It started with a joke, but by late September 2025, Dr. Harleen Grewal—better known to some as the "MAGA Dentist"—found herself at the center of a storm that reached far beyond her Southern California dental practice. The controversy erupted after a video from 2021 resurfaced online, showing Grewal joking about giving worse care to patients who weren’t Trump supporters. What began as a lighthearted roast at a Republican event quickly became a viral flashpoint, sparking outrage, a formal investigation, and a heated debate about professionalism, ethics, and the boundaries of political humor in healthcare.
The infamous clip, originally recorded at the Republican Liberty Gala in 2021, captured Grewal wearing a red hat emblazoned with the slogan, “Make Your Smile Great Again.” In the video, she quipped, “So I have a secret hat I use sometimes. It says, ‘Make your smile great again.’ So I wear that when I work on my patients, and when they look horrified or complain, I quietly cut back on the laughing gas and say, ‘You got this. It’s not as bad as you think.’” According to the Los Angeles Times, Grewal’s audience at the time responded with laughter. But when the video resurfaced on TikTok in September 2025, the reaction was anything but amused.
Within days, Skyline Smiles—Grewal’s practice in Santa Clarita—was inundated with over 100 one-star Yelp reviews. The office’s and Grewal’s Instagram accounts were swiftly disabled. Critics, particularly on social media, accused Grewal of unethical behavior and questioned her fitness to practice dentistry. Some viewers, including healthcare professionals, were especially disturbed by the suggestion—even if made in jest—that a dentist might alter patient care based on political beliefs. As ABC 7 reported, complaints were filed with the California Dental Board, and the incident quickly became a lightning rod for the ongoing debate over so-called "cancel culture."
Grewal, for her part, insisted her remarks were never meant to be taken seriously. In an interview with PEOPLE, she explained, “They asked me if I had said that, and I said, ‘Yes, I said it in one of my roasting speeches at a women’s Republican group.’ Just like the Democrats, they make jokes too. We make jokes as well. Why can’t we just take a joke light-heartedly?” She went on to describe the backlash as an orchestrated attempt to "get me canceled," saying, “They used the video to get me canceled.”
In the wake of the controversy, Grewal published an op-ed in the Santa Clarita Valley Signal titled "You Can’t Cancel Me." In it, she wrote, "To anyone reading this who’s ever been afraid to speak up — don’t be. Cancel culture only wins if we stay quiet. We need to build a community where hard work is honored, free speech is respected, and you don’t have to hide your beliefs to run a business or serve your neighbors." The message was clear: Grewal saw herself as a target of political retribution, not a perpetrator of professional misconduct.
But for many, the controversy didn’t end with her explanation. Black dentists and other healthcare providers took to social media to highlight broader issues of bias and professionalism in medicine. Dr. Aierress Davis, a licensed general dentist, shared her own experiences on TikTok: “It made me think about myself and how me as a young, black professional, I have been in several situations where I’m treating patients who are discriminatory against me, who have even called me colored, and I still proceeded to treat [them] after that experience.” Davis continued, “As a health care provider, your job is to treat people, and that doesn’t say this disclaimer, only people who agree with your political opinions, or only people who look like you, only people who support people that look like you.” She called Grewal’s comments “ridiculous,” “harmful,” “shameful,” and “unethical.”
While the backlash was swift and severe, the California Dental Board ultimately found no evidence that Grewal’s comments reflected her actual dental practices. According to PEOPLE and the Los Angeles Times, the Board investigated the incident and cleared Grewal of any violations. In her interview with ABC 7, Grewal confirmed, “But that was taken to cancel me, and the dental board did an investigation. They cleared it out and said there was nothing they could find that proved any of that.” The Board itself, in a statement to the Los Angeles Times, noted that investigations are confidential and declined to comment on specific complaints.
Still, the damage to Grewal’s reputation was palpable. The viral video, initially posted by her own office in 2021 to showcase her personality, was quickly deleted but not before it had been widely shared and archived. The incident also led to a surge in negative online reviews and forced the disabling of her practice’s social media presence. The episode was a stark reminder of how rapidly a moment intended as humor can spiral into a full-blown public relations crisis in today’s hyperconnected world.
Grewal’s supporters argue that the uproar is an example of political correctness run amok, a case of cancel culture targeting someone for expressing their beliefs in a joking manner. They point to her record as a dentist and the lack of evidence that she ever acted unethically toward her patients. In her own words, Grewal framed the ordeal as a “smear campaign.” Others, however, see the controversy as a warning about the responsibilities that come with positions of trust—especially in healthcare. For them, the line between satire and professionalism is one that shouldn’t be blurred, no matter the political climate.
The debate over Grewal’s comments—whether they were harmless satire or an unacceptable breach of professional ethics—reflects larger tensions in American society. The incident has become a flashpoint for discussions about free speech, accountability, and the role of personal beliefs in the workplace. As one observer noted, “There aren’t exactly a lot of smiles going around about the whole situation.”
For now, Dr. Harleen Grewal remains licensed to practice dentistry in California. The California Dental Board’s investigation found no wrongdoing, and Grewal continues to insist that every patient at Skyline Smiles is treated “with the same level of care, compassion, and respect because that’s what you deserve!” But the episode lingers as a cautionary tale: in an era where every offhand remark can be broadcast to millions, even a joke can have serious consequences.
