Oprah Wards Off Attacks About Revealing Charla Nash's Face

By Dino Sossi Posted Nov 16th 2009 12:19PM

Talk show guru Oprah Winfrey defended her decision to reveal the face of chimp attack victim Charla Nash on her show last week, revealing she considered blurring the image but decided against it.

"There was great concern as to how to show the face, whether to show the face, and how to do it," Oprah shared on friend Gayle King's Sirius Radio show late last week. "And I finally thought that she has to live with it. First of all, she wanted to show it, and she has to live with it, so how dare us think ... because we even considered, 'Should we blot out the face? Should you blur the face?' And then i said no, we're not gonna do that, because it's more important for us to not have to look at her than for her to be willing to show it? That's not right."

Listen to Oprah's Interview With Gayle:

An admission regarding other subject matter she refused to air helps clarify some of the ethical issues concerning censorship in daytime television. "I have done shows - just recently actually - I did a show where at the end of the show I felt people should not see this, this should not happen," Oprah told King regarding an interview with a sex addicted mother.

"On the show, the mother told me she had 3 children - a 10-year-old, a 14-year-old, and a 17-year-old - and she's talking about all these crazy explicit things she was doing. We finished taping the show and I said to the producer, 'We're gonna ruin her life if we put that on the air, so that is not going to air.' She was saying, 'I wanna go on.' I said, 'You don't know what this is gonna do to your 10 year old son. This is going to ruin his life having you on television talking about these things.'"

That marks the second time in a year that Winfrey pulled an already-taped episode of her show.

In April, Winfrey nixed '10 Years Later: The Truth About Columbine,' which was to air on the anniversary of the massacre in Littleton, Colo., that killed 12 students and a teacher.

"I decided to pull the Columbine show today. After reviewing it, I thought it focused too much on the killers. Today, hold a thought for the Columbine community. This is a hard day for them," Winfrey wrote on Oprah.com, Facebook and Twitter.

Despite the media firestorm involving the Nash attack, The Oprah Winfrey show did not garner huge rating gains with the Nash interview. The New York Post reported that "preliminary ratings for Wednesday's 'Oprah' averaged only about 6 percent over the day before -- and were lower than what she got on Monday when Ellen DeGeneres and Portia DeRossi were on talking about their recent marriage."

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Oprah Winfrey Pics

In this photo taken Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009 and released Friday, Nov. 13, 2009 by Harpo Productions, Inc., seen is talk-show host Oprah Winfrey, second from right, with former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her daughters, Willow, right, and Piper, left, during the taping of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in Chicago. The show will air on Monday, Nov. 16. (AP Photo/Harpo Productions, Inc., George Burns) ** MANDATORY CREDIT: Harpo Productions, George Burns. NO SALES **

Harpo Productions, Inc.

Oprah Winfrey Snapshots

In this undated photo provided by Hearst Magazines, talk-show host Oprah Winfrey, right, is seen with Ellen DeGeneres on the cover of the Decemeber 2009 subscriber edition of "O, The Oprah Magazine." DeGeneres will also appear Monday, Nov. 9, 2009 on "The Oprah WInfrey Show." (AP Photo/Hearst Magazines, Ruven Afanador) **NO SALES**

In this undated photo provided by Hearst Magazines, talk-show host Oprah Winfrey, left, is seen with Ellen DeGeneres on the cover of the Decemeber 2009 subscriber edition of "O, The Oprah Magazine." DeGeneres will also appear Monday, Nov. 9, 2009 on "The Oprah WInfrey Show." (AP Photo/Hearst Magazines, Ruven Afanador) **NO SALES**

FILE - In this April 6, 2009 file photo, Oprah Winfrey arrives at the Chicago 2016 gala dinner for the International Olympic Committee's Evaluation Committee at the Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, file)

Oprah Winfrey, left, and Tyler Perry, executive producers of "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire," pose together at the premiere of the film at AFI Fest 2009 in Los Angeles, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Oprah Winfrey, executive producer of "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire," waves to photographers at the premiere of the film at AFI Fest 2009 in Los Angeles, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Executive Producers Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey arrive at AFI FEST 2009 Screening Of Precious: Based On The Novel 'PUSH' By Sapphire on November 1, 2009 in Hollywood, California. AFI FEST 2009 Screening Of Precious: Based On The Novel 'PUSH' By Sapphire - Arrivals Hollywood, CA United States November 1, 2009 Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage.com To license this image (17022875), contact WireImage.com

Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage.com

Executive Producer Oprah Winfrey arrives at AFI FEST 2009 Screening Of Precious: Based On The Novel 'PUSH' By Sapphire on November 1, 2009 in Hollywood, California. AFI FEST 2009 Screening Of Precious: Based On The Novel 'PUSH' By Sapphire - Arrivals Hollywood, CA United States November 1, 2009 Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage.com To license this image (17022871), contact WireImage.com

Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage.com

Tags: Charla Nash, Ellen DeGeneres, Gayle King, Meredith Vieira, Oprah Winfrey, Oprah WInfrey Show, OprahWinfrey, Portia DeRossi, PortiaDerossi, Today, Today Show, TodayShow, Travis

Comments

(212)

Tuesday 17 November

By Sally

Vote down Vote up Report this

I am glad that she is off your list. She needs decent people not a bunch of racists and idiots.

