Oprah Gets an Earful From Robin Givens Over Tyson 'Sock' Interview

By PopEater Staff Posted Nov 14th 2009 10:20AM

Robin Givens took Oprah Winfrey to task on Friday for allowing her ex-husband Mike Tyson to joke about domestic abuse during a chat with him last month.

When discussing his and Robin's 1988 interview with Barbara Walters, where Tyson claimed she was telling lies, the boxer grew angry. "At that particular moment, I truly wanted to sock her, but I just didn't do it," he told Oprah to laughter in the audience. "I have socked her before, and she socked me before, as well. It was just that kind of relationship."

The laughter and Winfrey's failure to rebuke Tyson bothered Givens, who is now a spokesperson for the National Domestic Violence Hotline. She says she was "really, really hurt" by the way Winfrey handled the interview.

"It's tough for all women to experience this. It's tough to have a man say it and feel that it's no big thing."

Givens recounted some of the fights she and her then-husband had had and said it was important for Winfrey to take a stand for all women.

With tears welling in her eyes, the actress said, "I wouldn't be honest if there wasn't a part of me that wanted you to go, when he said, 'Oh, I've socked her before...' 'That's not right.' And it wasn't right, it was painful ... He can say whatever about me... but there are so many women like me, in my situation, that I just feel when there is this laughter, if you are in that situation out there, it kind of lightens it."

Winfrey believes her studio audience laughed because "they were uncomfortable" and because Tyson used the old-fashioned word "sock" instead of the word "hit."

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"I don't think that they were laughing at you, I think they were laughing at the term," she told Givens.

Nevertheless, Winfrey apologized profusely for not standing up for Givens and other abused women.

"In that moment, I will tell you, I felt that I should have said something. I felt that I should have said, 'Audience, that isn't funny' or, 'Audience, this is really serious,'" she says. "So I regretted even in that moment. ... I would say to you and to every woman who's ever been hit, I feel that I did not handle that as well as I should have. And I feel that I could have gone further and should have said more to clarify that what he was doing and what he was saying was wrong. So I apologize to you and to every woman who has ever been in that situation."

A relieved Givens said, "Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Tyson and Givens' marriage lasted only a year, ending in 1989.

Tags: mike tyson, MikeTyson, oprah winfrey, OprahWinfrey, robin givens, RobinGivens

Comments

(40)

Saturday 14 November

By SLM

Low Ranked Vote down Vote up Report this

I understand Ms. Givens point, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't like to "sock her" in the face!

Tuesday 17 November

By zytychi

Vote down Vote up Report this

Just give Oprah an Extra Large Order of Chilli Cheese Fries, and leave it at that.

By jeri522

Highest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

i feel you.i just don't understand how she and her mother stole all of that money and ran him crazy and she's out here promoting abuse,what she did was abuse and i don't understand oprah trying to single one sin and not the facts concerning these
women she rallied behind.

By kwapkwap

I am with you too. She was not looking for love from him, she was looking for his money. Robin, don't try to fool the people.

Sunday 15 November

By cyndi

There goes Oprah, making a big thing about domestic violence, yet she CONTINUALLY has offenders on her show. Talk about a hypocrite..that's why I quit watching her.

By cab

It makes me sick that Tyson is getting so much attention. He belongs in a cage. He certainly doesn't deserve the press he's getting with a movie and big time interviews. He's a beast. Don't believe all his attempts at fake tenderness, he's trying to make a buck and our stupid society is letting him. He'll "sock" again, no doubt. It's just a matter of time after all this "poor me" stuff runs out you'll see.

By LT

Lets be real Robins was a gold digger then and she's just a high class one now no differance. the truth of Tysons down fall is this abuse of people he thought he could trust.from the nappy head manager he had after the death of the one who raised tyson. the girl who claimed he raped her was a liar she claimed she was a virgin but the girls exboyfriend said she was lying. but prosecutors didnt want to hear that. they seen dollar signs and another notch on their belt. instead of the truth. think about it to get a conviction against the most talked about and watched man in the world. then if their was a replay or challenging of a refs call like in the NFL we all know mike would of still been the champ. because the man was down when mike hit him not ten secs. but twelve. but of course this was a conspiracy to end his career like his life.wiht the false statements. and the paid ref to delay the count. he should of been BARRRRED from ever reffing again. just like the woman judge in another fight. that was off. so who got the baddd deal I think mike did! he still the champ in my eyes and we all know God will correct all Judgement day PEACE AND LOVE TO ALL!

