James Frey And Nan Talese: Oprah Duped Us!

Amid the Miley Cyrus hoopla, it's easy to forget that there's a whole issue of Vanity Fair that comes out today. And one article in the magazine that is a must-read is Evgenia Peretz' interview with James Frey (supposedly the last interview he will ever give).

The article attempts to be the definitive account of how Frey went from addict to screenwriter to best selling author to public enemy, and how he picked up his million little pieces to write another novel, Bright Shiny Morning.

As Peretz details in the following excerpt, Frey and his publisher Nan Talese claim that Oprah — who went from champion to critic in a matter of weeks — duped them, tricking them to get on her show under false pretense and then attacking them as soon as the cameras began to roll:

As Talese recounted at a televised publishing conference last July, the show invited her and Frey together. Talese initially resisted. Then they were approached with a new pitch. The topic was going to be "Truth in America," and they wanted Talese on a panel with columnists Frank Rich, of The New York Times, and Richard Cohen, from The Washington Post. Given this scenario, Talese agreed. But when she and Frey arrived at Harpo Studios, in Chicago, they were told that the program was not, in fact, about Truth in America; it was about the James Frey controversy. Winfrey told Frey it would be rough, but said there would be redemption in the end. There was no redemption. From beginning to end, it was, according to Talese, "a public scourge."

Oprah, who just two weeks before had stood by the "essential truth" of Frey's story, now pounced on his every other word, while the audience booed him.

"I've struggled with the idea of it and ... " began Frey, in a typical exchange.

"No, the lie of it," snapped Oprah. "That's a lie. It's not an idea, James. That's a lie."

"I feel like I came here, and I have been honest with you," he said at the end of the hour. "I have, you know, essentially admitted to ... " "Lying," Oprah broke in....

"He felt trapped and cornered," recalls Talese today. A spokesperson for Oprah claims that "Truth in America" was always the topic for the show and that Talese had been informed of the full range of questions in the pre-interview. Talese maintained (as she still does) that memoirs have always been personal impressions, and didn't seem to realize that, for better or for worse, the game was now up. She was disgusted at the spectacle Oprah was making, appalled at her manners and at what she allegedly told Frey after the show was over: "I know it was rough, but it's just business." Winfrey denies ever making such a comment. "Once again, the truth is not being served here," she says in a statement to Vanity Fair. "In 22 years of doing this show, I have never said to anyone, 'I know it was rough, but it's just business.' This was beyond business. This was about the trust I share with the audience who faithfully supports the Book Club and buys the books I recommend; and based on that trust, I thought we were owed an explanation about the truth of this memoir."

Read the entire article online here or pick up this month's copy of Vanity Fair.

Alternatively, watch the video of the controversial Oprah appearance at Oprah's website.

Comments

[eshock]

Oh please, its just business, right? Of course, it is. More distraction from true matters not only of life and death but the future of humanity is at stake. Dortmunder said it earlier. Why are you holding a first-time author to this standard? He's guilty of exaggeration. So what? I wish this outrage was directed at journalism getting the facts straight. Does Oprah take on Bill Kristol with this much gumption?

[readyforchange]

Well said. But, then, Oprah is all about "fluff" and self-aggrandizement.

[clairesf64]

James Frey has given drug addicts everywhere a bad name! Doh!!!!

[BeyondGoodAndEvil2]

This is not surprising. Oprah will throw anyone under the bus, to make herself look like the good guy.

Oprah is an opportunist and a phony.

[patmancando]

I stopped watching Oprah years ago when she went from an entertaining talk show to Saint Oprah goody two-shoes. I sensed she was a phony! I hear she has lost 17 points on the viewers scale, of late, but whether that is her endorsement of Sen Obama or audience fatigue is debatable.

[hank48188]

Oprah opened a school for girls in Africa and was asked why she didn't open one in America. She said the kids here would just want new sneakers instead. She was too stupid to understand the effects of the brainwashing American kids get from promoters of consumer goods, like OPRAH. Oprah is just a scamming fat pig, a bad emample for America.

[gerimd]

No kidding. Look at the celebrities and politicos who appear on her show to pander and peddle their revisionist history with impunity. This instance was all about payback.

