Oprah Winfrey addresses Swiss racism controversy
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Oprah Winfrey has spent the past week embroiled in controversy following a confrontation with a store clerk in Zurich, Switzerland, in which the media mogul made accusations of racism against the unnamed employee.
Following an apology from Swiss tourism officials, the former talk-show host is breaking her silence on the alleged racist encounter, which Winfrey claims was blown out of proportion.
Speaking to reporters Monday at the Los Angeles premiere of her new film Lee Daniels' The Butler, the 59-year-old mogul apologized for specifically naming Switzerland when she spoke out about incident.
"I think that incident in Switzerland was just an incident in Switzerland," said Winfrey. "I'm really sorry that it got blown up. I purposefully did not mention the name of the store. I'm sorry that I said it was Switzerland."
Winfrey, who had been in Switzerland for Tina Turner's wedding, revealed in an interview last week with Entertainment Tonight that while shopping at a store in Zurich, a sales associate refused to show her a handbag because it was supposedly "too expensive" for the media icon. However, Winfrey, at The Butler premiere, expressed her belief that the incident appeared to be an isolated one.
"It's not an indictment against the country, or even that store. It's just one person who didn't want to offer me the opportunity to see the bag," she said. "I was just referencing it as an example of being in a place where people don't expect that you would be able to be there." Winfrey continues, "Nobody's gonna call me the N-word to my face unless they're a thug on Twitter or Facebook. It doesn't show up that way. It shows up for me differently: I'm in a store…and they make an assessment based upon the way I look and who I am."
The sales associate, however, is not content to remain silent. The unnamed employee was vocal in offering her side of the story.
I don’t know why she is making these accusations. She is so powerful, and I am just a shop girl," the sales clerk told the Swiss newspaper SonntagsBlick, according to a translation from London’s Daily Mail. Of the accusations, the clerk was adamant: "This is not true. This is absurd. I would never say something like that to a customer. Really, never. Good manners and politeness are the Alpha and the Omega in this business.”
Some have accused Winfrey of embellishing the racially-charged nature of the incident to help in promoting her similarly racially-charged film, Lee Daniels' The Butler. While the opinion discrediting Winfrey states that only parts of the story are untrue, the store clerk insists that the entire incident is fabricated.
"It is absolutely not true that I declined to show her the bag on racist grounds. I even asked her if she wanted to look at the bag,” the woman would go on to say. “I didn't hurt anyone. I don't know why someone as great as her must cannibalize me on TV. … If it had all taken place as she claimed, why has she not complained the next day at the wedding of Tina Turner with Trudie Goetz, my boss? She was there also at the Turner wedding as a guest. I don't understand it. ... I spoke to Oprah Winfrey in English. My English is OK but not excellent, unfortunately. ... I didn't know who she was when she came into the store. That wouldn't have made any difference if I had.”
Regardless, Switzerland Tourism officials issued a formal apology in the wake of the incident:
"Switzerland Tourism is deeply sorry to learn about the experience Ms. Winfrey recently had in Switzerland, and we apologize that her feelings were hurt," the agency said. "We would like to assure Ms. Winfrey—like any visitor to Switzerland—that she is welcome with open arms."
Winfrey eventually went to Twitter to downplay the situation, attempting to put the controversy to bed once and for all:
"Turns out the store clerk did me a favor. Just found out that bag was #38K!!! She was right I was NOT going to buy it," Winfrey tweeted.
"Other than the handbag diss. I had a GREAT time in Zurich," Winfrey wrote, adding, "Best spa ever @doldergran. Would love to experience again."
Via: The Hollywood Reporter / E! Online