Yvette Carnell: Did Oprah Just Admit That the Kardashian Interview Was Only About Ratings?
I admit that I’ve always been a lifelong Oprah fan, but I was a fan for one reason: Meaning. I always felt that I could glean a bit more meaning from the 
Oprah Winfrey Show than I could from Jerry Springer or Maury Povich, both which are tabloid filth. Oprah was, at least to me, a step above the rest.
But by interviewing the talentless and classless Kardashian clan, Oprah’s become part of the race to the bottom, a sort of bottom feeding that she shunned during most (not all) of her years on network TV.
In a recent interview, Oprah told radio host Kemp Parchment (no idea) that “everyone on television is trying to get ratings,” adding, “it’s a business.”
Yeah, it’s a business, but it never was just about business to Oprah, at least not that I could tell. There was an understanding that you couldn’t be all things to all people, so best to be yourself. Stay true to yourself.
Yes, the Kardashians are a “phenomenon”, but not in a a good way. They represent all that is wrong with America in that their success wasn’t based on merit, but on a p**n tape and good marketing. They represent an upside down hierarchy in this country which places meaningless dribble atop capability and craft. The fact that Oprah, a black woman who came from nothing and worked her way to the top, doesn’t get why her interviewing the Kardashians is a slap in the face to many of her fans, bespeaks a woman who has lost touch with her base.
And this is why many Oprah fans are confused by the OWN brand. How can the same woman who blesses us with Super Soul Sunday, then turn right around and give us – The Kardashians?
But, you might say, Oprah interviewed Hollywood stars all the time on her network show. True enough. It is also true that some people in Hollywood are uniquely talented and have something of meaning to offer the world. It’s an insult to place them in the same category as the Kardashian fluff family. Some men want their sons to grow up and be like Will Smith, but no mother wants her daughter to grow up and be like Kim Kardashian. Only a mother with sociopathic tendencies could be proud of who Kim Kardashian is and how she got there.
Must be something in the water though, because Kanye West was one a real conscious rapper, and now there he is, loving it up with Kim Kardashian. The woman undoubtedly has something, but it’s sure as h**l not talent.
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Oprah interviews whomever she’s told to interview.
Also EVERY SINGLE program on television is about ratings.
At least Kanye got a really nice car out of it. Otherwise, thanks for summing it up so nicely: “a p**n tape and good marketing” — that would make a great bumper sticker.
First of all, Oprah is a business woman. So, her ultimate goal is to secure her business. That could involve making creative decisions, adopting new ideas, and redifining or expanding your brand. That is what most, if not all, smart and successful business people do. Particularly, when business is stagnant, you have to find broader ways to grow and sustain your business. So, I see this as nothing more than a business move.
Words cannot express how uninterested I am in the Kardashians and 50 Cent. They are both completely irrelevant to me and I’m sure to a lot of other folks too. But, to describe Oprah’s choice to interview them as if she has hit rock bottom is not an accurate or fair portrayal. Is it different from what we’ve seen? Perhaps. But, she has not betrayed her people or abandoned her morals and principles because of it. So, there is no need to make this issue more than what it is.
You’re criticizing Oprah for interviewing the K family but you just gave them more attention writing about it. Oprah is not perfect, I didn’t hesitate to delete the K family interview from my DVR listing. I am so tired of hearing about these people!
So what if she did?. Isn’t what television about?.
You people act like everythiong must be pure, well it is not. Most of what we hear and read is nothing but lies and propoganda. That is the world we live, and none of you are any different.
Yvette, you and Dr. Watson, come off like you have no fault, well you have as much hypocracy in your position as ant one else, in spite of what you try to project.
We as African-Americans need to stop putting down Oprah. Every show is about ratings, why should Oprah be different?
Get off the put-down Oprah band wagon…it’s a black thing…OKAY!
If Oprah could interview rapists, child molesters, serial killers, bigots, spouse abusers, substance abusers, celebrities I could care less about, etc. while on a network that wasn’t her own for years and years, why can’t she interview whoever she wants on her OWN network? Of course she needs the ratings. I don’t like the Kardashians either, therefore I didn’t watch the program. But, I know other people did. Give Oprah a break.
I dont like the Kardashians either, but we all know her network hasnt been doing well, so she has to do w.e she can to get back to where she was when she was on ch seven. If that means interviewing the bottom feeder that is kim kardashian then so be it. I understand what the author is saying, you go from interviewing celebrities and powerful people to the kardashians? But like people said, she can interview whoever she wants.