Part Two: Is Oprah Winfrey a Bastard? | BEHIND THE BASTARDS

[@TheEverGrowingRosey-333]

The bit about the Aunt Katherine being in complete denial about the sexual abuse, but aware enough that Oprah needed to be removed from that environment…that rings frightfully familiar to my own family that have never acknowledged the sexual abuse that was done to their children.

[@kikilo9647]

Yep!! They love pretending nothing is happening knowing darn well it is. They just dont want to admit they raise someone capable of doing awful things to their own

[@Tolly7249]

It kills me that so many people I know tell the same story, over and over. Nobody should ever have to live with that shit.

[@Beeg_Boy]

It sickens me how common this exact situation is, male abusers are protected over their victims so fucking frequently and casually

[@wcs792]

"I'm the WOMAN behind Robert Evans" and everyone is like "yes?" lol

[@beebeebees]

AND ITS TRUE! Just look at the cute family photo

[@bossdunkz]

Why would anyone not say "yes"? It's objectively true and has always been the case. It's obvious from the pod that Sophie is the most responsible for Robert's thin hold on sanity and productivity.

[@TheDeadKingsRaven]

Americans love a good bootstrap story and acknowledging that it actually takes a village is an active threat towards capitalism and rugged individualism.

[@goodun2974]

​@@TheDeadKingsRaven, the myth of America as a meritocracy where people can rise from rags to riches if they just "work hard and play by the rules" has created millions of greedy, selfish sociopaths.

[@PathOfAvraham]

Sophie is so confusing sometimes lol

[@Aryasvitkona]

I do think "the man who discovered Oprah" does deserve some credit for giving a young black woman in Tennessee a genuine chance based on her merits alone. Like I'd expect it to be either snubbed by racism, or have her hired to make him look good, but it seems man genuinely just saw potential and grasped it so I think that deserves some credit. That said I do agree with Sophie, she earned the job and got herself the job, it's just a man who had plenty of potential to deny her both for her skin colour and gender decided to ignore both and focus on merit at a point in time I would not have expected that. And for him to do it without the strings of crimes Rob was worried about, like I know I'm setting my expectations on the floor but man deserves a back slap and a "good on ya" cos my god 99 times out of 100 this turns into a horror show real quick.

[@cha0sniper]

It's one of those things we all know really _shouldn't_ be impressive, but is because humanity sucks lol

[@walleser]

I got punished for reading too m7ch too. So did one of my aunts- who became a judge. In poorer families, it's often seen as a wasteful use of time, when there's chores to be done.

[@m.d.1395]

I was criticized for reading too much as well. I don't really care the socioeconomic status of anybody, that's fucking weird to do to a kid, especially if it doesn't result in something negative in terms of psychology (i.e., getting overly invested in a fictional world to the detriment of everything else).

[@jannettb7930]

Talking to my mom, her at 75 now and myself at 45, our memories of my childhood is very different. Same with my son, he's 27, some of the things he remembers are definitely not how I remember things.

[@TC-cr2oy]

My younger sister swears my mom took a trip outside the US when we were children. My mom and the rest of us kids all agree she didn't. Memories are crazy.

[@jackshit6713]

Memory is absolutely faulty and realizing this has made my progress in trauma therapy speed up. Knowing that fact helps me to not focus on the horrible memories, knowing my mind might just fill in anything missing with incorrect details. I hope this info helps someone else

[@Rhaifha]

Even my younger sister and I (only 18 months apart in age), have very different memories of our childhood.

[@moscuadelendaest]

meybe because your not the same person?

[@jannettb7930]

@moscuadelendaest right. Now apply that idea to Oprah's aunt and Oprah remembering things differently

[@jazwhoaskedforthis]

Robert hand tattoo is the real star of this episode

[@abombt7499]

Do you know what it is? I know I've seen that image before but don't know what it signifies.

[@rosemariecawkwell2233]

It reminds me of historical pirate flags. Someone else commented its the flag of the Kronstadt rebels. I think they might have been inspired by 17th and 18th century pirates since they were seamen.

[@Mind_Crimes]

I see Robert's been selected by the Grail?

