Celebrity News June 07, 2017
Oprah Winfrey on Controversial Comedians, Donald Trump, & Saving Jamie Foxx
“Extra's” Mario Lopez sat down with Oprah Winfrey and Ava DuVernay to discuss the new season of the hit OWN show “Queen Sugar,” which was created, directed and executive produced by DuVernay.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
Oprah, who has interviewed some of the biggest names in the headlines, weighed in on the current situation concerning Bill Maher and Kathy Griffin, whether she would interview President Donald Trump, and how Jaime Foxx says she saved his life.
Kathy Griffin and her Trump photo scandal dominated the news cycle the past few days, as well as Bill Maher's use of a racial slur during his show. When asked about comedians being able to speak out, Oprah replied, “I think there is always a bridge too far... there is always a bridge too far, and I will leave it at that.”
Ava eloquently added, “It seems to be a very dynamic time for people to be voicing the way they feel about each other… all of it is bubbling to the surface. With that you're gonna get good stuff. We feel like 'Queen Sugar' is the good stuff, and you're gonna get not so good stuff and that's some of the things we've seen lately with some of the comedians.”
Oprah recently joined “60 Minutes” as a special correspondent, but would she be interested in interviewing our current president? The media mogul revealed she would not, explaining, “No, I don't look forward to an opportunity to interview him… in my experience of interviewing politicians, period, I was never very good at it.”
She went on, “Most politicians, including our current president, have their own agenda, and they are really different interviews… you ask a question and they turn it right around… you are never gonna get an authentic, in-depth one-on-one interview.”
In a recent interview, Jaime Foxx revealed that Winfrey staged an intervention for him, saving him when his drinking and hard partying threatened to derail his career. Oprah was humbled by his words, sharing, “I don't know if I saved him, that's very generous of him.”
She continued, “This whole fame trip is a trip… when I first started, there were people that helped me… I wanted to do the same for him. We went over to Quincy Jones' house and I knew Sidney Poitier was going to be there, and I thought it would be important for him as an actor to have some one-on-one time with THE actor Sidney Poitier. I think that was helpful. I thought that was grounding for him... that's what friends do.”
Oprah and Ava are gearing up for season two of “Queen Sugar" and dishing on what fans can expect. Ava teased, “A lot of drama, but there is some depth to it as well… the heart of the show really is about family and the ways in which everyone's family is similar when you get around the kitchen table.”
Winfrey, who also serves as an executive producer, chimed in, “There is an equality that shows up.”
Will Oprah do a cameo? She commented, “I was thinking, if I play a character I would have to play myself at this point, 'cause I'm already in 'Greenleaf.' I may show up with one of the characters that needs to be interviewed.”