Oprah Winfrey has set the record straight on the rumored feud she has with ‘Color Purple’ star Taraji P. Henson.
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While dazzling on the Golden Globes’ red carpet on Sunday night (January 8), Winfrey chatted it up resident ‘Entertainment Tonight’ anchor Kevin Frazier.
Among the topics discussed was Henson’s headline-grabbing speech about pay disparity for Black women in Hollywood – a circumstance she even claims affected her with 2023’s ‘The Color Purple‘ (produced by Oprah).
And while Taraji has already defended the media mogul from backlash, it hasn’t stopped the naysayers from flooding social media with commentary.
Tired of the hoopla, the 69-year-old hit back.
“People are saying that I was not supporting Taraji,” Winfrey said (as seen in the video above). “Taraji will tell you herself that I’ve been the greatest champion of this film. Championing not only the behind-the-scenes projection but also everything that everybody needed.”
Later in the chat, O clarified she was not in charge of the ‘Purple’ budget.
“We as producers, everybody gets their salary, everybody is negotiated by your team,” Winfrey said. “And so, whenever I heard there was an issue or there was a problem – there was a problem with cars or the problem with their food – I would step in and do whatever I could to make it right. And I believe that (Henson) would even vouch for that and say that is true.”
And as for that now-viral “body language” exchange in New York City? Winfrey says people have gotten it all wrong.
“There was something online about us being separated at the top of the Empire State Building,” Winfrey said. “On that particular day, we were so cold, so I don’t know what kind of body language people were talking about. I was literally just trying to stay warm and that was the fourth thing we had done. There’s no validity to there being a thing between Taraji and I.”
At the time of this report Henson has not responded to O’s latest address of their rumored feud.
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If I’m Oprah, I’m TIGHT as hell that Taraji hi jacked the Color Purple presss run with all these gripes. It couldn’t wait until after the promo? She effectively gave the media a bone to go after and a narrative to paint. I hate that such a beautiful film has such bad press.