Oprah Winfrey Under Fire As Old Clips Resurface Showing How She Treated Black Guests On Her Show
Word on the street is Oprah Winfrey is catching heat online. Seems like some old clips from the ’90s resurfaced, and folks are looking at them sideways. The accusation? Disrespecting Black celebs and downplaying Black culture back in the day.
Social media is buzzing with old footage of the media mogul – once seen as everyone’s favorite therapist – conducting interviews. But now, people are calling them condescending, even exploitative towards her Black guests. Was it tough love, or something else?
The Toni Braxton Interview That Sparked It All
The firestorm really took off after a clip went viral of Toni Braxton talking about her 1998 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Toni, who was dealing with bankruptcy at the time, felt Oprah spoke to her “like a child,” seemingly enjoying her financial struggles.
In that old footage, Oprah grilled Toni about her money moves, even questioning her designer bag habit in front of a live audience. Folks on X are calling it “humiliating” and “cruel,” accusing Oprah of turning a Black woman’s pain into a spectacle. We’re all about lifting each other up, so seeing a sister brought down like that? Not a good look.
“Oprah acted like she was the IRS, not a talk show host,” one user posted. “She embarrassed Toni just to get laughs from her White audience.”
“No Rappers Allowed” Policy Exposed
The backlash got louder when someone dug up claims that Oprah had a ‘no rappers’ policy on her show during the ’90s and early 2000s – right when hip hop was blowing up. The plot thickens!
Heavy hitters like 50 Cent, Ice Cube, and even Ludacris have called out Oprah for allegedly refusing to platform hip hop artists, viewing the culture as too “negative.” Some argue that Oprah’s taste of Black folks on her show was ‘digestible’ for the audience and not true to the culture.
Even Jay Z didn’t get an invite until after he married Beyoncé, one of the most universally loved stars on the planet. Some fans are saying Oprah’s approach to Black guests reveals a pattern of curating content to keep her in good standing with white audiences while keeping her distance from Black culture’s “rougher” edges.
Mo’Nique Still Has Smoke for Oprah
Let’s not forget Mo’Nique, who has been calling out Oprah for years. The Oscar winner has accused Oprah, along with Tyler Perry and Lee Daniels, of blackballing her after she didn’t “play the game” during the press run for Precious.
Mo’Nique claims Oprah went behind her back, using her influence to damage her career – all because she wouldn’t “bow down” to Oprah’s power. That’s a whole lot of drama, right there!
Now, with these old clips making the rounds again, people are saying Mo’Nique might have been right all along. It’s always interesting when the truth starts to come to light.
The Internet Verdict
While Oprah hasn’t addressed the criticism directly, the vibe is shifting. A generation that looked up to her is now seeing her legacy in a new light – and they’re not all feeling it.
One viral comment summed it up: “Oprah didn’t build her empire off empowering Black people — she built it off pleasing White audiences at the expense of Black guests.”
For years, Oprah was untouchable. But as social media keeps digging up these clips, the conversation about her complicated relationship with the Black community is just getting started. What do you think, family? Is this a fair assessment, or is there more to the story?
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Disclaimer:
For Education and discussion purposes. Please note no copyright infringement is intended, was recorded on BlkCosmo’s own equipment, and we do not own nor claim to own any of the original recordings used in this video and intend to use this as ‘fair use’.
