Oprah Winfrey, the iconic media mogul, recently shared a painful memory from her early career. During her debut on “The Tonight Show” in 1985, Winfrey was publicly body-shamed by comedian Joan Rivers. Instead of discussing Winfrey’s rising success with her TV show “A.M. Chicago,” Rivers zeroed in on her weight.

In a heartfelt conversation on the “Jamie Kern Lima Show” podcast, Winfrey recounted the incident. She remembered Rivers bluntly asking, “Tell me, why are you so fat?” Winfrey was stunned and unprepared for such a personal attack on national television. Trying to brush it off, she responded, “Oh, I just love potato chips, Joan,” only for Rivers to scold her with, “Shame on you.”

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Rivers, who passed away in 2014, didn’t stop there. She offered Winfrey a conditional invitation to return to the show if she lost 15 pounds. Feeling the pressure and embarrassment, Winfrey internally accepted the shaming, believing she needed to change to fit in. “I accepted that I should be shamed, because how dare me, be sitting up here on ‘The Tonight Show,’” she admitted.

Also Read: Oprah reflects on decades of weight shaming: “I’m done with it”

Despite promising to lose the weight, Oprah Winfrey confessed that she didn’t follow through. “Of course, I didn’t lose the 15 lbs. I went and ate my way to another 10 lbs,” she shared with Lima. This experience led Winfrey to enroll in a health retreat, colloquially known then as a “fat farm,” to attempt weight loss.

Around the same time, Winfrey was dealing with another emotional hurdle. She feared that her weight had cost her a role in the critically acclaimed film “The Color Purple.” This fear dissipated when director Steven Spielberg called her, encouraging her to maintain her weight for the role. “You lose a pound, you could lose this part,” he told her. Winfrey’s performance in the film earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, a moment she considers one of her greatest life lessons.

Reflecting on these experiences, Winfrey emphasized the importance of self-acceptance and hard work. “Do everything you can, work as hard as you can, and then let it go,” she advised.

Winfrey has been open about the discrimination she’s faced due to her weight throughout her career. Recently, she revealed she’s using a weight loss drug, though she didn’t specify which one. Her admission came amid the trend of celebrities using medications like Ozempic or Mounjaro for weight loss.

This candid recounting of past struggles of Oprah and triumphs continues to inspire many, highlighting the resilience and determination that have defined Winfrey’s career.