Ludacris Once Said He Didn’t Feel Welcomed as a Guest on Oprah’s Talk Show, Called the Situation ‘Uncomfortable’
Oprah Winfrey may be loved and adored by many around the world, but there are some people out there who she has rubbed the wrong way — and most of those individuals happen to be part of the hip-hop community.
From 50 Cent to Ice Cube, several rappers have voiced their disdain for the media mogul’s treatment of them.
Take rapper/actor Ludacris for instance. After appearing on an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show in the mid-2000s, the Fast & Furious star claimed Winfrey criticized him for using language derogatory to others in his music, resulting in him feeling unwelcomed and extremely uncomfortable while appearing on the show.
Ludacris’ beef with Oprah Winfrey
In October 2005, Ludacris stopped by The Oprah Winfrey Show with the rest of his castmates of the Oscar-winning film Crash to discuss the movie and racial discrimination in America.
While conversing with the actor, Winfrey — who many know isn’t the biggest fan of rap music — took the opportunity to question Luda about his use of the “n-word” as well as language derogatory to women in his music.
In a subsequent interview with GQ magazine following his appearance on the show, Ludacris claimed Winfrey’s critiques left him feeling uncomfortable. He also felt he was treated unfairly by Winfrey and that she only chastised him because of his career as a rapper.
“She edited out a lot of my comments while keeping her own in,” he told the publication. “Of course, it’s her show, but we were doing a show on racial discrimination, and she gave me a hard time as a rapper when I came on there as an actor.”
In addition to all of that, Luda also revealed the media mogul’s reasoning for inviting rappers onto her show.
“After the taping, she pulled me into a room and we had a five-minute conversation,” the “Rollout” rapper said. “What I got was that by having rappers on her show, she feels like she is empowering in them.”
He added, “It was like being at someone’s house who doesn’t really want you there. It was already uncomfortable.”
Oprah Winfrey claims she doesn’t have a problem with hip-hop
Although Lucadris felt unfairly treated by Winfrey because of his career as a rapper, the media mogul later claimed that she does not, and has never had, issues with the hip-hop community.
“I’m not opposed to rap,” the former daytime talk show host said while attending L.A. Reid’s 50th birthday party in June 2006, per MTV News.
“I don’t have an opinion, because I am my own person,” she continued. “I respect other people’s rights to do whatever they want to do in music and art and whatever. So I am my own person, they are their own people. I respect their rights.”
Though Winfrey supports people expressing themselves through music, she seemingly hinted that she isn’t a fan of songs that are demeaning to women.
“I am a woman who has worked very hard for my status in the world and as a human being,” she added. “I don’t want to be marginalized by music or any form of art. … I feel rap is a form of expression, as is jazz. I’m not opposed to rap. I’m opposed to being marginalized as a woman.”
Both Ludacris and Oprah Winfrey has since buried the hatchet
Despite not seeing eye to eye with Winfrey when it came to his music, Ludacris later told Entertainment Weekly that he was open to sitting down with the media mogul one day to discuss her treatment of him on her show.
“We haven’t talked, but I got an invite to her Legends Ball screening. I had a screening of Heart of the Game, so I wasn’t able to make it, but hopefully, we’ll be able to talk one-on-one soon,” he said. “I can’t speak for anyone else, but I felt like I got treated wrong, and I just want her to know about it.”
Luckily the two have since made peace, according to Ludacris, marking the end of one of Winfrey’s most high-profile feuds with a rap artist.
