Oprah Winfrey shelled out fortune to prevent documentary about her life from being released on Apple TV Plus
Oprah Winfrey opened her wallet to prevent the release of a documentary being made about her.
The 70-year-old mogul, who is reportedly worth $3 billion, spent an undisclosed fortune to prevent the release of a new documentary on Apple TV Plus, according to Page Six.
The project was first announced in January 2021, with Kevin Macdonald (Whitney) as director and Lisa Erspamer, longtime producer of The Oprah Winfrey Show, as executive producer.
Nothing more has been revealed about the documentary since then. According to this report, Winfrey, who recently revealed her new shocking interview, and Macdonald had a “conflict” over the film.
“Kevin made the film, but Oprah didn’t like it and refused to change the film. Oprah has refunded her fee to Apple,” a source said.
Oprah Winfrey opened her wallet to prevent the release of a documentary being made about her
The 70-year-old mogul, reportedly worth $3 billion, spent an undisclosed fortune to prevent the release of a new documentary on Apple TV Plus, according to Page Six
“Kevin made the film, but Oprah didn’t like it and he refused to change it, and Oprah refunded her fee to Apple,” a source said.
A spokesperson for Winfrey confirmed that she has bought back the rights and has decided to put the project on hold.
“When the Apple TV+ deal ended, Ms. Winfrey bought back the rights to her documentary series and has decided to put the documentary on hold,” the source said.
Winfrey’s content deal with Apple TV Plus expired in September 2022, at which point she decided to buy back the rights.
“Ms. Winfrey believes that Lisa Erspamer and Kevin MacDonald are incredibly talented filmmakers and is grateful for the time and energy they have put into the project,” the spokesperson said.
Another source with ties to Winfrey insisted that Macdonald did not refuse to make changes, as others have claimed, but that Winfrey simply changed her mind.
The second source said Winfrey believed: ““It wasn’t the right time to make a documentary,” before she bought back the rights, something that doesn’t happen often.
Industry sources claimed Winfrey had to pay millions to get the rights back, while others denied she paid more than seven figures for the rights.
Erspamer produced The Oprah Winfrey Show from 1999 to 2009 and collaborated with Macdonald on the 2018 documentary Whitney, about the life of Whitney Houston.
A spokesperson for Winfrey confirmed that she has bought back the rights and has decided to shelve the project
“When the Apple TV+ deal ended, Ms. Winfrey bought back the rights to her docuseries and has decided to put the documentary on hold,” the source said.
The second source said Winfrey believed “it wasn’t the right time to make a documentary” before buying back the rights, a move that doesn’t happen often.
The project was initially announced as a two-part documentary, directed by Macdonald and executive produced by Rolake Bamgbose as showrunner.
The documentary would be released in two parts and would cover 25 years of American history, from Oprah’s rise to fame.
Apple TV Plus and Oprah’s production company Harpo signed a multi-year deal in 2018, but it expired in 2022.
Macdonald has not yet publicly commented on the documentary or its shelving.