In such a full and varied life as the one created for herself by Oprah Winfrey, there is a lot of sameness and also plenty of change. Against a backdrop of ongoing novelty, the media star worked hard to keep the content of her various productions fresh, relevant, and compelling. In 1998, Donald Trump was a guest on her show, where he hinted at perhaps having presidential ambitions.
The following year, Trump told the Larry King Live audience that if he ran for president, his VP pick would be Oprah, whom he described as great, terrific, special, fantastic, brilliant, wonderful, and exceptional (although perhaps not for the identical reasons that cultivate those adjectives from her fans). In social media posts, he quoted some of her original inspirational mottos.
In 2012, he announced “I adore Oprah,” and in a 2013 social media post, praised her for encouraging Lance Armstrong to say things on air that would “totally destroy his life.” The next year, Trump’s family was on Oprah’s show, not for the first time.
People who produce TV and people who like to be on TV really need each other, and all of show business is built on complicated relationships based on popularity, statistics, and many other factors. Status can fluctuate, influence can be resisted, and a lot of things can happen, especially when someone is a supremely multitalented woman who might even “beat herself up” to the extent of thinking, “Yeah, but I’m just basically famous for being fat.” It would not be unusual if such a thought crossed Oprah Winfrey’s mind. It’s all part of the struggle.
The weather changed, and a few years later, having been elected president without Oprah’s endorsement, Trump publicly described her as an asker of biased and slanted questions and a presenter of incorrect facts. Apparently she had said a few things that could be taken as roundabout criticisms. A poll said that if the presidential race was between the two of them, she would win. Before long, these two worldwide famous people had other disagreements as well, and Oprah urged voters to support the U.S. Constitution and the Democratic presidential candidate.
Celebrities everywhere
Around the same time, Oprah also talked with celebrities about weight issues. Actor Kirstie Alley, a veteran of a 30-year acting career, described herself as a food addict who had always been told that 135 pounds translated onscreen as “too fat.” She confided to Oprah and the audience, “I’ve hated myself. You beat yourself up.” Millions of the show’s viewers felt exactly the same — as did the show host.
Some time in 2022, Oprah showed the world a video in which she threw away a cake, symbolizing how she intended to “reset” her diet for the year. Apparently some viewers took that image as an admission that she hated all the overweight people in the world. This was read as her being a major contributor to “diet culture,” for which she was grudgingly forgiven a couple of years later.
Earthquake
Who can forget the huge controversy that ensued when Oprah quit WeightWatchers? The year 2017 had been a good year for both of them, with the program experiencing revenue growth, and her losing 42 pounds. Oprah was admired for her courage in admitting her problem and publicly working on it. But all along, there had been unease among some fans who felt put down or even betrayed. By literally buying into the company — she owned a lot of shares — it was almost as if their hero had become one of the oppressive fat-shamers making a profit from their misery. Some fans were never able to keep the different factors separate.
The situation became complicated when Oprah discovered the new weight-loss drugs and resigned from the WW shareholders board, and the organization reformed itself around a subscription telehealth platform through which members could be prescribed GLP-1 drugs, and things got crazy all over again and a lot of people had strong negative feelings about Oprah, even if they were not quite sure why.
Your responses and feedback are welcome!
Source: “Trump once said Oprah should be his VP,” YouTube.com, undated
Source: “The Long History Between Donald Trump and Oprah Winfrey,” Fortune.com, 02/19/18
Source: “Oprah to Leave Weight Watchers Board,” NYTimes.com, 02/29/24
Image by Pat Hartman
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