Oprah simply doesn’t allow her friends to use the N-word. In fact, she feels very strongly about it.
The media mogul and actress revealed her feelings about the controversial word to Parade. “You cannot be my friend and use that word around me,” said Oprah. “It shows my age, but I feel strongly about it… I always think of the millions of people who heard that as their last word as they were hanging from a tree.”
Lee Daniels, who directed The Butler which stars Oprah and Forest Whitaker, said he used to say the word a lot. “It’s a word I used quite a bit, until Oprah sat me down and talked to me about its power.” Whitaker followed up that he never used it.
When asked if young people knew enough about the Civil Rights Movement, Oprah said they didn’t. “They don’t know diddly-squat,” she said. “Diddly-squat!” Daniels shared a similar sentiment when he screened the movie for his family and his 30-year-old nephew questioned if some of the events were true.
But to their point, Daniels said he’s fighting for a PG-13 rating so kids can see the film.