How Oprah’s Quacks Made Us All Sick

How Oprah’s Quacks Made Us All Sick

Header Image Source: Jamie McCarthy via Getty Images for Christian Siriano

This week, the New York Times dropped an investigation into the memoir of venture capitalist Amy Griffin. The Tell , released in March 2025, was Griffin’s examination of her trauma and how she tapped into suppressed memories of a past sexual abuse via MDMA therapy. The book, which was ghostwritten, was an instant bestseller, in large part thanks to endorsements from Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, and Oprah Winfrey, the last of whom chose the title for her much-vaunted book club.

As noted by the New York Times report, the science surrounding the use of MDMA to retrieve supposedly repressed memories is extremely dubious. To further complicate Griffin’s story, the ar