Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for THR(LOS ANGELES) — Oprah Winfrey is facing backlash over her comments about white privilege.
During the latest episode of the Apple TV+ series The Oprah Conversation, the 66-year-old media mogul, who was joined by former NFL pro and race activist Emmanuel Acho, opened the floor up for non-Black viewers to ask questions.
One guest took this opportunity to say, “Not all white people have power. There’s plenty of poor, working-class white people. But I think that when we group all of white people together and we don’t recognize the fact that there’s a lot of white people that struggle, and it’s a different struggle as you mentioned because they’re not streaming upstream let’s call it…”
They continued, “I think that if we’re gonna come together and really attack racism and the inequities that are in this country and are in this world, that it’s important not to group all white people.”
Winfrey responded, “There are white people who are not as powerful as the system of white people — the caste system that’s been put in place. But they still, no matter where they are on the rung or ladder of success, they still have their whiteness.”
She added, “You still have your whiteness. That’s what the term ‘white privilege’ is. It means that whiteness still gives you an advantage, no matter.”
Oprah’s response didn’t seem to sit well because over on Twitter users blasted her by using her Forbes estimated $2.6 billion fortune against her.
One of her critics was Texas Senator Ted Cruz who tweeted, “Billionaire Oprah lectures the rest of us… What utter, racist BS.”
Connecticut-based activist JT Lewis also chimed in and questioned, “How did Oprah make 2.6 billion dollars if America is so racist?”
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Billionaire Oprah lectures the rest of us:
“You still have your whiteness. That’s what the term ‘white privilege’ is. It means that whiteness still gives you an advantage, no matter.”
What utter, racist BS. https://t.co/02PADVJkrZ
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) August 5, 2020
How did Oprah make 2.6 billion dollars if America is so racist? https://t.co/UrYU3fxLe4
— JT Lewis (@thejtlewis) August 5, 2020