‘Lose 15 pounds … ‘: Oprah recalls public ‘shaming’ by Joan Rivers

Talk show host

Oprah Winfrey

in a recent interview on The Jamie Kern Lima podcast shared that during her 1985 appearance on ‘

The Tonight Show

,’ host

Joan Rivers

made comments about her weight that left her feeling ‘shamed’, reported People magazine. At the time, Winfrey was promoting the success of her show ‘

A.M. Chicago

‘ and feared she had lost a role in ‘The Colour Purple’ due to her weight.

When Rivers asked Winfrey, “Tell me why are you so fat?” on national television, Winfrey responded by saying, “Oh, I just love potato chips, Joan.” Rivers then told Winfrey, “Shame on you,” and said she would allow her to come back on the show if she lost 15 lbs.
“She says to me on national television,” Winfrey said, adding, “And I accept it. I accept that I should be shamed, because how dare me, be sitting up here on The Tonight Show.” Winfrey agreed with Rivers and accepted that she was going to, “go away and lose 15 lbs. And of course, I didn’t lose the 15 lbs.. I went and ate my way to another 10 lbs.”
After the show, Winfrey went to “this health retreat”, which was referred to as a “fat farm” at the time, to lose weight. She was struggling to accept that her weight had cost her a role in ‘The Colour Purple’. However, everything changed when she received a phone call from the film’s producer, Steven Spielberg, who told her, “I hear you’re at a fat farm. You lose a pound, you could lose this part.”

Winfrey shared that the phone call was a turning point for her, as she had finally let go of the part when she received the call. “The instant I let it go was the greatest life lesson I have ever received, because I physically felt the release,” she said. Winfrey ultimately landed the role of Sofia in the film, which earned her an Academy Award nomination.
The experience became a grounding teaching for Winfrey’s life and career. “Do everything you can, work as hard as you can, and then let it go,” she shared, emphasising the importance of putting in the effort and then releasing attachment to the outcome.