Oprah Winfrey Pays Huge Amount To Apple To Buy Back Rights Of Her Life Documentary And Prevent Its Release

As a longtime follower of Oprah Winfrey, I find myself both intrigued and slightly amused by her recent turn of events with the documentary based on her life. It seems that even the Queen of Talk has creative disputes, much like the rest of us mere mortals.


Oprah Winfrey has regained control over her Apple TV+ documentary and halted its release due to creative disagreements. This documentary chronicling her life was initially announced in 2021, with Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald at the helm. He was collaborating with Lisa Erspamer, Winfrey’s longtime producer from The Oprah Winfrey Show, on this project.

As reported by Page Six, Oprah Winfrey and Kevin Macdonald apparently had a disagreement following the completion of their documentary. Since then, the project seems to be indefinitely postponed. A source revealed this information to the outlet, stating that “Kevin produced the film, but Oprah wasn’t satisfied with it, and he refused to modify it. Consequently, Oprah returned her fee to Apple.

The 70-year-old billionaire presented Apple’s board with funds for preventing the broadcast of the documentary. Later, Oprah Winfrey’s representative disclosed that she chose to repurchase the production rights since her collaboration with Apple terminated. Nevertheless, Winfrey praised Macdonald and Erspamer, acknowledging their creative brilliance and commitment to the project, but she felt it necessary to temporarily halt the film’s release.

Oprah Winfrey reportedly did buy back the rights, but it’s unclear if the amount was significantly high, possibly not reaching seven figures. Insiders at the outlet have their doubts. Meanwhile, Oprah’s team has hinted that there might not be a need for a documentary about her life just yet.

Oprah’s final collaboration with Apple was called “Sidney,” focusing on the life of Sidney Poitier. Earlier, she was also set to contribute significantly to another Apple TV+ project titled “On the Record.” This project centered around a former music executive who alleged Russell Simmons had sexually harassed her. However, Oprah stepped down from her role as executive producer for that project just before its release, once more due to creative disagreements.

More recently, Oprah Winfrey announced a CBS special titled “An Oprah Special: The Presleys – Elvis, Lisa Marie, and Riley.” In this program, actress Riley Keough shares memories of her time with her late mother, Lisa Marie Presley. This special is timed to coincide with the release of Keough’s new book about her mother.

Currently, Kevin Macdonald, a BAFTA and Academy Award winner famed for movies like One Day in September, The Last King of Scotland, and State of Play, has not spoken about the issue at hand. Neither are there any hints of his future collaborations involving Oprah Winfrey. Macdonald’s latest documentary, titled One to One: John & Yoko, focusing on the lives of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival recently.

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2024-09-19 11:58