Oprah is feeling the heat.
Taraji and a bunch of other black actresses are calling her out for not paying them enough.
You won’t believe this, but even big guns like 50 Cent and Denzel Washington are backing them up.
What’s the story behind all these allegations against Oprah, and how are black artists reacting well?
Taraji was recently in The Color Purple, a 2023 musical drama produced by Oprah.
It’s a powerful tale about the life struggles of a black woman in the early 1900 South.
This is actually the second adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel.
Oprah starred in the 1985 version, but anyway, fans were stoked about this new version.
Let’s see how things turn out.
You wouldn’t believe what happened next.
Teraji was on Gail King’s Serious Xm radio show.
You know Gail Oprah’s best friend.
They got to chatting and Gail asked if Teraji was thinking about letting go of acting.
That question made taji stop for a moment.
She covered her face with her hands and started crying.
It was such a shocking moment.
You know there have been numerous times when we’ve seen her looking downcast during interviews right.
Take, for instance, when she had to promote the color purple.
It was clear she wasn’t thrilled about it.
In fact, she appeared to be quite hurt.
So why the long face, you ask.
Well, a little birdie told us that Oprah didn’t really open up her purse strings for Taraji.
In fact, the two even locked horns on, said over this very issue- I know, I know it’s hard to swallow- That someone as lovely and warm as Oprah could be anything.
But but hey, that’s Tinsel Town for you.
Not all that Glitters Is Gold.
Taraji didn’t just hold her peace, in fact she was just getting started.
During another interview-
You know that one- with the Sag.
After a foundation conversations, she switched gears and talked about something a lot of us can relate to: staying passionate even when it feels like no one’s noticing.
She even shared a pretty shocking claim.
She’d heard that apparently there’s not a lot of money for black actors because somehow their stories don’t translate overseas.
I mean, can can you believe that?
But you know what?
This isn’t the first time Taraji’s expressed frustration about her pay back in 2019.
She confessed that she wasn’t really thrilled with the $100,000 she got for starring and David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, where she shared the screen with big shots like Brad Pit and Kate Blanchett.
But Taraji being the tough cookie, she is negotiated her way up to a $150,000 check, even though it was still quite a bit short of the $500,000 she originally had her sight set on.
Do you recall that Taraji got an Oscar nod for her role in that movie?
It’s pretty jaw-dropping to think that someone of her stature still faces racism in her acting career, and just imagine how grueling it must be for rookies just tiptoeing into the industry.
Now here’s something that may shock you: Oprah.
A major player in the black community stands accused of fueling the Discrimination between black and white actors.
Now you might be wondering: why doesn’t Taraji just call out Oprah by name?
But here’s the thing: dropping her name could spell the end of your career.
We’ve seen it happen to a lot of big names.
Guess what happened with Oscar winning actress Monique?
She claimed that Oprah and Tyler Perry were spreading gossip, that she was a hassle to work with.
This all happened because she chose not to do any unpaid press gigs during the Oscars run for a movie, and you know as well as I do that the rumor mill can be lethal for an actor’s career.
And seriously, why should any actor go to promotional events?
They’re not getting paid for and wasn’t even in their contract.
More than 10 years have passed and Mo’Nique hasn’t had the successful career she should have had, and Oprah played a big part in that.
Even now, Mo’nique is still asking for a public apology from Oprah and Tyler.
Can you believe it?
The list just keeps getting longer.
Black celebrities who have been mistreated by Oprah.
Did you know that Taraji’s co-stars, like The Talented singer Fantasia barino and the amazing Hal Bailey, weren’t paid what they truly deserved by Oprah?
It really makes you wonder, doesn’t it?
Who’s actually standing up for these black actresses?
Thankfully, Taraji and others aren’t alone.
They’ve got an industry Giant in their Corner, the legendary Denzel Washington, along with a handful of other celebrities, and they aren’t keeping quiet.
They’re speaking up, calling out Oprah and standing against the unfair treatment of hardworking black artists.
