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Oprah Winfrey reportedly blocked Apple TV+ from releasing a documentary series about her life and career after she was left displeased with the director’s work.
Page Six reports Winfrey paid a fortune to buy back her rights after seeing the series director Kevin Macdonald created with the help of longtime Oprah producer Lisa Erspamer. The two-part documentary reportedly chronicled American history through her life and career as a media mogul, per The Daily Mail.
Page Six reports the project has been “on hold” since Macdonald and Winfrey “clashed” after he finished the series.
“Kevin made the film, but Oprah didn’t like it and he refused to change it, and Oprah has paid back her fee to Apple,” an inside source revealed to the publication.
A spokesperson for Winfrey confirmed to Page Six that she bought back the rights, noting that her production company’s content deal with Apple TV+ was nearing its end.
“As the Apple TV+ deal was coming to an end, Ms. Winfrey bought back the rights to her docuseries and has since decided to put the doc on hold,” the spokesperson said.
Their statement continued, “Ms. Winfrey believes Lisa Erspamer and Kevin MacDonald are incredibly talented filmmakers and is grateful for the time and energy they put into the project.”
Page Six notes another source claimed Macdonald “did not refuse to make edits.” Rather, Winfrey felt “it wasn’t the right time to do a documentary” and decided to buy back her rights.
Though it’s unclear just how much Winfrey paid to put the project on hold, Page Six reports that it was certainly “a fortune” and possibly in the “millions.” One source, however, denies that it’s in the seven figures.
Under her content deal with Apple TV+, Winfrey helmed The Oprah Conversations, which featured chats with Barack Obama, Dolly Parton and Will Smith.
She and Prince Harry also executive produced a documentary series about mental health titled The Me You Can’t See.
Winfrey’s Apple TV+ documentary series may no longer be going forward, but the media mogul recently announced her next venture: A tell-all interview with Elvis Presley’s granddaughter, actress Riley Keough, on CBS and Paramount+.