[@RoadtoArkham]

The reading thing rings true to me. I was a bookworm who grew up in a rural area with a very outdoorsy family. They never made me feel bad for reading and praised my intelligence, but there was a lot of “put that down and go outside.” And often my response was to just…read outside. There was fucking nothing to do

[@joshrogers7347]

lol i would walk 5 minutes from my house and read in a tree when i was a kid

[@Aryasvitkona]

Also even if not LITERALLY true it's very easy for it to have felt true to Oprah both at the time and in retrospect.

[@idontwantahandlethough]

LOL dude i used to do the same thing. Reading a book in a tree fort is kinda magical, honestly :)

[@DefendYoungstown]

It depends. There were people of an older generation who viewed recreational reading the same way as a wide swath of parents and grandparents viewed kids playing video games as a useless and sedentary activity. And I have to say it that way because at this point, those kids are now parents and/or grandparents themselves who game and think nothing about it. It's like explaining to folks of a generation or more after mine (gen x) that liking anime or D&D or being openly immersed in all genres of music wasn't automatically accepted pop culture. People used to be bullied and shunned about such behavior. Because it's acceptable _now_ doesn't mean it always was.

[@BlankPageEmperor1334]

My dad, growing up in rural Western North Carolina, had friends who had to hide their science books that they liked to read, lest their parents find and actually burn them. The only book they were allowed to read was the Bible, but my dad suspects it has as much to do with their parents barely being literate as it does with any controversy about science. (We're all white btw, so I honestly have no clue how that would sound to a rural-raised Black person ✌️)

[@idontwantahandlethough]

The thing about being a "wild child" or "promiscuous" is that it doesn't preclude you from being abused. Her aunt sounds awful.

[@Loomx5]

Usually from my experience, the two are usually very tightly linked.

Yeah, it's sad how people act out as a result of their untreated trauma and then that exact trauma is what makes them less "credible" 😢

[@c4tl4dy76]

It's because predators know the kind of victims least likely to report and, if they do, won't be believed. Poor young 'Prah.

[@cjboyo]

The ven diagram is in fact, near circular

[@TheybyBaby-c9m]

​@@Loomx5, was here to say that they're like peanut butter and jelly. You can have them separately, but it's not the norm.

[@neonradius]

You guys talk about this with the nuance it deserves and I really appreciate that. I think at one point you mention how even if her story isn’t true, the narratives it speaks to ARE true, and so we’re more inclined to believe it. It’s incredibly easy to relate to the narratives of colorism and abuse, especially the ways that her aunt minimizes her abuse later in life (in a way many adult abuse victims can relate to). But at the same time, I personally know of cases where people fabricated abuse- the most egregious of which was when some in my family started telling people that our grandfather had abused them. Our grandfather that had died before this person was born. But even then, this family member DID have a lot of genuine pain, and it’s not unlikely that their was truth to this story (for example, I have heard stories of young victims misremembering the identity of their abuser, this could’ve happened here). Even when children and young adults outright lie, there’s usually some source of pain involved. “I don’t know for sure what exactly happened, but I’m incredibly sympathetic to her pain” is a good conclusion, because at the end of the day we’ll likely never know, but that doesn’t mean real suffering wasn’t involved.

[@johnmckiernan2176]

Deepak Chopra; a man some people call a guru because they can't spell charlatan. Thanks, Oprah, for foisting such bellends on us.

[@johnwrath3612]

Deepak Chopra: Quantum Physics is literal magic. At least he’s an amusing grifter. Not nearly as directly harmful as Doctor Oz or Doctor Phil.

[@thomasbarchen]

Don't forget Eckhart Tolle he's also special

[@pmfg875]

There was a guru who ended up causing overheating deaths

[@NecRock]

37:30 - On Oprah stating she only got certain positions because of affirmative action. perhaps in a way she's right, not in the sense that she wasn't qualified, but that she wouldn't have been given the chance to show she was if not for these programs.

[@GlennDavidson]

I understood that as the original point of affirmative action. Those opposed to giving people an equal chance encouraged claims that it promotes unqualified people from day one AFAIK. IMO similar to recent claims about diversity and inclusion initiatives... the reactions by those who feel threatened by equal opportunities has slightly more modern rhetoric but the intent stays the same.

[@reconsoldier135]

My mom watches Dr. Phil nonstop every day on KZbin, it’s insane. Thanks, Oprah

[@chrisblake4198]

16:00 I could absolutely believe Oprah had interaction with the landlady that her aunt wasn't privy to.

