Oprah Faces Backlash Over Resurfaced Interview Clip With Mo'Nique's Brother
By Jovonne Ledet
February 9, 2024
Oprah Winfrey is facing backlash over a resurfaced clip of her interviewing Mo'Nique's brother days after she won her first Academy Award.
In the resurfaced clip, Winfrey sat down with Gerald Imes, Mo'Nique's older brother who sexually assaulted her as a child, for an interview in 2010. Imes admitted during the interview that he began sexually abusing Mo'Nique when he was 13 and said he was molested as a child.
The clip resurfaced after Mo'Nique's recent appearance on Shannon Sharpe's "Club Shay Shay" podcast. During the podcast, the comedian explained the reason behind her issues with Winfrey, Tyler Perry, D.L. Hughley, Tiffany Haddish, and more.
Moβniqueβs reason for hating Oprah is so justified cause why would Oprah interview her brother right after her Oscar winβ¦ π₯΄ pic.twitter.com/beuLE3IarT
— βοΈποΈ (@DiaryOfKeysus) February 8, 2024
Mo'Nique noted that Winfrey informed her that she was interviewing her brother ahead of time. The comedian recalled being appreciative of the heads up, and she told Winfrey that she "wanted no part of it."
However, Mo'Nique said she was blindsided after she saw more of her family members being featured in promos for the episode with her brother.
βI start seeing commercials with my mother and my father and my other brother who used to be my manager who knew the fear I had with the brother onstage, right? We never talked about my mother being there,β MoβNique told Sharpe on the βClub Shay Shayβ podcast this week.
Mo'Nique's parents and brother, Stephen, also appeared on βThe Oprah Winfrey Showβ in 2010, discussing how βheartbreakingβ Geraldβs actions were.
When asked if she felt betrayed by Winfrey, Mo'Nique said: βThat is exactly who I felt and how I feel.β
βI understand it,β she added, βBut you betrayed me sis.β
The Oscar winner said she tried to reach out to Winfrey about the situation, but efforts to communicate "went dead." Mo'Nique said she confronted the talk show host three years after the interview at a celebration party for Lupita Nyongβo's Academy Award nomination.
βOprah Winfrey was sitting on my right. And then I turned to her and said, βNow I need to talk to you.β There were some phenomenal Black women there. You could hear a pin drop,β Mo'Nique recalled. βI said, βSince you didnβt want to return my calls, for whatever reason, Iβm going to say this right here.ββ
When asked why she invited Mo'Nique's parents on the show, Winfrey allegedly said she didn't know other family members were showing up.
βI didnβt know anything about that." Winfrey allegedly told Mo'Nique. βIf I had done anything to offend you, I apologize.β
Several social media users called out Winfrey for interviewing the comedian's abusive brother days after she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Precious.
See their reactions below.
Oprah needs to answer for this cause interviewing Moniqueβs abusive bother after her a historic Oscar win, this doesnβt make sense.
— Anthony Harris (@Ant_Harris97) February 8, 2024
Plus itβs starting to look bad for Oprah.
How about if MoβNique invited the men who SAed Oprah in her youth to her talk show and then invited both of Oprahβs parents to seal the deal?! Would Oprah be onboard with this going deal? βTreat people how you want to be treated.β
— CHOSEN OF THE KINGDOM OF THE MOST HIGH βπΎππ (@Traci20392125) February 9, 2024
Oprahβs greed/sociopathology knows no bounds.
— Yvette Carnell πΊπΈ (@BreakingBrown) February 8, 2024
Oprah was already one of the producers on βPreciousβ. Then she got an idea of how to milk it, how to make even more money off MoβNique, the star of βPreciousββ- by centering her molester.
If a white woman did thisβ¦ π€¬ https://t.co/E5aIbCdBQq
This is so sick on so many levels. Why does a molestor need a platform to apologize? He could have sent a text, email, letter to his sister and moved on.. but you want to go on tv? and for Oprah to even want to do this is so weird and evil spirited. https://t.co/xEJ4aRxjPZ
— β‘ (@renniamua) February 8, 2024
MoβNique gave her blessing to interview the brother she just said she wanted nothing to do with the taping. But Oprah NEVER told MoβNique that her parents would be on the show too! Mo had to watch her mother defend that man on TV & then deal with worldβs reaction to that too! https://t.co/SXyuyQ2RuT
— SlaveToVirgosGroove (@Nk3play2) February 8, 2024
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