Jenny McCarthy Gets Oprah-cized
By Karl Klockars in Arts & Entertainment on May 5, 2009 8:40PM
Would you take medical advice from a woman who first gained real fame by picking her nose on a basic-cable dating show?
You might not, but Oprah Winfrey devours pseudoscientific advice seemingly wherever she can get it. The newest star in the Oprah-verse is Jenny McCarthy - former Playboy playmate, "Singled Out" superstar, Indigo Mom and perma-girlfriend to Jim Carrey.* (And if you haven't seen her in the should-be-classic movie "BASEketball," you really are missing out.) McCarthy and Harpo Prodictions announced a deal yesterday to develop a number of products, including hosting a syndicated show.
Beyond the fame of film and screen, McCarthy has reinvented herself in recent years as a warrior mother, with a number of books and articles to her credit. She's a vocal supporter of numerous causes based around her son's autism, the most notable being her rabid anti-vaccination beliefs. The anti-vax community believes that vaccinating children causes autism (specifically the Mumps-Measles-Rubella vaccine), that there are unnecessary toxins in vaccines, and that children suffer mentally, emotionally, and physically from being vaccinated.
The fact that the anti-vax claims have been scientfically debunked - repeatedly - doesn't seem to make much of a difference. McCarthy's blog is up on Oprah's website now, focusing on removing sugar from ones diet for the summer, but it won't be long before she's back up on her anti-vaccination soapbox, with the power of the O behind her. Say what you will about Rachael Ray, but at least she's smart enough to not promote something that has and will continue to kill children.
It's not really a question of whether or not McCarthy will use her new platform to spout new-age hokum just like her boss, the big O. It's only a question of "when." But beyond that, the real question is when Dr. Phil will get jealous and want his own body count.
Photo via Jinxworld.
*Carrey posted his own anti-vax screed on HuffPo a few days back - anytime anyone titles something with multiple question marks, take it with a grain of salt.