Oprah's Ex-Stepmom Claims Oprah Wishes She Had Lighter Skin

While yesterday’s exchange mostly focused on Oprah’s unfair treatment of Barbara and relationship with her father Vernon, today’s fixates on Oprah’s interpersonal relationships with people far more well-known to the general public. (Always save the most famous for last, as the saying does not go.) Barbara says Oprah treated Stedman “like an old shoe” and notes that the couple never hugged or kissed in front of her; that Oprah once bought numerous copies of one of Stedman’s books to make sure he made it on the bestseller lists, housing them in some sort of secret warehouse; that Oprah flaunts her money and spends extravagantly; and furthers rumors about Oprah’s relationship with Gayle being more than platonic.

Barbara’s most insane story involves a dog and internalized racism:

‘Vernon often told me that he thought if Oprah could change the color of her skin she would – she’d make it lighter.’

Barbara recalled an occasion on which she, Oprah and Stedman had been out walking their dogs, Solomon, a brown cocker spaniel and Sophie, a black dog of the same breed.

‘I told her it suddenly struck me how she looked like Sophie and he looked like Solomon – like owners come to resemble their dogs. Oprah said, “No. I look more like Solomon. HE looks more like Sophie.” I hadn’t meant it to be a slight about color but that’s how she took it.’

…

‘Color was a real thing for her. It’s one of the things she liked about Stedman. He has what we call ‘high yellow’ skin and soft hair. He’s very pale complexioned and she liked that.’

If you haven’t already, please check out the comments from a former student at a school Barbara worked at on yesterday’s installment of Rumors About Oprah. They are truly enlightening and worth roughly 1,000 grains of salt.

Image via Adriane Jaeckle/Getty