[@IHateMyAccountName]

Her mom sounded wildly out of touch with most things around that time.

[@bossdunkz]

Or Oprah was an unwanted child from a one night stand that her mother resented for existing. But that's not a marketable narrative - especially not to white America. That her family abused her for being "too black" - white liberals eat that shit up.

[@alostkoi]

Perhaps that aunt is nothing but an omnipresent being following Oprah from the second she was born.

[@sourgreendolly7685]

lmfaooo she sure seems to think so!

[@ObscuraDeCapra]

Yes, that is in fact a pretty good definition of family.

[@bfish89ryuhayabusa]

I very much agree with the angle "despite these people not agreeing on the story, neither party is necessarily lying." That's my general angle on things, if it's possible.

[@goodun2974]

This is known as the "Rashomon effect", after a famous short story and film.

[@c4tl4dy76]

Same. Two people can perceive the same even very differently because that's just how our brains work.

[@SS-xr7jf]

I’ve learned that I really, really hate Oprah’s mom. She reminds me of some relatives that put their wants ahead of what was clearly a better living for their children, leaving them to live worse lives.

[@bossdunkz]

Oprah's mom was clearly a *mess* but I'm majorly confused as to why Oprah's Grandparents sent her back. They knew.

[@SS-xr7jf]

@ if it’s like my relatives, the grandparents don’t feel like they have enough for legal recourse to force the issue/ didn’t think they had the power to do anything outside of what the parent allowed/ it’s a family matter. Or they’re also complicit and blood > children’s safety. My one relative in particular seemed to care about the family members in rank order of how much of an extension of their own identity they are. So when the thing was advocating for her own children, her abusive husband was catered to first. When he was out of the picture and the thing was advocating for her grandchildren, her daughter came first. Even though there were relatives who could be given the children to care for if the issue was forced, she wouldn’t advocate for them if it meant going against the other. (I took it as they were less important to her identity than the people she was protecting). Also, getting the law involved is “white people sh**”.

[@c4tl4dy76]

​@@bossdunkzWell, it sounds like as much as they loved her, they were strapped for money and probably thought Oprah would be better off in a bigger city with what sounded like a better situation. Even if they knew the mom was a mess, they probably also saw how lonely Oprah was and wanted her to be around more kids. Also, I'm sure the prospect of a more ethnically diverse/less outwardly racist area played a role too.

[@themazeballet]

I had a wildly beloved childhood as an only child, my parents loved me so much. I can believe Oprah's feelings about how she was raised, even if it's exaggerated, because it's all wrapped up in being a Black child in racist America. I didn't feel hatred of my skin until we moved to America at 14, and she had it her entire life.

[@jenniferklein1707]

4:53 I completely agree with the difference between what actually happened and what it feels like. When I was younger my mom had to be in the hospital cuz she had a complicated pregnancy with my little brother (they're both fine now) but she was gone for like a week maybe two weeks but to my kid brain who was used to seeing my mom everyday it felt like she was gone for MONTHS. And I only learned when I was older that she actually wasn't gone that long it just felt like forever.

[@yourlocalnerd7788]

I was definitely aware my parents were proud me as a kid but that just manifested into me wanting to be an overachiever and then burning out

[@CabelCB]

18 months is a long time for a 5 year old. That’s like a quarter of their life. Also, development that’s when kids start developing the part of their brain that involves episodic memory. Mom did miss a big part of Oprah’s life.

[@bethcaughran]

"I don't think most men look at 13 year old girls that way". Oh, Robert. You're such a good egg, and I really mean that. But they most certainly do.

[@Rockyzach88]

Most certainly do? You need to go outside.

[@Riplee86]

@@Rockyzach88 Reading comprehension is important. "They most certainly do." and "Most certainly do" are 2 different things.

[@MikkoKuusirati]

@@Riplee86 Right, but in this case "they" refers to "most men" from the quoted sentence. And I honestly don't know if I believe that. It seems like it can't possibly be true, or else things would be even grimmer than they seem to be by a whole lot, but OTOH maybe I'm just blithely optimistic like that?

[@Rockyzach88]

@@Riplee86 it was an extension of "most men" from the quoted sentence.

[@sharkbelly1169]

@@MikkoKuusiratiI have absolutely no way of knowing any better than Robert what percentage of men are like that… but it’s enough for basically every teen girl to know it could be any man.

