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'You Need To Lose 15 Lbs': Oprah Winfrey Opens Up About Being Body Shamed By Joan Rivers On National TV
Oprah Winfrey recently recalled how she had been body shamed by Joan Rivers in the the 80s on National Television. Read to know what happened.
Oprah Winfrey speaks about her first appearance on The Tonight Show and the significance of Joan Rivers’ comments about her weight. She opened up about being body-shamed on National Television.
In 1985, Winfrey was invited to discuss A.M. Chicago, her show, which had better ratings than Phil Donahue’s program. However, this conversation took a personal turn when Joan Rivers asked her a direct question on national television: “Tell me why are you so fat?”
Oprah Winfrey opens up about facing body shaming by Joan Rivers
In conversation with the host on The Jamie Kern Lima podcast, Oprah Winfrey shared in detail, her memory of being asked to lose weight during her The Tonight Show debut appearance. Winfrey, at that time, had thought she would not be given a part in The Color Purple because she was overweight.
She was left dumbfounded as she tried to divert the question humorously replying, “Oh I just love potato chips, Joan.”
Nonetheless, Rivers kept attacking her by hurling words like "shame on you." Feeling pressure from all over around her, Winfrey felt it necessary to accept shaming for she believed that it was vital for her position in the show. Rivers said to her, "I’ll let you come back if you lose 15 lbs. You need to lose 15 lbs."
She went to a health retreat known as a “fat farm” at the time in order to lose weight. However, while she was still there, she realized that trying to lose weight almost cost her the role in The Color Purple.
Oprah Winfery's battle against body shaming
Steven Spielberg had called her, advising Oprah against losing weight due to its implication for the part in The Color Purple. He said to her, "You lose a pound, you could lose this part."
This phone call became the turning point for Winfrey since it taught her not to be attached too much to results but to let go instead. It is something she claims has guided both her life and career.
Previously, in another event held with WeightWatchers titled Making The Shift: A New Way To Think About Weight, she said that she is ‘done’ allowing diet culture and associated shame to rule over her life. She also stressed how important it is not to judge oneself or others according to physical appearance and shared ways through which she intended to make amends in this regard.
Reflecting on her journey, Oprah admitted that she had fed herself with harmful beauty standards while expressing remorse for such actions. She described body shaming as "a public sport" that lasted 25 years of her career where her weight was constantly mocked.
However, in the interview, after speaking about her encounter with Joan Rivers, Oprah Winfrey also joked, "And of course, I didn't lose the 15 lbs. I went and ate my way to another 10 lbs."
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