Dr. Mehmet Oz, affectionately known by his stage name, Dr. Oz, is probably one of the most recognizable doctors in the United States. Actually, he's famous worldwide. Oprah dubbed him "America's Doctor"!
Since his rise to talk show fame, the good doctor has had his hands in a lot of different pots. He's a doctor, a chairman, an author, and a talk show host, but it seems Dr. Oz is just getting started.
Over the course of his career, he's reportedly made over $100 million! Some of his money-making tactics have been a little bit controversial. You can't make this much money without causing a stir!
Here, we will discuss some of his most lucrative streams of income.
15 He Married The Daughter Of A Surgeon
Coincidentally, or not so coincidentally, in 1985, Dr. Oz fell in love with (and eventually married) Lisa Lemole, who is the daughter of a successful cardiothoracic surgeon.
Now, we're assuming this union inspired Dr. Oz to pursue his career with even greater fervor... it also definitely got his career off on the right foot. Connections are important when it comes to making money.
14 He Became A Cardiothoracic Surgeon
Dr. Oz started his career journey by studying at Harvard and then pursued a medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He focused on cardiothoracic surgery, which, for us ordinary folk, is a fancy way of saying that he specializes in heart and lung surgery.
Even now, he performs an estimated 200 surgeries annually. It's also worth noting that he received a business degree, which could explain his incredible ability to market himself.
13 He Was A Recurring Guest On The Oprah Winfrey Show
This is the program which launched Dr. Oz into the stratosphere. When he first appeared on Oprah's show in 2001, he would take time to answer questions and give personalized advice to audience members. Soon, he became one of Oprah's favorite guests, and he appeared on her show 55 times over the span of 5 years. He still makes guest appearances every now and then.
12 He Is A Professor At Columbia University
Throughout all of the controversies he has faced, Dr. Oz has been able to hold on to his tenured position at Columbia University, where he teaches surgery. On top of that, he is also the director of the Integrative Medicine Center at Columbia Surgery. We're not sure how often he's teaching students, but we are sure his classes must be booked solid.
11 He Was The Medical Director For John Q
Yes, the 2002 film! Apparently, during the shoot, Dr. Oz performed some of the filmed procedures himself, and also directed the cast and crew on the correct way to perform certain surgeries.
Though he wasn't making the millions that the movie's leading man, Denzel Washington, was surely earning, Dr. Oz was definitely starting to make some noise in Hollywood.
10 He Launched The Dr. Oz Show
The Dr. Oz Show, currently in syndication all around the United States, launched in 2009, via Oprah's production company, Harpo Productions. It's been on the air for over 10 years and it was just renewed for yet another season. It's estimated that his program brings in over 3.5 million viewers per day.
9 He Does Live Events
If you can't get enough of Dr. Oz on TV, be sure to catch him on tour. In the past, he's conducted live events and workshops around the country. For instance, in 2007, he held a workshop called, "It's All About You: Be The World Expert On Your Body". The workshop brought multitudes of his loyal fans out into the open.
8 He Is A New York Times Bestselling Author
His "You" series of books are successful. 9 million copies have been printed. There are many hit titles, including You: The Owner's Manual, You: The Smart Patient and You: On A Diet.
We can only guess as to how much Dr. Oz raked in after publishing his bestselling series. We DO know that Dr. Oz got $7 million as an advance, just to write the books! The publishers must have had a lot of faith that the books would do well.
7 He's The Co-Founder Of Sharecare, Inc.
This online healthcare platform is marketed as a tool to help people get answers to their most-asked health questions, by putting a variety of health experts right at their fingertips.
Dr. Oz said of his company, "[w]ith Sharecare, we have created a resource that invites everyone from experts to new moms to share valuable insights about our mind, body and soul and with this information comes a combined IQ on health that is greater than the sum of its parts."
Co-founder Jeff Arnold divulged in 2016 that the company makes over $259 million in revenue yearly. That's a lot of health advice!
6 He Had A Sirius XM Radio Talk Show
If you didn't want to watch Dr. Oz on television, it was possible to catch him doling out medical advice via his radio show, The Daily Dose with Dr. Oz. Unfortunately, it seems that the radio show had a dip in ratings, probably because of his past controversies,
Oprah's production company eventually decided to quietly cancel the show. But, while it was airing, we're sure Dr. Oz saw a nice bump in ad revenue!
5 He's A Contributing Writer
Is Dr. Oz the Energizer Bunny in disguise? Along with everything else he's doing, he's written for publications like Esquire Magazine, Time Magazine, AARP Magazine and Oprah's O Magazine. These aren't just freelance writing gigs, either. There have been columns specifically reserved for the doctor.
His advice is found in nationally renowned publications and probably brings him a pretty penny.
4 He Holds A Patent For A Medical Device
He's also an inventor, just in case you thought he was only a doctor, writer, media consultant, teacher, board member, etc. His brainchild, the Mitraclip, is a small device that can be used to hold mitral valve "flaps" together, to avert heart failure.
The best news is it can be attached to the heart without risky open-heart surgery. If only all heart problems could be solved with small, non-invasive surgeries!
3 He's Currently On The President's Council On Sports, Fitness And Nutrition
He's a member of the council, which is made up of professional athletes, doctors, and other leaders in the sports and nutrition world. The whole object of the exercise is to get more young people to, well, exercise. The council is also here to "promote healthy and active lifestyles for all Americans," according to the council website. Dr. Oz was appointed in 2018.
2 He Owns A Lot Of Real Estate
The media mogul doctor dropped about $18 million to purchase a Palm Beach property called Louwana. Apparently, the historic house has been through some tough times, and this made it possible for Dr. Oz to scoop it up at a "discount" rate. It was on the market previously for over $30 million.
He also owns a sprawling 9,153 square foot villa, with four parcels of land, in Cliffside Park, New Jersey.
1 He's An Investor
Dr. Oz has made a name for himself by trying to peddle the latest and greatest health wonders to his adoring fans, so it makes perfect sense that he invests in health discoveries before they become the big new things.
One such investment was with a health tech startup called iBeat in 2016. The wearable monitor was designed to help recognize and prevent sudden cardiac death. Dr. Oz reportedly invested a "6-figure amount to the company."
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