Oprah Winfrey Allegedly Spent Millions Buying Back Documentary Rights, Shelves Film About Her Life Indefinitely

September 19, 2024 by Aaron Keenan in Film with 0 Comments

Oprah Winfrey Allegedly Spent Millions Buying Back Documentary Rights, Shelves Film About Her Life Indefinitely

Oprah Winfrey’s latest documentary on her life won’t be hitting screens anytime soon.

According to sources, the 70-year-old media mogul paid a hefty sum to Apple TV+ to regain control of a two-part documentary about her life, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Kevin Macdonald.

The project was first announced with much excitement in 2021, but has since been shelved after Oprah Winfrey reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with the final cut.

An insider revealed to media outlets,

“Kevin made the film, but Oprah didn’t like it and he refused to change it, and Oprah has paid back her fee to Apple.”

Oprah Winfrey’s camp, however, has a different take on the situation. A source close to the billionaire insisted that Kevin Macdonald didn’t refuse to make edits. Instead, Oprah simply decided it wasn’t the right time to release the film:

“As the Apple TV+ deal was coming to an end, Ms. Winfrey bought back the rights to her docu-series and has since decided to put the doc on hold. Ms. Winfrey believes Lisa Erspamer [producer] and Kevin Macdonald are incredibly talented filmmakers and is grateful for the time and energy they put into the project.”

It’s worth noting that while industry insiders speculate Oprah paid millions to reclaim the rights, a source close to the situation denied that the buyback reached seven figures.

Oprah’s decision to hold back the documentary is not the first time she’s distanced herself from a high-profile project. In 2020, just days before the Sundance Film Festival premiere, she abruptly dropped out of On the Record, a documentary about sexual misconduct allegations against music mogul Russell Simmons.