Taraji P. Henson has officially drop-kicked the rumors of a feud with Oprah Winfrey into the sun—again. That’s right. Not only did she set the record straight, but she triple stamped the no take-backs. And guess what? Oprah just texted her. Yes. Texted. Like they’re besties planning a bougie brunch with Beyoncé and Michelle Obama.
So let’s rewind. In case you’ve been living under a Wi-Fi-deprived rock: Taraji played the iconic, soul-singing, high-note-hitting Shug Avery in the 2023 musical remake of The Color Purple. Oprah, who produced the film with the same energy she gives when handing out free cars, was obviously part of the production. Then, rumors started flying like wigs in a wind tunnel that the two were beefing harder than a Real Housewives reunion.
Why? Because Taraji spoke up about pay disparity for Black women in Hollywood (as she should—cut the check, people!). And suddenly the internet was like, “OMG Oprah’s mad!” No, babes. Oprah doesn’t do petty. Oprah does empires.
Taraji popped on The Breakfast Club recently and served us a full truth platter with a side of sass. “When have you ever seen me drag another woman, especially a Black woman? NEVER. I’m 10 toes down for us!” she said, stomping on the patriarchy in designer heels. “I think it was just a sabotage mission to tank a Black-led movie,” she added, essentially accusing the haters of being bored gremlins with Twitter accounts.
Then—get this—Taraji spills that Oprah just texted her. Like, recently. Like, she might still have the notification on her phone. “Oprah literally hit me up the other day like, ‘Girl, you SLAYED in Straw,’” Taraji said, casually name-dropping a sweet little Oprah compliment like it’s just a Tuesday thing. (It probably is.)
“So yeah, no beef here,” Taraji continued. “Unless we’re talking about the Wagyu we’re eating together at our next power lunch.”
Taraji and Oprah are NOT feuding. They’re texting. They’re praising. They’re thriving. And you? You’re out here refreshing Reddit trying to find a storyline that doesn’t exist. Go touch grass.
Anyway, stay tuned for the group chat leak where Gayle King, Ava DuVernay, and Shonda Rhimes all send heart emojis and Oprah replies with a Bitmoji of herself on a yacht. ✨