Denzel, you know the actor with the Oscar on his mantle.
He’s always been there for the black artists in the industry.
Have you ever heard him talk about racism?
He’s so passionate about it how it confuses and misguides people.
And then there’s Oprah, with her wealth on display, claiming it’s a form of generosity.
But you look at Denzel and you see someone genuinely committed to helping black people.
His work with save Africa’s children speaks volumes.
Don’t you think his dedication is so sincere?
You can’t help but see it, and he’s not afraid to call out what’s wrong in Hollywood, where big names like Oprah can twist things and push black actors to play characters that go against what they believe in.
Remember that interview, Denzel did.
He talked about the weird, often dark, side of the movie movie industry.
He even shared a story about a movie role he was offered in ‘ 86.
They couldn’t kill.
In the movie, he, a black man, was falsely accused of attacking a white woman.
The plot had his character getting electrocuted and hung, and yet somehow he was the hero.
Strange stuff right.
You wouldn’t believe what really shook Denzel.
It was the laid-back Vibe of some big Hollywood names.
During auditions, he found nothing funny about it and ended up saying no to a hefty paycheck for a role that stirred up some controversy.
Boy did that decision turn out to be a good one?
He was up for an Oscar next for his work in Cry Freedom, standing up to the ugly and offensive roles that the Hollywood top dogs were pushing onto black artists.
Well, it just goes to show His True Grit, doesn’t it?
But this whole thing with Denzel got folks thinking: are the Hollywood higher-ups pressuring black actors to let go of their values?
What about those with real clout.
Like Oprah, are they truly looking out for the artists?
Denzel, 50 Cent and a few other celebs are stepping up to back.
Taraji and other black actresses get this.
Denzel told Teraji to hit the road, Jack, or rather Oprah, and join his crew instead.
The interesting bit.
Fans are now piecing things together, reminding us that 50 Cent was one of those original gangsters who called out Oprah a while back for her sketchy actions.
He said it loud and clear that she was betraying black actors while playing safe with white predators.
No joke, 50 Cent has a track record of publicly standing up against Oprah.
He just did an interview with the guardian where he spoke about his beef with Oprah, criticizing her for painting his music, as ignorant his point.
Everyone pens down something meaningful from their tough times, so why should they be stopped from expressing these experiences in their true form?
You know it’s intriguing to see how people like Denzel and 50 Cent don’t hesitate to call out Oprah.
They believe she’s been using her platform mostly to boost her wallet and to leverage her position.
It does make you wonder, doesn’t it?
Especially because Oprah, of all people, must have faced racism herself.
Yet now that she’s reached the top, it seems like she’s not as outspoken about racial inequality as she used to be.
Remember those early Oprah days when she was such a force for these issues.
But it’s like her tune changed as her Fame grew.
It’s almost as if we’d been misled by her just so she could climb the ladder of success.
Pretty shocking, huh?
Did you catch that article in the New York Post?
Apparently Oprah’s been catching some Flack from her own family.
They’re saying she’s been embellishing her past, spinning Tales of poverty and hardships that weren’t really there just to jack up her ratings.
Her cousin Catherine even went on record to refute Oprah’s claims that she grew up without new clothes or toys and those two pet cockroaches.
Oprah said she had Katherine called shenanigans on that too, actually describing Oprah as a bit spoiled when she was a kid.
When Katherine brought all this up with Oprah, she got a kind of dismissive answer.
That’s what people want to hear, because the truth is boring.
But that’s not.
All insiders have been saying that Oprah treats black and white artists differently in the industry.
So why aren’t big names like Denzel calling her out?
Well, it’s simple.
Taking Oprah head-on could be career suicide.
She’s one of those few celebrities you just can’t afford to cross.
Hey there, what’s your take on this?
Do you reckon more celebrities should step up and throw their weight behind black artists?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
If you found this video helpful, be sure to hit the like button and subscribe to our Channel.
Don’t forget to hit the Bell to receive notifications when new content is posted and, as always, don’t forget to take time to Exhale k.