Weird Things About Dr. Oz's Marriage That Everyone Ignores

Dr. Mehmet Oz has gained quite a bit of notoriety for his friendship with Donald Trump, but it hasn't eclipsed the decades of TV fame under his belt. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services head made a lucrative career on the small screen, helming the talk show "The Dr. Oz Show," from which he earned his memorable public identity — and he has someone special to thank for that. According to Dr. Oz himself, he credits his wife (and Oprah) for his show's success, raking in millions of viewers per episode throughout its 13 seasons between 2009 and 2022. For the hundreds of episodes on screen and his life beyond the cameras, Lisa Oz has been by her husband's side. 

Dr. Oz and Lisa met under the strangest of circumstances, and even had a terrible first date. However, it didn't stop them from tying the knot in 1985. As it turns out, decades and four kids later, their unique meet-cute would only be the introduction to a wildly interesting marriage. Indeed, several weird aspects stick out about the Ozes' relationship. From their (literal) garbage proposal to openly admitting they're constantly feuding, a closer look at Dr. Oz and Lisa's decades-long marriage reveals the things that are not so typical about the couple. 

Usually, a bad first date would be a glaring red flag of incompatibility. But for Dr. Oz and Lisa Oz, it was simply the first chapter in their bizarre love story. Their meet-cute is an unlikely trope for the movies, as they were set up on their first encounter by their parents ... who were also present on the date. "It was sort of an arranged marriage," Dr. Oz told Yahoo! Lifestyle about the big family dinner that introduced him to his future wife. The odds of them getting together seemed slim, especially since Lisa recalled how the cardiothoracic surgeon didn't speak a word to her all night. "He spoke to my mom," she said. 

Nonetheless, the pair went on a subsequent parentless date, which wasn't any better. In fact, Lisa told Yahoo that it was "kind of a disaster." They can laugh about the irony of their date now, but the popular health guru didn't know what Lisa's vegetarian diet meant in terms of eating meat, and he ended up taking her to get cheesesteaks. "I said, 'This is so nice of you. Thank you so much, I really appreciate it ... I'm a vegetarian,'" said Lisa. The awkward night, however, proved to be a crucial lesson for Dr. Oz. He told Woman's Day that the Hollywood actor and producer opened his eyes to a much more nutritious diet, admitting, "She inspired me to learn about healthy eating in a way that no textbook could."

It wasn't long into dating before Dr. Oz popped the question. He told Yahoo! Lifestyle that he and Lisa Oz had been going out for only seven months before he decided to propose. Although he admits the story isn't as quintessentially romantic as one would hope. "We got into a big fight, and I realized I couldn't live my life without Lisa," he told the outlet. After their argument, Dr. Oz purportedly chased her down on the street and got down on one knee. Without a ring prepared, he improvised, grabbing the tab of a tin can from the ground and holding it up to her. Dr. Oz told Lisa, "It's not much, but I'll make something out of this. Let me marry you." It's certainly a strange way to propose, though no less a pretty good movie moment. 

Luckily for the TV personality, it worked. The pair got hitched on June 29, 1985, and have celebrated decades together since. In honor of their 35th wedding anniversary, Dr. Oz posted a sweet memory from their ceremony on Facebook, writing, "Four kids and four grandbabies later, there's no one else I'd rather go through life with. Thank you for making me a better person." He has also since upgraded her ring from a can tab to an actual gold band, which Lisa showed off in a 2016 Instagram post with her husband. 

All marriages come with some bumps in the road, and Dr. Oz and his wife have gotten comfortable with sharing their relationship flaws with the public. "We fight — a lot — and there are times when we're bored with each other," Lisa Oz told Shape Magazine. She even admitted that there are times when Dr. Oz can seriously drive her up the wall. Their bickering habit once got so out of hand that they shamelessly aired their grievances in front of others. When a family video captured one of the couple's blowouts, it made Lisa rethink their entire relationship dynamic.

"I was so horrified by my venomous tone, I quickly erased the tape," the New York Times best-selling author revealed to Oprah.com, adding, "But seeing that fight is still having a positive impact on our relationship." Lisa even viewed the incident as a great tactic for couples who struggle with the same problem. She suggested that spouses record their arguments so they can watch them back and analyze if it was a fair fight.

Dr. Oz and his wife have continually embraced change throughout their relationship, but the former talk show host has a peculiar perspective on Lisa Oz's evolving identity. "I've been married to four women," he told People in 2015. "It's 30 years [of marriage] this year, but it's really four different women. They all have the same social security number." Given that one of the couple's flaws is boredom with one another, it's not surprising that Dr. Oz believes his marriage needs to shed its old layers nearly every decade. He told the outlet, "Every seven years you have to reinvent the relationship."

However, Dr. Oz's explanation that he's effectively been married to four different women over the years makes his comments slightly more relatable. In his talk with Woman's Day, he argued that accepting the natural cycle of metamorphosis in a relationship is crucial for a healthy, long-lasting marriage. He explained, "We don't want to stay static, because it's dynamism and newness that keep attraction and a marriage strong."