Jenny McCarthy was a household name well before she ever set foot on Oprah's set. But the '90s Playboy Playmate and former host of MTV's Singled Out used Oprah's show to remake her public persona from pinup girl to health activist. In a series of controversial appearances, McCarthy savaged conventional medical wisdom and blamed vaccines for her young son's autism a belief that has been debunked by experts. But despite the outcry from health experts over McCarthy's claims, Oprah seemed unfazed. In May, McCarthy inked a multi-platform development deal with Harpo Productions that will give the former model her own syndicated talk show. She has also launched an Oprah-branded health blog.
Top 10 Oprah Protégés
The New York Post has reported that Dr. Anne Dranitsaris, a Toronto psychotherapist, could be in line to become Oprah's next media darling. If the tabloid is right, she's just the latest in a long line of professionals whose career has been made (or broken) by the talk-show dynamo