Photo Credit: Today Show
Oprah appeared on the Today Show this morning bringing up nostalgic memories with the hosts and guests talking about growing up watching her, when she last appeared on the show ions ago, but things took a different turn when she was asked about best friend Gayle King. King recently did an interview with WNBA legend Lisa Leslie talking about her friend Kobe Bryant. What later happened, anyone could have seen coming a mile away. King asked Leslie about Bryant’s sexual assault case that was thrown out over 15 years ago and if it complicated his legacy. Leslie essentially responded that it should be left alone and in the past, considering it’s already been litigated and thrown out of court.
When asked about how her friend was doing, Oprah said Gayle wasn’t doing well. She said she’s been receiving death threats and had to hire security to protect her. She teared up during the exchange saying King hasn’t slept in two days and stated that the hateful and misogynistic vitriol directed at her was a bridge too far. Now I woke up the other day to footage of Snoop Dogg absolutely letting King have it along with the rest of the internet. In trying to understand why it happened, I assumed that this interview must have happened before he died, but no. That’s not the case at all because Leslie clearly stated that it was inappropriate to ask this right after he died. And I agree. While threatening anyone with violence isn’t okay, let’s understand the issue here. There are constant attacks on black history and black historical figures, that is if they’re even taught at all.
With that being said, the object lesson is that this type of support needs to be shown within the black community even while these people are alive and to let others know that blatant forms of disrespect will not be tolerated. In the end, King did multiple videos she posted online herself stating how her interview was taken out of context with the controversial part of it being used as promo material and was backed up by colleagues of hers. While we understand that, a person in tune with her audience wouldn’t have done it to begin with. So the next time we’re in this type of a situation, the media might think twice about unnecessary slighting of the deceased.
.@Oprah emotionally responds to backlash her friend Gayle King received over King’s recent interview about Kobe Bryant with WNBA legend Lisa Leslie: “She is not doing well because she has now death threats.” pic.twitter.com/M8HrCp8vTr
— TODAY with Hoda & Jenna (@HodaAndJenna) February 7, 2020
