Dr Harleen Grewal, an Indian-origin California dentist, went viral for an old video in which she was seen joking about Democrat patients who get shocked seeing the photos of Republican leaders on her wall at Skyline Smiles. “They jump up and take off as if Trump was coming in the room,” she said and divulged a secret that for these patients, she cuts back the laughing gas. She also said for such patients who complain about her high fees, she wears a MAGA-style hat that reads: ‘Make your smile great again”. “So I wear that when I work on my patients, so when they look horrified or complain, I quietly cut back on the laughing gas,” Grewal joked.In the video, Grewal went on to say that she misses the time during the COVID-19 pandemic when “the Dems stayed home” with their masks on. “I wish they still did,” she continued. “After hearing certain Democrats complain about my prices, I look at them, confused, and say: How’s Bidenomics working for you?” the MAGA dentist told the Liberty Gala crowd.Though the video is old and was meant for roasting, Grewal claimed that she got investigated recently because of the video. Grewal said the California Dental Board cleared her and they found no evidence of wrongdoing as she insisted that she does not really do what she said as a political joke. “They (the dental board) asked me if I said that, and I said, ‘Yes, I said in one of my roasting speeches at a women’s Republican group,’ ” she admitted. “Just like the Democrats, they make jokes too. We make jokes as well. Why can’t we just take a joke lightheartedly?”Grewal said the old video was shared now in an attempt to cancel her. “The dental board did an investigation, they cleared it out and said there was nothing they could find that proved any of that.”But the video triggered a massive row as social media users cursed her and wished a jail term for her. “She’s a pediatric dentist, so she’s doing this to children. She needs to rot in hell,” one wrote, calling for the cancelation of her license.
‘You can’t cancel me’
Grewal said it was her first-hand experience of how cancel culture works. “The accusation? That I “torture” patients who don’t share my political views. This ridiculous claim was pulled from a lighthearted joke I made during a speech at the Republican Liberty Gala. My words were twisted, and my career was targeted — but I didn’t back down,” she said. “My practice is thriving. I continue to serve Santa Clarita families with pride and purpose. And if anything, these attacks have only made me more determined to stand tall, speak louder and fight harder,” Grewal added.