The Warts-and-All Documentary Oprah Winfrey Never Wants the World to See: Billionaire Talk Show Queen 'Spent Fortune Getting Show on Life Buried'
Oprah Winfrey allegedly paid a fortune so a documentary about her life would never be seen by fans.
Sept. 19 2024, Published 11:45 a.m. ET
Oprah Winfrey might be known as the Queen of all Media, but that doesn't mean she wants her fans to see all of her life story—or at least parts of it that she doesn't get to pre-approve.
The billionaire reportedly did everything possible to prevent a documentary about her life from seeing the light of day when her edit requests were rebuffed.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Winfrey paid a fortune to Apple TV+ to buy back the rights to the Kevin Macdonald-directed film.
Insiders say Oprah didn't think it was "the right time" to release the documentary.
Apple announced the project by the Oscar-winning filmmaker to much fanfare in 2021.
Now, sources are saying Macdonald – who worked with Winfrey's longtime producer, Lisa Erspamer, on the film – clashed with Winfrey over the finished project, and it has been put on hold ever since.
The source told Page Six: "Kevin made the film, but Oprah didn't like it and he refused to change it, and Oprah has paid back her fee to Apple."
A spokesperson for Winfrey – who ended her content deal with Apple in September 2022 – confirmed the news.
They said: "As the Apple TV+ deal was coming to an end, Ms. Winfrey bought back the rights to her docuseries and has since decided to put the doc on hold.
"Ms. Winfrey believes Lisa Erspamer and Kevin MacDonald are incredibly talented filmmakers and is grateful for the time and energy they put into the project."
Winfrey recently spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.
A Winfrey source claimed the talk show legend decided "it wasn't the right time to do a documentary", which contrasts with the rumors Macdonald refused to make edits to the film.
There was speculation Winfrey may have paid millions to get the rights to the documentary back, but an insider denied the price was in the seven figures.
Erspamer also served as a producer on The Oprah Winfrey Show for a decade.
She met Macdonald when they worked together on the hit Whitney Houston biopic, Whitney.
Winfrey's interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was their first since stepping away from the royal family.
Winfrey, 70, had worked successfully with AppleTV+ on a few projects before clashing over her documentary.
She produced The Oprah Conversations and teamed up with Prince Harry, 40, for The Me You Can't See, a film featuring guided discussions on mental health.
Apple Books also worked with the daytime icon on Oprah's Book Club.
When Winfrey's deal with Apple was first announced in 2018, it was unclear how it would figure into her busy media empire.
Her Discovery Communications cable channel, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, developed and produced hit shows like Ava DuVernay's Queen Sugar.
Winfrey renewed her contract with Discovery through 2025, although Discovery increased its stake in OWN to 95% in December 2020.
Oprah's Adele special aired on CBS.
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In recent years, her most high-profile projects have been in conjunction with CBS.
Her company, Harpo, produced her bombshell interview with Harry and Meghan Markle, 43, Oprah with Meghan and Harry, and a special with Adele, 36, One Night Only, which both aired on CBS.
RadarOnline.com has reached out to reps for Macdonald and AppleTV+.
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