BAD MEDICINE O site
It's not too often that the all-powerful Oprah gets her heart broken. There was the 2001 book club dis by Jonathan Franzen, the infamous James Frey incident of 2006, the recent trouble with her school in South Africa, and now an uncomfortable entanglement with the death of Kanye West's mother, Dr. Donda West.

Oprah invited Dr. Jan Adams, the plastic surgeon at least partially responsible for Dr. West's death, on to her show for a segment called "Inside Extreme Makeover" in 2003. Sure, at the time Oprah didn't know that Adams wasn't board certified, or that he had DUIs. And hey, a lot of doctors get sued for malpractice. None of the media outlets like ABC or the Discovery Health Channel that once touted Adams's butchery as genius could have anticipated that he'd be linked to a patient's death ... at least not a celebrity's mother.

The curious thing about the Oprah connection, however, is that after she took great pains to deny having recommended Dr. Adams to Dr. West, there is no mention of the tragic incident on her website. Instead, her archives still feature an image from the Adams episode, with a caption identifying him as "a top plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills," and the teaser, "Dr. Adams answers questions from the audience!"

Granted, Adams's own website makes no mention of the allegations, either—denying, condoning, or otherwise. Adams's hear-no/see-no/speak-no press news page is conspicuously blank, boasting appearances at the Houston Black Expo and the Sisterhood Showcase but making no mention of his Larry King mea culpa and walkoff. Likewise the amazon.com page for Adams's 2000 book Everything Women of Color Should Know About Plastic Surgery. The editorial description still claims that the book will "calm any anxieties" that a plastic-surgery candidate has before going under the knife (until she finds out who wrote it) and addresses practical concerns like, "making sure your surgeon has the knowledge and expertise to treat your specific concerns." The user reviews have yet to turn into a discussion board on cruel, cruel irony.

The Discovery Health Channel has pulled Adams's Plastic Surgery: Before and After from syndication, saying, "We're just trying to be as sensitive as possible to everyone involved." Considering how stealthily Oprah snubbed Franzen, savaged Frey, and wailed over allegations against her school, it's curious that she is taking a hands-off approach to the Adams ordeal. Reps for Harpo, Oprah's company were out of the office and didn't immediately return a message.

Until then, perhaps the following video sums up sentiments (albeit a bit homophobic-like).