How Dr. Drew went from trusted doctor to being labeled a coronavirus doubter

The Washington Post

Dr. Drew Pinsky has had a number of controversies over the years, from accusations that he was exploiting his Celebrity Rehab subjects to questioning the health of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign on his HLN show, which was soon canceled. But thanks to his 34 years on Loveline (1984-2018), Dr. Drew has been viewed as trustworthy doctor to different generations. "Three decades ago, if you told someone that Dr. Drew — the levelheaded physician who dispensed medical and personal advice on the massively popular radio show starting in 1984 — would go on to become a celebrity, headline a polarizing Celebrity Rehab reality-show franchise, and compete on a bizarre singing-competition series, they probably would not have believed you," says Emily Yahr. "They probably would have been equally incredulous that Pinsky would become embroiled in a controversy in which he initially downplayed the seriousness of a global pandemic, comparing it to the flu. But Pinsky’s evolution over the years from stalwart doctor to reality TV headliner has taken unusual twists and turns." Dr. Drew, who apologized for downplaying coronavirus, says he always followed Centers for Disease Control and immunologist Anthony S. Fauci. “When Dr. Fauci made it clear that this was not a usual influenza, that it was significantly worse, I adjusted course.” His intention with downplaying coronavirus, he said, “was to try to lessen the panic that I could see coming.”