Oprah-Father's Betrayal Cuts Like A Knifeby Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 22 May 2007 10:32 PM Is he or isn't he? Well, if he was, he may not be anymore. I'm talking about Vernon Winfrey penning a tell-all about his rock-star famous daughter Oprah Winfrey. According to The New York Daily News, Oprah was reportedly "stunned," "shocked," and "devastated" when she heard her dad was allegedly writing a book about her. But, what cut her even deeper is that she learned about the memoir, Things Unspoken, not from her father, but from a gossip column. According to several news agencies, when one of Oprah's assistants told the legendary TV talk show host that a newspaper was calling to ask about a book her father was writing about her, Winfrey reportedly told her assistant: "That's impossible. I can assure them it's not true." But then Oprah's sister told her that perhaps she should call their father before making a comment. "I called him and it turned out he is writing a book," Winfrey told the New York newspaper. "The worst part of it was him saying, 'I meant to tell you I've been working on it.' " According to the Daily News, when Oprah heard about the alleged project she replied: "I was upset. I won't say 'devastated,' but I was stunned. The last person in the world to be doing a book about me is Vernon Winfrey. The last person." In his book proposal Vernon Winfrey writes that Oprah was "out of hand, an unruly child. ... She had secrets. Dark secrets. Some I didn't discover 'til she was a grown woman, 'til it was too late." Now get this: Hours after the story detailing Oprah's reaction to the proposed book went public, Vernon Winfrey told TVGuide.com that he is not working on a book, but that he might consider writing one later. Asked if he'd spoken to his famous daughter about a possible book, he said: "No. It's just on hold right now, OK?" I bet. Can you image the conversation that resulted when a "shocked" Oprah confronted her dad about his book? Mama! I wouldn't want to have been around to witness Oprah's wrath (okay, maybe it would have been fun to be a fly on the wall of Vernon Winfrey's home when he got the call from his daughter). Then again, who can blame her for being upset knowing her own father---the man she credited for imposing discipline on her and stressing the importance of a solid education; the man she has lavished with homes, cars, and cash--would sell her out? Still, Winfrey tells reporters she has "a good relationship" with her father. "I would have preferred to have known my father was working on this," Oprah said. "It would have been a nice gesture, a courtesy." How much you want to bet that book never sees the light of day? Related Articles: Celebrities' Weekend Adventures Oprah Honors Her Birthplace With A Generous Gift Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevantpopular culture tags User Comments  tripletsmom (14) 24 May 2007 11:57 AMI love your post! In fact, I mentioned it on my blog: http://www.marketingblurb.com/2007/05/is_the_oprah_winfrey_brand_in.html I wonder if this book will ever see the light of day. I'd be interested to see what else Vernon Winfrey could reveal about Oprah that she hasn't already made public. I'd also be interested to see how a tell-all book could affect the Oprah Winfrey brand. Community Tags new book, Oprah, Oprah Winfrey, talk show, Vernon WInfrey Discuss this article
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