Oprah Winfrey Emotionally Recalls Skit Mocking Her Weight on ‘In Living Color’
Oprah Winfrey, a name synonymous with media success and philanthropy, has recently opened up about the emotional toll that public scrutiny of her weight has taken on her over the years. In a candid conversation on The Jamie Kern Lima Show, the 70-year-old media mogul shared her experiences with weight shaming and the impact it had on her self-esteem and public life.
Winfrey recounted a particularly painful memory from the early 1990s when the sketch comedy show “In Living Color” aired a skit that mocked her weight. In the skit, actress Kim Wayans portrayed Winfrey in a segment where the character kept eating and gaining weight until she eventually exploded. “The whole audience fell out [laughing], and the woman was me,” Winfrey recalled, her voice tinged with the hurt that still lingers from that moment.
The skit was not an isolated incident but part of a broader culture of fatphobia and weight shaming that Winfrey had to endure for decades. “Making fun of my weight was a national sport for 25 years,” she said. This constant ridicule affected her deeply, leading her to internalize the negative comments and feel ashamed of her body.
One of the most poignant examples of this shame was when Winfrey declined an invitation to a holiday party hosted by “Miami Vice” actor Don Johnson. “I wouldn’t go because I thought I was too fat to go,” she admitted. At the time, her weight had fluctuated from 145 pounds to 157 pounds in just a couple of weeks, a change that made her feel unworthy of attending social events.
Winfrey also recalled a particularly hurtful moment involving the late critic Richard Blackwell, who described her as “bumpy, frumpy, and downright lumpy” on the cover of TV Guide in October 1990. “I ingested that, I swallowed it like it was a pill designed just for my body, and I took in all the shame,” she reflected. “And I accepted that this thing that people have labeled me with—being fat, being overweight, being unable to control my willpower, not having any willpower—that’s my shame. That’s it. They’re right, they’re right.”
Despite the public ridicule and personal shame, Winfrey has found ways to cope and move forward. She has been a vocal advocate for medicinal assistance in weight loss, although she has not specified what treatments she uses. Last year, she discussed obesity and weight loss on her televised program “An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame, and the Weight Loss Revolution,” where she referred to an unnamed “medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier” as a “gift.”
Winfrey’s journey with weight has been a long and arduous one, but she has reached a point where she is ready to leave the shame behind. “I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself,” she asserted. “I have borne this weight thing and carried it to the point where I just feel like, I’ve just recently turned 70, and I’m not carrying it into the next decade. I’m done with it.”
Her conversation with Jamie Kern Lima was not just a recounting of past hurts but also a declaration of self-acceptance and resilience. Winfrey emphasized that she has been judged more publicly about her weight than perhaps anyone else, and this judgment has shaped her in many ways. “I was judgmental because I have been so judged,” she admitted. “I actually don’t know anybody who’s been more publicly judged about their weight than myself, and I have carried and borne the shame of other people.”
Winfrey’s story is a powerful reminder of the damaging effects of weight shaming and the importance of self-acceptance. Her willingness to speak openly about her struggles offers hope and inspiration to many who face similar challenges. As she moves into her next decade, Winfrey is determined to leave the shame behind and embrace a future free from the weight of public judgment.
Source: The Jamie Kern Lima Show, People, Complex