[@Beeg_Boy]

I’ve learned about male sexual abusers in my family over the course of my life and how everyone else in my family protected them and never told me or more importantly other young girls in my family who ended up becoming victims in some cases, what appalls me most is how common stories like this actually are.

[@goodun2974]

The results of the most recent election prove beyond a doubt that America excels at producing sociopaths, and I have to wonder if other "Westernized" countries have similar rates of generational neglect and/or abuse of children, who subsequently become neglectful or abusive parents. Is this a hallmark of patriarchal, or religiously-indoctrinated societies? Or is it a side effect of the class lines found in heavily capitalist societies?

[@leviadragon99]

It's honestly a really tragic irony that this woman who was abused ended up giving megaphones to people like Dr Phil who *absolutely* resulted in the abuse of a looooot of children. Guess that proves that being through it yourself doesn't necessarily give you the tools to not play a role in perpetuating the cycle of abuse.

[@Lee-t2o7r]

"I don't think most men look at 13 year old girls like that" oh Robert, you'd be surprised how many do.

[@idontwantahandlethough]

lol sometimes it feels like half of dudes are pdfs, or at least pdf-adjacent. It's probably not _that_ high.. but it's disturbingly high regardless.

[@andrewklang809]

Laws exist for a reason. If there was no deterrent at all, it would happen even more often than it does.

[@CliffSedge-nu5fv]

Well? How many? Have you counted? What's the number?

[@bossdunkz]

@@andrewklang809 Bruh you are telling on yourself here. It happened and happens all the time.

[@Andrzhel_vis_Vhaeraun]

​​@@bossdunkz It is also possible that you are reading too much into their comment. My interpretation would be more like that they are grateful for these laws to exist. Not that they themself felt held back by them.

[@heavenly2k]

Talkin 'Prah wit my brahs

[@niotek]

Two episodes in and i just now noticing Andrew Ti's DJ Screw shirt...man that takes me back...

[@Jaspertine]

And Bridget is wearing a Stereolab shirt.

[@onlynormalperson]

They are wearing different shirts this episode

[@SavageGreywolf]

I don't even know if it would fit as a regular 'bastards' ep but I'd love to hear Robert talk about what a messy set of individuals the Peróns were.

[@saininj]

She did unleash Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz on us, so yeah she is.

[@BenHyle]

John of God as well. And a few others.

[@andrewklang809]

Did she ever try to challenge them on their BS or otherwise publicly walk back any previous endorsements? To try to limit the damage? She's powerful enough, she could have done that. She raked that Million Little Pieces guy over the coals.

[@johnwrath3612]

Yeah she reminds me of Bill Gates at least morally. I don’t think she’s an evil person, but she has done lots of harm both directly by promoting satanic panic bullshit, crash dieting, all sorts of woo woo wellness garbage, buying up land on Maui, and indirectly by launching the careers of terrible people. But she has also done some good stuff and she doesn’t seem to be motivated entirely by self aggrandizing myth making or self interest. She tries to do some good things. Bill gates tries to do some good things like eradicating polio, but in effect he gets to personally direct the WHO to his own pet projects. They both have done some good and lots of harm, aren’t evil people but you have to do a lot of evil and have a certain type of exploitative self interested egocentric personality to become a billionaire in the first place.

[@satellitesoundlab]

glad to see the kids from captain planet all grown up, lookin great, love the show

[@cmystery4180]

i needed a reason to walk to the weed store in the snow, this is the perfect reason.

[@idontwantahandlethough]

bruh you know you can just buy weed on the internet, right? It's so much more convenient (and often cheaper!) (i mean obviously it's not a solution if you don't have any marijuanas and you want marijuanas right this moment, but otherwise it's great!)

[@cmystery4180]

@@idontwantahandlethough i like supporting the local weed store near my house and get some irl interaction haha

[@idiot_rat]

Hell yeah, brother.

[@katesherrod3498]

I like this nudge into framing the show as "bastard or not" and also when is Kitty Kelly gonna get a BtB of her own?

[@c4tl4dy76]

"I don't need to apologize to men. I'm good." This NEEDS to be a T-shirt!

[@benjaminaristotleboes3157]

I just finished episode one.... GREAT WORK.... I was sad when it finished because I saw 1d ago on the video and thought I'd be waiting at least a week for episode 2..... Glad I came to your channel and subscribed!!!

