Oprah Winfrey talks about the 'hateration' she got over the 'Leaving Neverland' special

Cydney Henderson
Updated

Oprah Winfrey says she was subjected to extreme backlash after joining the Michael Jackson debate following the "Leaving Neverland" documentary.

The iconic talk show host and media mogul received praise and criticism after sitting down with Jackson's accusers for "Oprah Winfrey Presents: After Neverland," which premiered immediately after the explosive documentary on HBO.

"I haven't had that much hateration since I did the puppy episode with Ellen (DeGeneres)," Oprah said on The Daily Show Wednesday, referring to a 1997 episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" where DeGeneres publicly came out as gay.

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"But when I saw that documentary, I realized that a lot of people are … going to be triggered by watching it," she said. "I have done 217 shows trying to get people to understand that it's not about one person, that it is about the pattern. It is about the seduction."

Oprah's one-hour special featured interviews with alleged Jackson victims Wade Robson and James Safechuck, as well as the documentary's director, Dan Reed.

It was taped in front of a New York audience that included more than 100 people who have claimed they were sexually abused as children.

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"People call it molestation, but there is a big seducing that goes on ... and that was important enough for me to take the hateration for," she explained to Trevor Noah Wednesday night.

Oprah added that she "never wavered" over the accusers' allegations.

Jackson's estate vehemently disputed all claims of child sexual abuse. In March, Jermaine Jackson, the older brother of Michael and member of The Jackson Five, slammed Oprah and the media for "blindly taking #LeavingNeverland at face value."

Contributing: Patrick Ryan

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Oprah Winfrey talks about the 'hateration' she got over the 'Leaving Neverland' special