Oscars viewers speculate Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg had a tense moment during Quincy Jones tribute

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg joined hands to pay an emotional tribute to the late Quincy Jones at the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday, March 2.

'The Color Purple' co-stars began the honor as Oprah said, "When one hears the name Quincy Jones, one's first thought is musical genius, and for good reason," as per People. 

"28 Grammy Awards, arranger and conductor for legends like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Ray Charles, and the driving force behind ‘We Are The World,’ but the man, our beloved Q, had an equally powerful impact on the world of film, as a composer and producer," the 71-year-old noted.

At this point, Goldberg added, "When we talk about Black excellence, we're talking about Quincy, In 1967, Quincy Jones was the first Black composer nominated in the Original Song category for ‘The Eyes of Love’ in the film Banning. 1967 was the first time, just keep that in mind."

"And Quincy was also nominated that year for original music score for In Cold Blood,” she continued. “He received seven Oscar nominations for 'The Wiz', 'In Cold Blood', 'For Love Of Ivy', and 'The Color Purple', which me and Oprah were part of," the 69-year-old noted. 

Oprah Winfrey says her life changed forever after meeting Quincy Jones

Talking about Quincy Jones' impact on her life, Oprah Winfrey said, "Paying tribute to him for all he has meant to our movie community is why we all honor Q's memory tonight. Quincy was love lived out loud in human form, and he poured that love into others and into his work. My life changed forever and for the better after meeting him,"

She added that the late music producer, who died in November 2024, "discovered me for 'The Color Purple', which was my first film."

Goldberg immediately added, "Me too," as the people attending the ceremony laughed. But as per some eagle-eyed viewers, Oprah seemed annoyed, adding fuel to rumors about their alleged years-old feud, as per the Daily Mail.

Whoopi Goldberg has an Oscar, but Oprah Winfrey doesn't

Both Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey received Oscars nominations for the 1985 film, which was produced by Quincy Jones. While Goldberg received a nomination in the Best Actress category, Oprah was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

Though neither of them got an award that year, in 1991 'The View' co-host received an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Oda Mae Brown in Jerry Zucker's 'Ghost'.

Oprah, however, never won an Oscar, which reportedly frustrated her. Now, people on TikTok and other social media platforms are convinced that the legendary TV presenter still holds a grudge against Goldberg.

Viewers slam Oprah Winfrey for making the moment all about herself

Sharing their thoughts on the moment, a TikTok user commented, as per the Daily Mail, "Oprah it's not about you tonight... thank you Whoopi," while another added, "Sad just sad! Whoopi was the star of the movie!"

"Damn you can feel the tension! They can’t stand one another," an X (formerly Twitter) user wrote, while someone else said, "Always fighting amongst themselves," possibly referring to their alleged feud. 

"Too bad they didn’t get into a hair pulling B brawl," an individual quipped. "Oprah making all about herself... And Whoopi was not happy being upstaged!! These two!!! Sum up pure Hollywood," read another comment. 

"Oprah, let Whoopi have her moment—this isn’t The Oprah Winfrey Show!" one more expressed. 

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