Oprah Winfrey remains an important figure of media success and empowerment. Her complicated professional career and personal life continues to inspire and infuriate a typically tacky public. Famed for destroying various social, artistic, and cultural ceilings, she has been criticized for her endorsements and connections. Recently, she attended the wedding of Jeff Bezos in Venice, igniting discussions about her connections with powerful figures and the implications of her celebrity status.
Winfrey’s influence has been catalytic, particularly in the worlds of publishing and self-help. Her original brand of the side-hustle, aspirational girl-boss tone spoke to millions. This picture has come under fire from unkind critics. Janice Peck, a professor at the University of Colorado, soon took issue with that narrative, specifically about what Rocker’s rise to fame meant for Black women. She argued that the narrative tends to ignore her poverty and all the hardship she went through, not to mention the systemic factors that paved the way for her success in the first place. This interpretation takes aim at the American Dream’s naive, one-dimensional promise, arguing it ignores historical and structural oppression.
Her Book Club, that once made Winfrey a literary mogul, has too, been a source of controversy. In 2001, novelist and critic Jonathan Franzen raised a ruckus over her controversial choices. He proposed that they mostly focused on women. “Jonathan Franzen perceives the Oprah book readers as mainly women, and he would prefer a male readership,” noted Joyce Carol Oates, reflecting on Franzen’s sentiments.
Winfrey’s cultural impact extends beyond literature. Her unhealthy promotion of figures like Dr. Oz and Jenny McCarthy have drawn the ire of public health advocates who have rightly called her out for it. They claim that such endorsements lend legitimacy to pseudoscience. Yet, critics acknowledge, such a platform can lend credence to some pretty dubious ideas. One example is the belief in the power of positive thinking—something made popular by The Secret’s Rhonda Byrne. These associations create a lot of controversy over the sense of responsibility that should accompany her power and influence.
On stage with Winfrey at the recent Broad celebration in Los Angeles was her long-time, and frequent, partner in media, Gayle King. Their candidness together highlights the remarkable relationship between the two women. Both have endured their moments of public embarrassment, yet they stick together. Despite her loyal following, Winfrey has faced backlash for attending Bezos’ wedding—a man criticized for his treatment of minimum wage workers. Comedian Rosie O’Donnell then publicly called out Winfrey for this decision, asking what it means to associate yourself with that kind of wealth.
Despite the vigorous defense of Winfrey’s accomplishments and philanthropic efforts, critics recognize the nuances of her legacy. She has been described as “the apex predator of celebrity book groups” and “America’s queen,” terms that encapsulate both her status and the weight of expectations placed upon her.
In a comedic nod to Winfrey’s cultural significance, Tina Fey portrayed a character in “30 Rock” who humorously remarked, “I eat emotionally” and was inspired to embrace herself more boldly after watching Winfrey’s show. This portrayal underscores Winfrey’s role as a catalyst for change in her viewers’ lives, albeit with an undertone of critique regarding the societal pressures she embodies.