By danny triola

LISTEN BIG MOUTH!! DO YOU KNOW MIKE!! YOU ARE QUICK TO SAY HE BELONGS IN A CAGE,EVERYBODY HAS PROBLEMS IN LIFE.WHERE YOU BORN IN BROWNSVILLE BROOKLYN,DID YOU EVER GO WITHOUT EATING OR WALK AROUND WITH EVERYTHING STACKED AGAINST YOU!!POLITICIANS BELONG IN CAGES,AIG EXEC BELONG IN CAGES!!LEAVE HIM ALONE!

By Joe

Robin got the money that she was looking for from the beginning. It's time she stops acting like a victim.

By courtney

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

you are a douchebag

By tyrebitre

Apparently "douchebag" now includes the definition : someone who tells truths I don't want to hear.

By jose gordon

Somebody is lookin for attentention...whats done is done,and we thought she moved on away with her life..unless she's lookin for more money.Everyone knows she has her ways too.Truth be told no man should'nt be hitting on women.

Monday 16 November

By EQUALRIGHTS

WHEN PEOPLE LIKE YOU STOP SAYING THE MOST INFAMOUS DOUBLE-STANDARD STATEMENT THAT HAS KEPT MEN AND WOMEN DIVIDED WHICH IS, "MEN SHOULD NOT HIT WOMEN". WE WILL NEVER STOP DOMESTIC VIOLENCE... WOMEN HIT AND ABUSE MEN TOO IN THIS SOCIETY! STATISTICS SHOWS THAT MOST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE STARTS WITH THE WOMAN PHYSICAL ATTACKING THE MAN. YES, SOME MEN TAKE IT TOO FAR BUT WHO KNOWS WHAT HER INTENTIONS WERE WHEN SHE STARTED TO ATTACK HIM. PRIMAL INSTINCTS KICK IN. ALL RACISM AND SEXISM ISSUES THAT WE HAVE OVERCAME HAD THE OPPOSITE RACE OR SEX ON THEIR SIDE. ONCE WE REALIZE THAT A "PERSON" WHETHER MAN OR WOMAN SHOULDN'T PUT THEIR HANDS ON ONE ANOTHER, THEN ALL PEOPLE WILL STAND AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE... UNTIL THEN, IF A WOMAN ATTACKS A MAN WITH THE INTENTIONS TO PHYSICALLY HARMING HIM, THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH DEFENDING YOURSELF! IF IT GETS BRUTAL, THEN WE GO FROM THERE TO ASSESS THE SITUATION. NOT PUT ALL THE FAULT ON THE GUY. SOME WOMEN HOLD THE FACT THAT A MAN SHOULDN'T HIT A WOMAN TO THEIR ADVANTAGE.

By peppa

OPREeeee NEEDS TO PUT A SOCK IN HER MOUTH, AND THINK, BEFORE SHE SPEAKS.
BUT, WAIT !!! SHE'S A GOD, ( in her own mind ) SO THAT MAKES HER ASININE WORDS OK .
RIGHT ? HUH ? DUH DUH ???

ROBIN WAS GRACIOUS TO EXCUSE THAT POT BELLIED PIG .
MUCH BETTER THAN I WOULD HAVE BEEN.

By kim

Maybe Oprah was afraid Mike would "sock" her.

By Money G

Its not true that Tyson lost any money to Robin and her mother. the only person wholsot money during that time was the white man who was stealing from Mike. It was Robin and her mother who got him, Bill Cayton, out of Mike's pocket. Iam a Black man and I have yet to meet one Black wonman who supports Robin.

Robin has always had her own money and was the star of a tv show. She has never needed Mike's bloody money.

By EAGLETIME

Robyn was a golddigger from the start, Mike was just to star struck to understand the shady world of hollywood and boxing, He could have been a great
champion with the right people. That muslim thing did not help him much either.

By Gluv

Robin who? And to the haters in here get off mike's jock and get a life you peons.

Courtney- The only Douchebag on here is yourself. For you to write a post like that about someone you do not even know shows that you are not ready to have an intellectual conversation with anybody above the age of 10.

By Dondon

Robin and her Mother tried to fleece Tyson for all they could get so a little sock was well worth it for those two gold diggers.

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