Rose McGowan Isn’t the Only One Who’s Called Out Oprah — Here Are 4 Other Celebrities Who Spoke out Against the Media Titan
Oprah Winfrey is arguably one of the most famous people on earth. The humanitarian, talk show host, author, and business mogul has become a pinnacle of success. Some, however, think Lay O has been the cause of a few controversies. Here are five celebrities who have beef with “the queen of daytime.”
Rose McGowan called Oprah Winfrey ‘fake’
![Oprah Winfrey speaks to the camera with her hands folded. She's wearing a lavender sweater and glasses.](https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Oprah-Winfrey.jpg?strip=all&quality=89)
Many of Hollywood’s elite fully support Winfrey, but Scream star and #MeToo activist Rose McGowan isn’t one of them. McGowan tweeted a 2014 photo of Winfrey kissing the cheek of disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein. The media took the photo at the 2014 Critics’ Choice Movie Awards.
“I am glad more are seeing the ugly truth of @Oprah. I wish she were real, but she isn’t. From being pals with Weinstein to abandoning & destroying Russell Simmon’s [sic] victims, she is about supporting a sick power structure for personal gain, she is as fake as they come. #lizard,” McGowan captioned the tweet.
Winfrey previously addressed Weinstein’s controversy, saying she “didn’t know” about his alleged actions with women. McGowan is one of those who’s been outspoken against the producer. He was charged with rape in the third degree and criminal sexual acts in the first degree. He is also facing other charges but is pleading not guilty.
Seth MacFarlane addressed Winfrey’s medical ties
Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane isn’t a fan of Winfrey, either. Amid the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, McFarlane had a few words for Winfrey.
“Oprah has done some wonderfully altruistic things with her career, but the use of her platform to amplify the voices of dubious characters rather than legitimate scientists has been a disservice,” MacFarlane wrote in a now-deleted tweet. “I hope she will lend her own powerful voice to correct it.”
The post included a LA Times article link that discussed medical misinformation from Dr. Phil McGraw and Dr. Mehmet Oz.
McFarlane said Winfrey has mostly “used her platform for good during a subsequent interview with Vice TV.”
“The exception to that is the elevation of these purveyors of pseudoscience. People like Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, all the way back to Jenny McCarthy and the anti-vax movement,” he continued.
“And it’s a strange dichotomy that I think a lot of people, particularly right now, are having trouble reconciling. You know this person who has done all of this positive work for the world and yet somehow has gotten caught up in this web of junk science on many occasions. So, it’s a tough thing to balance.”
Kid Rock said Winfrey ‘rubs’ him the ‘wrong way’
Kid Rock hasn’t exactly been shy about his feelings on Winfrey. TMZ previously revealed that the singer ranted about Winfrey while at Kid Rock’s Big Honky Tonk & Steakhouse at his Nashville bar. He was escorted out after the tirade.
“My people tried to get me to do The Oprah Winfrey Show years ago, and her people wanted me to write down 5 reasons why I loved her and her show,” Kid Rock tweeted. “I said f— that and her. End of story.”
Over the years, Kid Rock has made multiple statements about Winfrey. In 2008, he explained why.
“Oprah Winfrey, she rubs me up the wrong way,” he told The Independent. “I just don’t believe her. Maybe it’s because I’m not one of the 150 million brainwashed women who heed her every word.”
Seal had comments about Winfrey and Harvey Weinstein
Singer Seal also took to social media to show his discontent for Winfrey. In 2018, the “Kiss From a Rose” performer accused Winfrey of knowing about Weinstein’s behavior “for decades.”
“Oh, I forgot, that’s right…..you’d heard the rumors, but you had no idea he was actually serially assaulting young starry-eyed actresses who, in turn, had no idea what they were getting into. My bad,” he captioned a photo of Winfrey and Weinstein in a now-deleted Instagram post. “When you have been part of the problem for decades, but suddenly they all think you are the solution. #SanctimoniousHollywood.”
Ludacris didn’t appreciate Winfrey’s questioning
Following the 2004 film Crash, Ludacris — aka Christopher Brian Bridges — appeared on Winfrey’s talk show to promote the project, but Winfrey had other questions in mind.
“She edited out a lot of my comments while keeping her own in,” Luda told GQ. “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.”
He continued: “Initially, I wasn’t even invited on the show, and they called the night before to tell me I could be on. So after the taping, she pulled me into a room, and we had a five-minute conversation. What I got was that by having rappers on her show, she feels like she’s empowering them … It was like being at someone’s house who doesn’t really want you there. It was already uncomfortable.”