Oprah_ A Biography - Kitty Kelley [2]
Being one of the most admired women in the world, Oprah Winfrey is adored by millions for her many good works. She is an exemplar of black achievement in a white society, an African American icon who broke the barriers of discrimination to achieve unparalleled success. In a world that worships wealth, she is idolized not simply because of her net worth (approximately $2.4 billion), but because she made her fortune herself, without benefit of marriage or inheritance. Within publishing she is heralded as a heroine for bringing the joys of reading to millions, enriching the lives of writers as well as readers.
Yet as much as Oprah is loved, she is also feared, which is not unusual among society’s giants. In writing about Frank Sinatra years ago, I found many people afraid to talk about a man connected to organized crime for fear of losing their limbs, or even their lives. With Nancy Reagan and the Bush family dynasty, the fears were of losing presidential access or a federal job, plus getting clobbered with an IRS audit. With the British monarchy, it was the fear of losing royal approbation or a possible knighthood. Writing about Oprah exposed a different kind of fear.
“I was afraid of Oprah for twenty years,” said her first cousin Jo Baldwin. “She’s dangerous … she told me if I ever opened my mouth [about what I know] she’d sue my pants off.…” Baldwin, an ordained minister in Mississippi, was not afraid of physical reprisals, but she feared the personal and professional retributions that could come her way because of Oprah’s vast power and immense wealth. Consequently, Reverend Jo, as she is called, refused to talk about her famous relative for the hardback version of this book, but since its publication in April 2010 she has received tenure as a university professor at Mississippi Valley State and no longer feels that Oprah can threaten her livelihood. So she stepped forward in the summer of 2010 to tell her stories.
As is true of many in Oprah’s family, her negative feelings stem from resentment over the way she has been treated. The power of Oprah’s vast wealth makes most of her relatives quake. They want to be part of the luxurious life that she offers on occasion (her lavish Christmas presents, her birthday checks, even her hand-me-downs), but they chafe at the way she has dismissed them since she became famous and know that she does not cherish them as family.
“Shortly after I received my PhD in 1985 from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Oprah asked me where I was going to work,” said Jo Baldwin. “I said I would be applying for a position at Ebony magazine as a copy editor. Oprah said she did not like Linda Johnson Rice [owner of Ebony] and I should come to work for her instead. So I did.
“I was to work for her for three years, but she fired me without notice after two years.… I heard from someone later that she got rid of me because she got tired of me talking about Jesus all the time.… Whenever something significant happened I would read her verses and passages from the Bible to keep her grounded, but Oprah preferred the teachings of Shirley MacLaine’s books, such as Dancing in the Light and Out on a Limb, which Oprah made me read but I didn’t think much of.”
Jo Baldwin became estranged from Oprah after working for her. “I believe she wanted to take away my family’s respect by implying I was a loser because