From 'chattel' treatment to weight loss uproar: A look at Oprah Winfrey’s 10 controversial moments as she turns 70

Oprah Winfrey's 10 most controversial moments as she celebrates 70th birthday

Oprah Winfrey turns 70! The self-made billionaire marked the significant occasion on January 29, 2024. Since landing her first media job at 17, the TV legend has come far in her personal and professional life. Although she started her career as the youngest and first Black female news anchor on a Nashville TV channel and went on to win 20 Emmy Awards, not everything about her career has always been harmonious.

1. Cindy Crawford claimed Oprah Winfrey treated her like a piece of property

In the premiere of AppleTV's documentary series 'The Super Models', Oprah was confronted with a resurfaced moment when Cindy Crawford claimed Oprah had treated her like a piece of property. Crawford conversed about the unkind treatment she received as a teenage model when she made her television debut on the 'Oprah Winfrey Show'. In retrospect, the 58-year-old said of the event that it was "so not okay, especially from Oprah. I was like the chattel or a child, be seen and not heard," she said at the time, per The Express.

2. Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate's 2004 body-size controversy

Fans began to criticize the talk show host after a 2004 video of Oprah Winfrey questioning Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, then 17 years old, about their body sizes surfaced. Disgruntled viewers described the interview as "triggering" and claimed Oprah caught the famous twins off guard, per The Sun. Rumors surfaced about the two's eating issues when they sat down with Oprah at the age of 17, and she asked them straight about their sizes.

3. Oprah Winfrey inquired about Michael Jackson's virginity in 1993 interview

During their February 10, 1993, interview, the famous talk show host questioned the 'King of Pop' on a wide range of trending topics, some personal to him. This involved talking about his background, love life, and skin tone. Following a quick conversation about his relationship with actress and model Brooke Shields, Oprah felt compelled to inquire about MJ's sexual life. Oprah questioned, "Are you a virgin?" after spotting Michael dating Brooke for several months.

4. Sarah Palin finally agreed to sit on Oprah Winfrey's couch

The former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin agreed to appear on Oprah Winfrey's talk show on November 16, 2009, almost a year after she publicly declined an invitation to appear on the talk show during the campaign season, per PEOPLE Magazine. Oprah Winfrey is an active supporter of Barack Obama. Many assumed during the 2008 presidential run that Palin turned down the invitation because Oprah was such a vocal advocate of the opposing ticket. Oprah hinted at Palin's possible change of heart when it was time to promote her biography 'Going Rogue: An American Life'.

5. Oprah Winfrey brought down beef prices in 1996

In 1996, at the height of the mad-cow panic, Oprah brought cattle rancher turned vegetarian Howard Lyman onto her show to talk about some of the controversial practices in the beef industry, such as "rendering." It is the practice of turning cow organs into feed for other cattle but is currently illegal in the United States. After the show aired, beef prices fell rapidly for almost two weeks, eventually hitting a 10-year low. A group of irate Texas ranchers responded by suing Oprah for $10.3 million, saying that she had defamed the entire industry.

6. Oprah Winfrey on US action against Iraq

Amid mounting calls for war, Oprah examined the dire consequences of possible American intervention against Saddam Hussein's Iraq in multiple shows that aired from November 2002 to early March 2003. Oprah attempted to deflect attention from the news by planning a two-day special titled 'The World Speaks Out on Iraq' for the day following Secretary of State Colin Powell's pivotal address to the United Nations in February 2003. While antiwar activists applauded the episodes, some government officials protested that Oprah was an unwanted intermediary.

7. 'American Dirt' controversy and Oprah Winfrey's book club selection

Oprah Winfrey stated in 2020 that Jeanine Cummins' book, 'American Dirt', would be the next book club selection. However, the Latinx community has strongly criticized the book. The narrative revolves around a mother and kid who are compelled to leave their home country of Mexico and migrate to the US. High-profile critics have also given Oprah unfavorable reviews, criticizing the language, the "trauma-porn melodrama" structure, and the dubious identity politics of the narrative, per Entertainment Weekly.

8. Oprah Winfrey's Maui controversy after launching fund to help survivors

Dwayne Johnson and Oprah Winfrey established the People's Fund of Maui in August 2023 intending to immediately provide financial support to individuals who had been affected by the devastating wildfires that had torn through Lahaina and Kula in Maui, Hawaii, earlier that month. Following the fund's announcement, Johnson and Oprah came under fire on social media from individuals who questioned why they were not donating more of their own money.

9. Oprah Winfrey's weight loss through medication dispute

Oprah's battle to lose weight has been a topic of discussion for most of her career. She weighed 237 pounds at her heaviest, but she has been visibly losing weight in recent months. Although she is an advocate for the points-based weight loss program and has earlier credited 'WW' with helping her drop 40 pounds, she recently caused controversy by admitting that she started taking weight-loss medication. She told PEOPLE Magazine, defending her choice to use weight-loss medicines while not disclosing the prescription's brand: "I now use it as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yo-ing."

10. Oprah Winfrey has been falsely accused of sex trafficking

Oprah was horrified to learn in 2020 that she was the subject of sex trafficking allegations after years of torture at the hands of her family. During the coronavirus outbreak, fake news reports started making the rounds on the internet, saying that Oprah had been arrested for sex trafficking after authorities searched her Florida residence. Oprah dispelled the claims by tweeting, "Just got a phone call that my name is trending. And being trolled for some awful FAKE thing. It’s NOT TRUE."