Critics Call Oprah Out For Doing An About Face On ‘Harmful’ Social Trend

Go to Article

Countless articles, news segments, and social media posts over the past several years have discussed the troubling trend of cutting off family members, including parents and siblings, over simple disagreements.

Loved ones used to be mostly capable of seeing past, or at least agreeing not to discuss, issue on which they didn’t see eye to eye. These days, a growing number of them are simply carving those people out of their lives entirely.

And some say Oprah Winfrey played a major role in perpetuating this potentially destructive mindset.

But now that she’s acknowledging that “cutoff culture” might be problematic, without acknowledging her own role in spreading the “no-contact” gospel, a number of critics are coming out of the woodwork.

According to the Daily Caller:

Winfrey’s comments hit a nerve with family and relationship coach Tania Khazaal, who took to Instagram to air her grievances with the television host.

“Now Oprah is shocked by the aftermath of estrangement, after being one of the biggest voices pushing it for decades,” Khazaal alleged.

“Oprah was one of the strongest voices pushing the normalization of family cutoffs, and not by accident, publicly, repeatedly, and openly,” Khazaal continued.

Winfrey reportedly replied to the criticism in a deleted comment, according to Fox News Digital, writing: “Happy to have a conversation about it — but not on a reel. Will have my producer contact you if you’re interested.”

Social media lit up with discussion about Oprah’s apparent backtrack:

Here’s what Fox News reported about the backlash over Oprah’s latest remarks:

Her critique ignited a debate online, with some social media users saying Khazaal is voicing a long-overdue concern.

“The first time I heard, ‘You can love them from a distance’ was from Oprah … in the ’90s,” one woman said.

“My son estranged himself from us for five years,” one mother commented. “The pain, hurt and damage never goes away.”

Others, however, argued that Winfrey’s podcast episode was empathetic and that estrangement shouldn’t be oversimplified.

Mental health experts say the conversation around estrangement is more complex than any single celebrity influence, and reflects broader cultural shifts.

Here’s some additional coverage of the international discussion surrounding the topic:



Comment on this Article Via Your Disqus Account