4 Times Oprah Was Verbally Slapped By Celebs

Known for her biting yet revealing questions, Oprah Winfrey has always had a knack for ticking off celebrities. The multi-hyphenate has created a legacy for herself that is certainly impressive, but in all great careers, there are still unforgettable, cringeworthy moments. While Winfrey prides herself on being a philanthropist, her hardcore questioning has unfortunately led to her being hated on, specifically by the celebrities she intensely questions. "The Oprah Winfrey Show" was the basis for many of these mishaps.

The show ran on national television for 25 years from 1986 to 2011. There was the time Winfrey brought up eating disorder rumors to Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen back when they were 17, which made them very uncomfortable. Another moment is when Winfrey tried to question Nathan Lane about his sexuality back when he wasn't out. Luckily, Robin Williams was there at the time to step in and shift the conversation. While many of the celebrities Winfrey has pressed were able to maintain their composure when being asked probing questions, there's a handful that have bitten back and expressed their dislike of the talk show host loud and proud. She's also found herself on the receiving end of unprovoked criticism. 

Mo'Nique's beef with Oprah Winfrey dates back more than a decade, and she is not letting it go. Their original feud began when Winfrey hosted Mo'Nique's estranged family on her television show without letting the "Precious" actress know. Mo'Nique was under the impression that the only family member who would appear on the show would be her brother but was blindsided when she saw commercials for the episode featuring her entire family sitting down with Winfrey. Mo'Nique considered this a betrayal, and thus, their feud began.

Years later, Mo'Nique stood by her dislike for Winfrey but for other reasons as well. On the "Club Shay Shay" podcast hosted by Shannon Sharpe, Mo'Nique did not shy away from talking about her issues with Winfrey, saying, "I speak about that woman because she's spoken about me, and when you begin to speak about me privately, I'm going to speak about you publicly." She also opened up about how her career has been completely overshadowed by "The Color Purple" star. 

After winning the Oscar for her performance in "Precious," Mo'Nique noted that various roles she was up for were ultimately given to Winfrey instead. She cited "The Butler" and a Richard Pryor biopic as examples of when Winfrey stole her thunder. On the podcast, Mo'Nique said of Winfrey, "You've been unfair, you've been unjust, and you watched a Black woman be thrown under the bus, and you said nothing."

Kid Rock had some choice words for Oprah Winfrey for no apparent reason after going on a drunken rant in Nashville. In a video published by TMZ, the MAGA rockstar was clearly toasted, saying, "F*** Oprah," loudly to the crowd, which responded with a mix of tepid cheering and disgust. In an effort to defend himself from being called racist, he went on to say that he also has a deep dislike for "The View" co-host Joy Behar, which doesn't exactly work in his favor to balance things out. "I'm not a bad guy, I'm just an honest guy, saying I don't like Oprah Winfrey or Joy Behar. They can suck d*** sideways," the singer proclaimed, as he was being booed off the stage. It seems that Kid Rock was in a rare mood to hate on female talk show hosts on this particular evening, for reasons unbeknownst to anyone.

A few years after the incident, Kid Rock refused to apologize for what he said. In an interview with Tucker Carlson for "Life of a Rockstar: Kid Rock" (via CNN), he expressed that he owns what he said, saying, "A drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts." He also addressed his comments and doubled down on his Winfrey hate in a 2019 post on X. While he didn't explain why she popped into his mind during his belligerent rant, he did reveal why he dislikes her so much, writing, "My people tried to get me to do The Oprah Winfrey show years ago and her people wanted me to write down 5 reasons why I loved her and her show ... I said f*** that and her."

Cindy Crawford has a reason to dislike Oprah Winfrey and it dates back to her interview with her in 1986. The then-20-year-old model was asked to stand up and face the audience by Winfrey while on her talk show, as Winfrey said, "This is what I call a body" (via Page Six.) At the time, Crawford was rising to stardom and didn't see Winfrey's comment as anything offensive. When Crawford looked back at the moment in the Apple TV+ docuseries "The Super Models," she realized just how belittling it was.

In the episode, Crawford explained, "I was like the chattel or a child, be seen and not heard. When you look at it through today's eyes, Oprah's like ... 'Show us why you're worthy of being here" (via Page Six.) The moment was obviously quite hurtful to Crawford, especially coming from a fellow woman. Winfrey has been open about her struggle with her own weight and body image for the longest time. It seems that at the moment, the talk show host didn't clock how judging someone else's body can go both ways, regardless of their weight.

The late Joan Rivers was known to verbally slap several people in her day, and the quick-witted comedian made no exception for Oprah Winfrey. This moment took place in 1985, a year prior to the "Oprah Winfrey Show" being born. Winfrey was a guest on "The Tonight Show," where Rivers was guest-hosting at the time. Rivers grilled Winfrey about her body, point-blank asking her, "So how'd you gain the weight?" Things took an even more uncomfortable turn when Rivers said to her guest, "You shouldn't let that happen to you. ... You must lose the weight."

Of course, this type of commentary doesn't make anyone feel their best, but considering that this was Winfrey's first time on the show, it stuck with her. While on "The View" to promote her book centered around health and weight, Winfrey reflected on the moment. "I remember leaving feeling embarrassed, but she said I could come back if I lost 15 pounds."