Last month, billionaire mogul Oprah Winfrey joyously welcomed her long-lost half sister into her family but now Winfrey’s first cousin is claiming that she practically disowned her when she fired her from her show for, supposedly, talking too much about Jesus.
As reported by gawker.com, Winfrey’s cousin, Jo Baldwin, began working as a speechwriter for the talk show host in 1985. Later, Baldwin was promoted to vice president of Harpo Inc., but claims she was abruptly fired because of her love for Jesus.
“I was to work for her for three years, but she fired me without notice after two years … I heard from someone later that she got rid of me because she got tired of me talking about Jesus all the time… Oprah preferred the teachings of Shirley MacLaine’s books, such as Dancing in the Light and Out on a Limb, which Oprah made me read but I didn’t think much of,” said Baldwin.
Baldwin further explains that Winfrey distanced herself from all of her relatives once she became famous, including her mother, who must call Winfrey’s producers in order to contact her.
According to Baldwin, Winfrey uses her money and power to occasionally shower her family with gifts but also to intimidate them.
“The family is tangled with so many secrets and so much fear,” said Baldwin. “I admit I was afraid of Oprah for 20 years. Absolutely terrified. She’s powerful and dangerous. She told me if I ever opened my mouth [about what I know] she’d sue my pants off.”
Although Baldwin is now a tenured professor at Mississippi Valley State as well as a successful ordained minister, she admits that she’s still dealing with the scars of her ordeal with Winfrey.
“Mainly, Oprah wanted to shame me for being a follower of Jesus as if to say, ‘What is He doing for you that’s so great?’ Oprah inflicts emotional wounds that could lead to physical illness, if they aren’t healed. My faith has kept me from getting sick [over her],” she says.
What do you think of Winfrey’s treatment towards her Baldwin and the rest of her family? –nicholas robinson
