Oprah Winfrey is known as one of the most giving people on Earth...her catchphrase is basically, “You get a car, and you get a car!”. Due to her seemingly kind nature, you’d think her life would be controversy-free. She has gotten into feuds with other celebs, though.
While the majority of people think Oprah is all about solving problems, she’s actually caused quite a few. Despite the fact that she’s used to giving away items, advice, and opinions, some things she's done have gotten her into some pretty hot water with some pretty hot celebrities.
While having some beef with someone as popular and powerful as Oprah may seem pretty intimidating to the rest of us, some celebrities have no problem calling out the 'giving queen'. The truth is that some celebs have said some pretty harsh things about Oprah Winfrey.
Below are 15 celebrities (including some you’d never imagine would be on this type of list!) who have thrown some serious shade at Oprah Winfrey.
15 Kid Rock
Oprah’s most recent feud with Kid Rock may also be one of her longest feuds. Kid Rock expressed his dislike for the television host back in 2008, claiming she was his “real-life villain” and that she brainwashed women. More recently, he went on a drunken tirade and reignited the feud, proclaiming (quite intensely) that his dislike for her is still present.
14 50 Cent
50 Cent has made it clear he is definitely not a fan of Oprah Winfrey. Along with naming one of his dogs Oprah (and not in an endearing way), the rapper has also expressed his disappointment that Oprah hasn't highlighted black culture and featured hip-hop artists on her show. He claims she just caters to middle-aged white women.
13 Joan Rivers
Okay, we know...nobody is surprised Joan Rivers made this list. She basically had a feud with every celebrity in Hollywood, but her feud with Oprah’s may just be one of the worst. When Joan hosted The Tonight Show in 1985, she blatantly asked Oprah how she gained “all the weight” and to “come back 15 pounds lighter”. Holy ouch.
12 Angelina Jolie
As two people who are known for being charitable, you’d think Angelina Jolie and Oprah Winfrey would get along just fine. Wrong. After Oprah expressed that she was team Aniston in the Angelina vs. Jennifer debacle, Angelina seemed to hold a grudge. When Oprah approached Angelina to help her launch an academy for girls in South Africa, Angelina sharply declined.
11 Seal
When all the allegations came out about director Harvey Weinstein and his unspeakable acts against Hollywood actresses, Seal was quick to point out some apparent hypocrisy from Oprah. He posted a since-deleted meme to his Instagram account of Oprah pushing singer Rita Ora towards Weinstein, and claiming Oprah was “part of the problem for decades”. That’s some serious stuff.
10 Mo'Nique
After winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in Precious, it seemed like Mo’Nique’s career should have taken off. Unfortunately, the actress was apparently blackballed, which made it hard for her to land roles...and she claims Oprah is to blame. She even sarcastically thanked the talk show host for it during one of her comedy performances.
9 David Letterman
This feud is a long-standing beef, David Letterman and Oprah Winfrey have never seemed to get along. It all started after he made a joke about her while hosting the Academy Awards in 1995. He made another joke after that, while she was a guest on his show in 2012. He actually made a ton of jokes at her expense which she claimed made her feel very uncomfortable.
8 Whoopi Goldberg
Rumor has it that Oprah Winfrey was apparently peeved after her co-star, Whoopi Goldberg. received a nomination for an Oscar, for her role in The Color Purple. Goldberg apparently believed the rumors herself because the two talk show hosts didn’t speak for quite a while after the movie. They eventually made up and all is well again.
7 Ice Cube
Okay. Ice Cube is probably the last person you want throwing shade at you. Like, do you dare say anything back? OF COURSE NOT. He slammed Oprah Winfrey back in 2006, claiming that, despite his involvement in various projects pitched to her, he’s never been invited to participate. He also claimed she’s had “rapists and lying authors” on her show, but he’s still not good enough.
6 Roseanne Barr
Roseanne Barr is no stranger to feuds and controversy, and she’s certainly dragged Oprah Winfrey into them. Roseanne publicly shamed Oprah on her website back in 2008, over her political views on who should be running for president.
In a later statement, she also noted that Oprah was “adding to the divisiveness of the country”. The statement was supposed to be an apology, but we know Roseanne isn’t good at those.
5 Janet Jackson
After the death of Michael Jackson, Oprah Winfrey invited his three children to be guests on her talk show. Janet Jackson was appalled that Oprah would do such a thing, claiming she was using his death and children as publicity. Apparently, things heated up during a phone call after the episode was filmed. Janet even told Oprah she “makes her sick”.
4 Randy Jackson
Randy Jackson seemed to have sided with his sister, Janet, as far as feelings about Oprah go. After Winfrey had their parents on as guests, Randy wasted no time expressing his dislike for the host. He also claimed that the airing of episodes about pedophilia on her show, during the same time Michael Jackson’s trial was going on, was deliberate...and that Oprah wanted Michael to go to jail.
3 Chris Brown
While his domestic abuse trial was taking place, Oprah Winfrey voiced her opinion on the matter, claiming that Chris Brown will abuse again. The singer responded, claiming that he didn’t need the criticism from Winfrey and that she should be more supportive of him. He felt he deserved support because he'd helped her with projects in the past. Sorry, not sorry Chris...we’re siding with Oprah on this one.
2 Rachael Ray
It seems as though fellow television hosts, Rachael Ray and Oprah Winfrey, have some pretty bad blood. Apparently, Rachael has made some pretty serious (and booze-fueled) allegations against Winfrey, claiming she “has a problem with being black” and that she’s super demanding (but we’ve toned this down a little).
1 Ludacris
After appearing on her show to promote his movie, Crash, Ludacris admitted to GQ that the episode was edited in Oprah’s favor and a lot of his comments were cut out. He also claimed that he was only invited to be on the show because he was an actor and not because he was a rapper. He feels that Oprah doesn't wasn’t to be seen as encouraging hip-hip.