Oprah admits reaching out to Paula Deen during N-word controversy - Video

Credit: O Magazine

Entertainment icon Oprah Winfrey has revealed in a new interview that she reached out to Paula Deen at the height of the firestorm resulting from the celebrity chef's N-word controversy.

While talking to Entertainment Tonight's Nancy O'Dell, the star of Lee Daniels' The Butler states, "In the very first days [after the scandal broke] I tried to reach her, and then I decided to stay out of it as I saw it blowing up."

Winfrey, who recently gave Lindsay Lohan a reality series on her OWN network, goes on to state, "In time she will be fine. For me, it all just felt kind of sad."

Deen's troubles all stem from the leak of a deposition given in an ongoing lawsuit from a former employee accusing Deen and her brother Earl "Bubba" Hiers of fostering a hostile work environment that condoned racist language and behavior.

When asked if she had ever used the N-word before, Deen replied, in her testimony, "Of course." In addition, she admitted to wanting to plan a Southern plantation-style wedding -- in which only African-American males would act as servers.

Winfrey is notoriously anti-N-word, even getting director Lee Daniels' to alter his view on the subject.

“I think Paula Deen was sort of used as a symbol, but I think lots of people use the [N-word] inappropriately all the time,” Winfrey added.

Winfrey adds that she would still like to sit down with Deen at some point in the future, but only if they could avoid a "defensive conversation."

"I just really want to know what happened," she says.

You can watch the interview below via The Hollywood Reporter: