'We're Entertainers, Not Fact Checkers': The Liver Doc to Samantha's in New Round of Criticism

The Liver Doc, Dr Cyriac Abby Philips, criticised actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu's support of alternative therapies, leading to a heated social media exchange. Samantha defended her stance, emphasising that actors are not 'fact-checkers'. The controversy intensified when Samantha endorsed nebulizing hydrogen peroxide, prompting The Liver Doc to call her 'health and science illiterate.'

Hyderabad: Hepatologist-medical influencer Cyriac Abby Philips aka The Liver Doc, seems unwilling to let go of the controversy surrounding actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu's support of alternative therapy. Amidst a heated exchange on social media between the two, involving input from celebrities like Grammy-winning composer Ricky Kej and Indian badminton player Jwala Gutta, as well as support from Samantha's colleagues such as Varun Dhawan, Rhea Chakraborty, and Manchu Lakshmi, The Liver Doc resurfaced a post from 2021 to criticise Samantha's stance.

In Samantha's earlier post, she had addressed the public's expectations of actors to engage with 'important topics', asserting that actors are not 'fact-checkers'. Through a video message, Samantha declared, "We're entertainers, Not fact-checkers. Why are actors crucified for having an opinion about the important matters pertaining to the world? We are humans too and We make mistakes too. But cancelling us for speaking out or not speaking out aloud on each & every topic is a bit unfair, don't you think? Let us stick to what we do best .. making you fall in love with our performances."

Referencing the line "We're entertainers, Not fact-checkers" from Samantha's post, The Liver Doc took to X (previously known as Twitter) and wrote, "We are like this only. Sigh. Anyway. 'I'm not lost for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.' — Winnie the Pooh."

The controversy escalated when Samantha endorsed nebulizing hydrogen peroxide and distilled water as an alternative treatment for viral infections on her podcast, Take 20. Describing Samantha as 'health and science illiterate', The Liver Doc criticised her online, suggesting that such claims could lead to imprisonment in a 'rational and progressive society'. In response, Samantha issued a detailed statement, defending the effectiveness of treatments that had personally benefitted her through trial and error. She revealed that the treatment had been recommended by a veteran medical professional who chose to advocate alternative therapy after years in 'conventional medicine'. However, Samantha stated that she would be careful in sharing medical advice.

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