[@ClockFink]

I gotta take a minute to disagree strongly with Sophie: that DJ discovered Oprah just as she discovered Robert and it’s probably better that people aren’t allowed to forget that… because famous/successful people develop egomania on the reg to the detriment of others, and “I’m a self-made succes” bullshit contributes to that. But no one past a certain level of success is self made… a degree of dumb, blind luck that separated them from people just as talented and hard working is always part of the narrative. So yeah, as gross as it is to hear some white guy claim credit for launching Oprah, like he DID. That shit HAPPENED. Oprah didn’t make it where other talented and industrious black women failed because she’s so much better than they were, she made it because via sheer fortune some rando in the industry gave her a shot where they weren’t so lucky. It is never as earned as people want to make it out to be when you’re talking this level of success. So I am all for other people reminding us of that in even the most indirect of ways.

[@clay6696]

real

[@Scriven42]

SOPHIE jumping in to attack assholes is so great!

[@AnonYtubeUser]

For another great option for a complicated Behind the Bastards figure-you can get a lot out of LBJ. Screwed up guy who also wanted to be just like FDR and basically did a speedrun version of FDR in 5yrs

[@slvskngs1317]

LBJ’s the bizarro FDR. They both still killed a lot of Asians and had really progressive domestic policies. The only difference was FDR’s legs didn’t work whereas LBJ had three legs.

[@Emelia39]

I’d love an LBJ episode but My guess is reading all of Robert Caro’s insanely detailed biographies as well as sifting through all the other material on the man is a very daunting task

[@analoguewings]

T-shirt game on point

[@Born-u7h]

17:45 That was definitely me. I was bullied at home and at school. I assumed it was cuz I was black but also into anime and read shit or “talked white”, but really my family are just dicks like that. Nothing to do with our culture/ethnicity

[@idontwantahandlethough]

"cuz I was black but also into anime" that's sucks and makes very little sense because as it turns out, TONS of black people like anime! It's not abnormal even a little bit

[@damien5158]

Yeah, when people hurt others, they're often just reaching for an excuse. So wtv reason they land on to hurt you with, is rarely the reason they're hurting you. Which usually had nothing to do with you, since they're the ones being the problem.

[@TheYasmineFlower]

It took me until nearly the end of the episode to really see the picture in the corner. Absolute perfection.

[@sharkbelly1169]

I can’t decide if they’re Anderson or those South African Cop dogs from the Louis van Schoor episode

[@EphemeralTao]

Dude, I'd take all the Geo Metros you want to give away. Love those tiny pocket-sized things. As far as being punished for reading, I can remember more than one time I got told I spend too much time alone in my room reading, and ordered to go outside. That seems to be pretty common for kids who are bookworms but have parents that aren't.

[@sourgreendolly7685]

My mother would come home from work, see me reading, and then make comments about how it's no wonder I didn't have friends. No punishment, just regular bullying from my mother for an activity most parents wouldn't dream of discouraging.

[@sharkbelly1169]

It’s basically the plot of Matilda. That book became what it has for a reason.

[@goodun2974]

​@@sourgreendolly7685 , My parents didn't bother me much about reading because as long as I had an activity that kept me busy and engaged they were generally happy with it. If I was moping around looking/acting like I was bored, or if I was foolish enough to actually say "I'm bored", my mother would happily find a chore for me to do. I have my mom to thank for my lifelong love of reading because she started reading to me every day since I was about 1 year old and by the time I reached kindergarten I was already reading at a second grade level.

[@seancain2216]

Am an only child. Parents were super stable. Parents loved me absolutely and there was never a doubt about it. Still effed up. 😛

[@Athena-ko6bj]

I was weirdly pumped for this.

[@jeffhiggins4478]

Shout out to Bridget for sporting that dope Stereolab shirt! 👏👏👏

[@themroc8231]

I hadn't noticed the Kronstadt flag tattooed on Robert's hand before.

[@katesherrod3498]

THAT'S what it is. It looked so familiar and I couldn't figure out why I was so happy to see it

[@bearisbig3848]

thank you for this comment, I wanted to know what it was and I didn't know how to find out ^^

[@themroc8231]

@ You're welcome. I always knew my anarchist history nerdiness would prove itself to be usefull to someone, someday.

