Taraji P. Henson is clearing the air around the claims that she and Oprah Winfrey are at odds.
While on “The Breakfast Club” on Friday, June 6, to promote her new Netflix film “Straw” the 54-year-old actress addressed the rumors that there is some kind of rift between her and Winfrey that began during press for “The Color Purple” musical starring Henson and produced by Winfrey in 2023.
When co-host Charlemagne tha God brought up the rumors and how many thought Henson may have been discussing “The Color Purple” musical producers when she began to speak out about pay disparity in Hollywood, Henson was quick to retort, “You know they have bosses right?”
“When have you ever seen me drag another woman, particularly a Black woman, ever? I’m 10 toes down for us,” she continued. “I think it was just a campaign so that this Black movie wouldn’t do well.”
Henson noted that during the film’s theatrical run, there were even reports that her purported feud with Winfrey negatively impacted its box office performance.
“You know that’s BS right?” she said.
The film was a historic success, raking in $18 million domestically on opening day, making it the largest Christmas Day opening in over a decade and the second-largest Christmas Day opening of all time. While the performance did slow down after, the film still managed to earn $60.6 million before it left theaters.
Winfrey herself has even denied the rumors. While on the red carpet for the 2024 Golden Globes, the media mogul said there “was no validity” to the claims.
“Me and Oprah, I just have a love and a fondness for her,” Henson explained during her interview on “The Breakfast Club.” “She just texted me the other day, commending me on a job well done in ‘Straw.’ That was all fictitious, to draw a wedge between me and her.”
“I went to her defense right…
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