Monday 16 November

By j- Scott

Maybe you should go back to the trailer park because you are ignorant toward man kind. Oprah was doing that woman a service to get the tabloids off her and to give her money for her injuries. You a sick sad person for not noticing or careing for your fellow man. Go back to church or just go to church incase you've never been there.

By sprinpal

The "hood" has been taken over by insensitivie, money-hungry" white folks like yourself! So, if she were to return to the hood, she would still be living an etravangant like, you idiot!

By marleigh

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Kudos to Oprah for airing the footage on Mrs. Nash. It was HER decision to show herself, I agree Oprah did not have the right to veto her decision. What a brave person Mrs. Nash is, Oprah did not want to interfere with that. It has to be empowering to Mrs. Nash to reveal herself as she is...it's her first step in trying to reenter society. My heart goes out to her and I truly hope she can find a degree of happiness and good health.

By Show Me

By the way, I don't watch Oprah normally and only saw the clip on a morning news show. It was Charla's choice to be shown on TV and talk about the horror she had been thru. I don't care about Oprah's ratings, but this was something that we should face as it's reality. It should be a stong reminder to us all that our decisions and actions can have devastating results for someone besides ourselves. I also think it took courage for Oprah to show her face on TV.

By Right!

Lowest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Maybe Oprah can get somebody to have an abortion live on TV. Maybe that would satisfy an idiot like you! After all they happen all the time...Should meet your retarded criteria...

By Dierdre

That's not the same thing at all, sweetheart...calm down...

By DeeDee

Low Ranked Vote down Vote up Report this

I have slowed down watching Oprah show. I'm getting the feeling that she thinks she is seated at the right hand of God and that she can do no wrong. I also have mixed feelings about her asking Pailen on her show. She didn't want her during the elections. Whats wrong is it rateing time.

Why would she have Palin on her show during election time and give her positive publicity when she was Clearly in support of Obama...use your logic.

By lk

oprah is a rating whore and doesn't give a hang about the horrific image she was airing and frightening adults and kids as well.

Again, the viewers were warned before the show. They had the choice to watch or not. I don't think she sent anyone to people's houses and forced them to watch.

By Trind

Highest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Unfortunately, it is what it is. That is how this woman currently looks. If she said yes, then why does anyone else have a problem with it? Actually, it's a shame she has to hide her face. It is what it is. She had harm done to her. She didn't harm anyone else. why should she, now, have to hide?

By Lisa

No matter what "spin" Oprah, or any of you on here who defend her position, puts on this action, it was plain and simple EXPLOITATION!!! God bless Ms. Nash for what she has had to endure, as well as anyone who lives their lives with disfigurement. I can't even begin to imagine what every day is like for her.

Exploitation? How? You made a accusation, and you didn't even back it up.

By Lynn

As long as Ms. Nash approved of showing her face on the air in my opinion it was okay. This morning she also appeared on the Today Show. I really to belive that she wants to get on with her life. She survived a horrible incident and she knows that she has to live with it. As people watch Oprah show an as horrible as her face may have seen to some it took gust for her to show her face so the millions can see what can happen when a 200-300 lbs chimpanzee goes out of control.

As Rolando said, tragic and traumatic as Ms. Nash's injuries are, I am sure there are somebody out there with worse injuries than hers. Thirty years ago while station in Germany my self, my husband at the time and my daughter, she was 6 years old. We were involved in a car accident my husband had a broken nose and a few of his front teeth were knock out. My daughter was in the back seat, she walk away with no injuries. I had fracture my ribs the right/left side and received laceration to the upper right and lower side of my the face and on my right cheek. After three surgeries, thirty years has passed, people still look at me strangely.

I refused to let that hold me back. I will not be shut in because some people did not like what they see. So I know how Ms. Nash is feeling. During recovery I think the hardest thing for me was the first day that I actually saw my face after the incident. I could not stop crying but with time, I accepted it all and went on with my life and retired from the military in 1996.

By MJ

OPRAH..is a phoney. Ratings..nothing more.

Please get the facts. AGAIN, to reveal the face was Charla's idea. She was being stalked and hounded by reporters trying to get her picture for money. She did this to stop the harrassment. Every viewer had the choice to watch or not. If the remote didn't work, they could get up and change the channel. As far as I know, no one was forced to watch.

By Eleanor

While the thought and the picture did not bother me. If it was known before hand you had the choice to look or change the channel. But I think Oprah's talk show have change from informative and interesting to tryin to top the ratings of each show at the expense of her guest.

P.S. If Oprah has the kind of money she has, why do her fingers look like nubs. My suggestion is get a manicure and a face lift, things are beginning to sag.

By Joanne

My problem with Oprah's interview was how she kept saying thing hammered home to Charla how horrible she looks. Just what the poor woman needed! Not! I am a fan of Oprah, but thought she did a terrible job in this interview. And for people who can't look at Charla....too bad! It could be you next time...so think hard about how you treat people.

By Paula

I think you have to give Ms Nash credit for wanting the world to see what can happen when an exotic pet gone wild can do to an innocent bystander. This was a horrific accident just waiting to happen and the owner should take full responsibility for this attack. You can't trust a wild animal no matter what the owner says. Ms Nash has the courage to show her face and I hope after many more surgeries and a face transplant she can have a somewhat normal life again. I pray for her and hope by showing her face people of the world will now realize there are many people walking around with deformities that they can't help but we can by accepting them as a person and not a reject of society.

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