Oprah Winfrey drops a fortune to halt release of bombshell tell-all documentary about her life
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Oprah Winfrey, 70, has reportedly shelled out a massive sum to block the release of a tell-all documentary about her life.
The media mogul, who boasts a $3 billion fortune made headlines for her decision to keep this explosive project under wraps.
Oprah Winfrey paid hefty amount to stop release of new documentary
The bombshell documentary, initially set to debut on Apple TV Plus, was first announced in January 2021.
Directed by Kevin Macdonald, known for his work in Whitney Houston's documentary 'Whitney: Can I Be Me (2017)' and produced by Lisa Erspamer, a longtime collaborator on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show', the film was poised to delve deeply into Winfrey's life and career.
However, according to Page Six, the project faced turmoil behind the scenes due to conflicts between Winfrey and Macdonald over the film’s content and direction.
Much-anticipated series was designed to chronicle Oprah Winfrey’s rise over 25 year
The project was initially slated as a two-part series meant to cover 25 years of American history through Oprah Winfrey's ascent to fame with Kevin Macdonald directing and Rolake Bamgbose serving as showrunner.
Sources claim that the broadcast icon and Macdonald clashed over the much-anticipated film's content. “Kevin made the film, but Oprah didn’t like it and he refused to change it, and Oprah has paid back her fee to Apple,” the source revealed. This discord led Winfrey to take drastic action, purchasing the rights back and deciding to shelve the project.
"As the Apple TV+ deal was coming to an end, Ms. Winfrey bought back the rights to her docu-series and has since decided to put the doc on hold," stated a spokesperson for Winfrey confirming the move. Despite acknowledging the talents of Macdonald and Erspamer, Winfrey chose to halt the documentary, reportedly because "it wasn’t the right time to do a documentary," a second source added.
"Ms. Winfrey believes Lisa Erspamer and Kevin MacDonald are incredibly talented filmmakers and is grateful for the time and energy they put into the project."
Was Oprah Winfrey’s documentary buyback a million-dollar deal?
Oprah Winfrey's content agreement with Apple TV Plus concluded in September 2022, prompting her decision to repurchase the rights at that time.
Industry sources suggested that Winfrey may have had to spend millions to reclaim the rights, although other sources disputed it was in the seven figures.
Erspamer, who produced 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' from 1999 to 2009, also collaborated with Macdonald on the 2018 documentary 'Whitney' about Houston's life.
Notably, Apple TV Plus and Winfrey's Harpo production company entered a multi-year agreement in 2018, which concluded in 2022. Her most recent collaboration with Apple TV+ was 'Sidney', a project spotlighting the life of Sidney Poitier.
