photo credit: Earl Gibson III / Getty Images 

Is Oprah Winfrey still in hot water? The media mogul says she does not “regret” interviewing Michael Jackson’s sexual assault accusers. During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Oprah addresses the backlash she has been receiving since the release of HBO’s docu-series, “Leaving Neverland.”

Although many people were disappointed in Winfrey for interviewing Wade Robson, and James Safechuck- she has no guilt. “I don’t regret it,” Winfrey said. “I saw it, and I was shaken by it. I wasn’t even shaken by the fact that it was Michael Jackson, I was shaken by the fact that [director] Dan Reed had done a really good job of showing the pattern, and for years, I had been trying to show people the pattern.” She continued, “I’d been trying to say it’s not about the moment, it’s about the seduction. The first thing I said to Gayle [King] when we watched it was, ‘Gayle, you’ve got to get those guys [on CBS This Morning].”

The media maven knew people would be upset, “I knew that there would be people who would be re-traumatized by it and would see themselves in it, and I thought, ‘I can help thread the needle of what is actually happening here.’” 

She compared this backlash to the backlash she received when she appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres‘ show.

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Today I accepted the @hollywoodreporter’s Empowerment in Entertainment Award in honor of their new inclusion initiative, The Young Executives Fellowship. Students in underserved schools will be given the chance to access the business, marketing, and filmmaking side of Hollywood, all with the intention of empowering this next generation. Check out my stories for more on the luncheon. #Empowerment