[ObamaEdwards]

What makes Frey and Talese think we don't already know this? It was reported this way when he appeared on the show. Winfrey was duped, so she duped Frey in return. Frey can take as redemption or compensation or whatever he wants the big bucks he made thanks to Winfrey featuring his mediocre little book in her club. All he and his publisher had to do was call the book a novel. It would have sold fewer copies, no matter how good or bad it was, but there you go. That's the trade-off we all make every day. Frey didn't want to. He wanted to be rich and famous, so he lied. He got caught lying and Winfrey embarrassed him because he had embarrassed her and compromised the value of her book club selections. Frey needs to get over it. (Hoist with your own petard, dude.)

[lisakaz2]

"South Park" kinda tells you almost everything you need to know about this episode.

[readyforchange]

Frankly, OPRAH has become an egomaniac. I started watching the Tolle series, but soon grew tired of her dominating the interview, trying to be the wise guru. Ditto for her daily show. Oprah could use some humility. Her sense of self-importance is nauseating. Her air-brushed presence on the cover of every monthly O magazine is a little much.
Her treatment of Frey WAS harsh. It was all a display for Oprah to "save face." She is a phony.

[patmancando]

Sorta like Obama's treatment of Rev. Wright?

[janeadams]

Not at all.

[America08]

Wow let me get this straight. He lyed and made money, until he got busted and then went back on a "Talk Show". What did he think was going to happen. They even admit that they were told before hand it was going to be rough and that there was not going to be a panel discussion. At that point in time they could of walked away. I believe they got just what they deserved. Oprah is a talk show host not your Friend Mr. Frey.

[jsomerville5]

I have zero sympathy for Frey. I knew he was making stuff up about Hazlelden, because I've been there as a journalist.

[Loisebby]

Boy, you better not lie to the Queen!!! The only reason this fat cow had the author on was to discipline him in front of her national audience... Can you say, "Too much Oprah!"

[BeamMeUpScotty]

If Oprah lied to James Frey, it was only because Frey lied to Oprah first. The real victims here are the readers of "A Million Little Pieces."

[JohnIII]

"You're asking for it"

[JohnIII]

When you go on these goofy shows your asking for it.

[jhamm1]

Ultimately, the significance of Frey's self-styled memoir entails not the fact that he embellished upon his actual experiences, but the fact that he was apparently caught in the act. Indeed, the more of what I've seen within the context of many self-styled personal accounts indicates many such authors do in fact fictionalize specific elements without changing the overall essence of the story. Indeed, author's like Tim O Brien probably managed to evade such public whiplashings by admitting right off the bat that 90 percent of his memoir (The Things They Carried) had been authored strictly from a subjective standpoint.

Whether or not one concurs with Oprah's outrage on the subject, that doesn't change the fact that, considering that Frey actually exhibited enough integrity to confess such flaws on national TV, Oprah could have at the very least exhibited professional courtesy on the matter, rather than indulging in a childish whip-lashing that entails nothing more further than admonishing Frey as a "liar" every two seconds. Furthermore, Oprah only further ecsascerbated her egocentric mentality by justifying her outrage on the grounds that he "betrayed thousands of readers", which merely fits the mold of her recurring pattern for exhibiting her self-styles "generosity" as a means of making herself look good.

[mommyatty]

The guy lied. I read both of his books and knew into the second one that it had to have been fabricated. There was no way. Still, the story was great. I'll check out his new book to see if his talent is there. I think I might have been susceptible to the same hooplah in his shoes.

On another note, Oprah is getting pretty annoying. Did anyone check out Billy Joel on her show? Obviously BJ just went on to get his wife on because she is determined to become famous for . . . something. He played a couple of songs and then sat for an interview where Oprah embarrassed him with questions about his car accidents. Then he had to endure his wife's obnoxious stories about how she had no idea who he was and he tried SO HARD to impress her. The poor guy's "guys" were left behind in the creamy leather chair. But I get off topic, sorry.

[ProfessorDuh]

So a liar is accusing somebody of lying to him? Gee, I hope I can contain my tears of sympathy for him.

[moda31]

i guess he's back for 15 more seconds...

[drblack]

Oprah should stop lying to her audience about Dr Oz .
Dr Oz was fined by the US government for abusing dogs in his animal experiments.
even his coworkers were disgusted at Dr Oz causing pain and suffering in dogs for no apparent reason.
Unfortunately animals are considered property in the US and Dr Oz was only fined $2,000 dollars.
If you don't believe Oprah has someone who was fined for mistreating dogs check it out yourself.
Why does Oprah, who is supposed to love dogs have someone who abused dogs on her show?
Does she not care, is her judgment that poor?
This article is no surprise to me.

[janeadams]

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