Oprah Winfrey is finally setting the record straight! In a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, the star addressed the rumors of a feud between her and Taraji P. Henson, putting an end to the speculation once and for all.
Winfrey made it clear that she has been a strong supporter of Henson and her film, debunking the claims that the internet had misunderstood their relationship. As many are aware, the rumors began circulating after Henson spoke about her experiences with pay disparity in Hollywood during the press run for the film, The Color Purple, directed by Blitz Bazawule. Henson, who portrays the character Shug Avery in the reimagining of the classic story, emotionally reflected on the pay gap she has witnessed throughout her extensive career and more.
However, Winfrey was quick to set the record straight, emphasizing her unwavering support for Henson and the film while giving a clear breakdown of how things are handled behind the scenes. In her interview with ET, Winfrey stated,
“I would just like to say about this whole Taraji thing … I heard I was trending yesterday,” Winfrey, who served as a producer of the movie said to host Kevin Frazier. “People are saying that I was not supporting Taraji. 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. So whenever I heard that there was something that someone needed, I’m not in charge of the budget because that’s Warner Brothers you know that’s the way the studio system works,” ET quotes.
She went on to say, “We as producers, everybody gets their salary everybody is negotiated by your team. And so, whenever I heard there was an issue or there was a problem, there was a problem with a cars or the problem with their food, I would step in and do whatever I could to make it right. And I believe that she would even vouch for that and say that is true.”
Furthermore, Winfrey expressed her love for Henson while mentioning photo call in New York City where many people assumed there was some sort of tension.
“I am all for everybody being the greatest and rising to meet the rising of their own life,” Winfrey said. “There was something online about us being separated at the top of the Empire State Building. 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.”
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In a recent interview with The New York Times, Taraji revealed yet another example of mistreatment, saying that producers of “The Color Purple” wanted the cast to drive themselves to set each day in rental cars. She explained how she had to fight back on that by claiming it would be an insurance liability.
“They gave us rental cars, and I was like, ‘I can’t drive myself to set in Atlanta.’ This is insurance liability, it’s dangerous. Now they robbing people,” Henson said during the interview. “What do I look like, taking myself to work by myself in a rental car? So I was like, ‘Can I get a driver or security to take me?’ I’m not asking for the moon. They’re like, ‘Well, if we do it for you, we got to do it for everybody.’”
“Well, do it for everybody,” she pushed back. “It’s stuff like that, stuff I shouldn’t have to fight for. I was on the set of Empire fighting for trailers that wasn’t infested with bugs.”
Following her revelation, many people automatically pointed fingers at producer Oprah. However, despite rumors of conflict behind the scenes, Henson took to social media to show the former talk show host nothing but love and support, seemingly shutting down the rumors on her part.