Oprah Nixes Apple TV+ Documentary by Buying Back the Rights
Credit: Apple
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Five years ago, Apple launched Apple TV+ with much fanfare. A star-studded array of personalities took the stage to sing the praises of the stories that Apple’s fledgling video streaming service would produce.
It was an unusual event for Apple, featuring Hollywood celebrities such as legend directors like Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams and big-name stars like Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell, Jason Momoa, and Alfred Woodard. Sesame Street’s Big Bird even made an appearance.
Oprah Winfrey added her star power to that list, formally announcing her multi-year partnership with Apple to create original documentaries and more.
Winfrey also reportedly cast aside a deal with 60 Minutes for the opportunity to put all her energies into the Apple partnership, believing it was the best place for her docuseries thanks to Apple’s audience and marketing.
However, it seems that Oprah’s enthusiasm for Apple has waned since then. Only one of the two documentary projects that were planned when she first came on board saw the light of day; The Me You Can’t See, a mental health documentary produced in partnership with Prince Harry, debuted on May 21, 2021.
The other project, Toxic Labour, was supposed to focus on sexual harassment in the broader workplace and how it affects everyone, not just those in the film and music industry. However, nothing has been heard about it since it was first announced in 2019, suggesting that it was quietly shelved.
In 2020, Winfrey also pulled her name from another high-profile documentary, stepping down as executive producer “The Untitled Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering documentary,” On the Record, which focused on sexual misconduct in the music industry. At the time, Winfrey told The Hollywood Reporter that this shouldn’t be taken as a reflection of the subject matter, adding that she “unequivocally believe[s] and support[s] the women” and that “their stories deserve to be told and heard.” The problem, she said, was that she and the filmmakers didn’t share the same creative vision for the project.
Now it appears that Oprah is walking away from another documentary — this time one about her life. According to Page Six, Winfrey has bought back the rights from Apple to bury the documentary entirely and ensure that it never airs.
While Apple never formally announced the project, Deadline reported in early 2021 that Apple TV+ had ordered a two-part biopic about the “billionaire multi-hyphenate.” The biographical documentary was to be produced by Academy Award-winning director Kevin MacDonald and longtime Winfrey producer Lisa Erspamer, the duo responsible for Whitney, the biographical documentary about Whitney Houston.
Oprah Winfrey ended her content deal in September 2022 on reasonably good terms. It had simply run its course, and she declined to renew it. However, as a spokesperson for Winfrey told Page Six, “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.”
Although the article suggests Winfrey “paid a fortune” to Apple to buy back the rights, and some industry sources speculate that she would have had to pay millions to do so, Page Six says, “a source in the know denies it was in the seven figures.”
It’s unclear exactly why Winfrey chose to nix the documentary, although the official line appears to be that she simply felt it “wasn’t the right time to do a documentary.”
While only one of the promised documentaries came from Winfrey’s time at Apple, she helmed two semi-regular Apple TV+ series, Oprah’s Book Club and The Oprah Conversation, where she interviewed well-known public figures and stars from bestselling author Ibram X. Kendi and former President Barack Obama to Will Smith and Mariah Carey. She was also profiled in an episode of the series Dear…
Her last project with Apple, and the only other documentary she produced during her time with the company, was Sidney, about the life and legacy of actor, filmmaker, and activist Sidney Poitier. While many believed that she would continue to work with Apple on a project-by-project basis after that, little has come of it since.
