could imagine. I love Jeopardy but, this week? I’ll #BoycottJeopardy

— Only Josh (@grove808) March 23, 2021

Dr. Oz, who first appeared on Jeopardy! as a contestant in a celebrity edition in 2012, is set to fill in as guest host for two weeks until April 2. Anderson Cooper, Savannah Guthrie, and Dr. Sanjay Gupta are among the upcoming guest hosts. Aaron Rodgers, Katie Couric, Bill Whitaker, Mayim Bialik, and Jeopardy! executive producer Mike Richards are among the other previously announced guest hosts.