In an explosive interview with the Daily Mail, the ex-stepmother of
Oprah Winfrey blasted the television icon for ruining her marriage and
being dismissive of her presence from the day the two met.
Barbara Winfrey told the British publication in a two-part series (part 1
and 2) that Oprah forced her into homelessness, tried to make her sign a
confidentiality agreement, prevented her from speaking to her A-list
friends during major events, and claimed that she was a mean boss to her
employees.
Barbara was married to Oprah’s father, Vernon, for 14 years before
they ended their union. She made national headlines after being given an
eviction notice from Oprah, stating that she must leave the Tennessee
home she shared with Vernon by May 29. Barbara says Oprah called her
Friday, Nov. 2, 2012, the day of her sixty-fourth birthday, to give her
the news.
“You say I never talk to you? I want you to know now. You have until Monday to get out of my house,” she allegedly said.
Here is more of what Barbara told the Daily Mail:
She claims that Oprah, 60, and longterm partner Stedman Graham, 63, are
not bound by romance but a pragmatic cocktail of shared secrets,
convenience and money. She describes Oprah’s relationship with close
confidante Gayle King, 59, as ‘bizarre’ and ‘unhealthy,’ and points to
it as the reason that neither woman is married. And at the heart of it
all, Barbara claims, the ‘real Oprah’ – hidden behind the image she
projects so well – is a woman unhappy in her skin and, as Barbara has
learned to her cost, unforgiving to those who inspire her wrath. Barbara
said, ‘You find out quickly where your place is with Oprah and you get
in that place and you stay in that place.
‘My crime, I think, was to talk to her like a normal person and she didn’t like that one bit.’
The allegations get much worse. To learn more about what Barbara thinks of Oprah, read the two-part series at the links above.