[@cjboyo]

On the “my mom was mad at me for reading books” thing: That sounds like some arguments I had with my dad that I now know were because I really didn’t have any friends for most of my childhood and he was worried, but had NO idea how to help.

[@naughtscribe]

Bravissimo, Roberto! *puts hand directly into camera*

[@hbeachley]

I think it’s very fair to “grade her on the curve” of bastards. It sounds to me like her advantages and disadvantages mostly cancel out, and she’s one of the clearest examples of a “self made” woman. Yes, she definitely had some help, but I still have quite a lot of respect for her for the hard work that got her to her position. But yes, still upsetting that she chose to use her vast influence in such a damaging way.

[@idontwantahandlethough]

i believe she's more "self-made" than most billionaires, but I refuse to believe that ANY billionaire is self-made in any real sense. it's just not possible. You cannot get to a billion without manipulating and/or stepping on a lot of people.

[@andrewklang809]

Everyone had SOME help. Even if you go to a poor public school, you're getting some kind of an education. Someone's putting clothes on your back and food in your stomach growing up. Someone taught you to read, someone is giving you those books. Public or communal support uplifts everyone a little, and can uplift some people a lot. Anyone who makes billions of dollars and doesn't put it right back into the system that brought them up is being greedy and dishonest. You don't make yourself a success by yourself, you start supported by others, you work with others in your rise to prominence, and are supported by others even at your height. You made most of the money, but you didn't do it alone, and most of the money doesn't imply most of the work, just most of the credit/rewards for the work. Give generously so the next person has the kind of support that you had, if not better.

[@victoriaeads6126]

51:27 The first time I had to give a lecture in front of over one hundred people, I realized something. You are either going to be ok with it or you aren't. I was very relieved that day to discover that I'm fine delivering an hour long lecture to that many, and it turned out that I wasn't terrible at it, either, the students were pretty engaged. Good thing, too, because I had to do one once a week for a full academic year 😂

[@_NoDrinkTheBleach]

20:07 My grandmother had a favorite grandchild, and I can promise you that it wasn't me. I know exactly which of my cousins was her favorite, because she would say so. I honestly don't recall her ever saying anything positive about me. I also don't recall her saying anything negative. I definitely wasn't on her radar until I was one of the only ones who visited her regularly in her later years.

[@aerynmusick4548]

The third point of that trio is Vince McMahon

[@billmozart7288]

We got more of a history of wrestling than Vince in those

[@dimitrimessier]

I finished the last video before work last night, and now I get to listen to this one as I come home. Fantastic. Oprah was on in my childhood household, which was what youd consider white conservative religious middle-middle class in the semi rural deep south. It was definitely on in the living room blaring while mom ironed clothes. I cant trust my memory to say whether or not the content of the show had any affect on how my parents actually acted. But I can certainly remember that for my childhood, my understanding of the show was; Constantly loud Screaming women Brain dead lowest common denominator entertainment (I was a lil snooty) A pain to deal with when crossing over into the kitchen Being a burden on my entertainment and relaxation in my home, cuz the show was loud enough to come into my room and make Ed, Edd, & Eddy hard to hear

[@idontwantahandlethough]

that's not snooty, that's just being right. I mean don't get me wrong, I think "lowest common denominator" style media has it's place (sometimes it's fun to jam out to a mindless pop song!), but I would not call you snooty for recognizing it for what it is.

[@damien5158]

For more of that, the following program was usually The View iirc, which was somehow worse, lol.

[@outistynnanyt5153]

How does Sophie feel about being "The Woman Behind the Bastards"???

[@fallencastle]

Sophie gets to own Robert's fame as a Podcaster, rightfully so.

[@goodun2974]

On the battle we face: "the worst are filled with passionate intensity, while the best lack conviction...... and all the while, the Rough Beast slouches towards Bethlehem". Yeats

[@Jasper_the_Cat]

She was ultimately betrayed by everyone. Perhaps as a result she has always yearned for the sort of loyalty that launching someone else's career might provide?

[@spyrofan9681]

Her little switch WHICH WAS VERY MUCH NOT IMAGINARY!!!

[@hoggers7572]

I think the guy is saying I am the Producer that discovered Oprah not I am the Man that discovered Oprah

[@Scriven42]

Saints need 3 miracles. And card tricks count, much to the chagrin of Father Guido Sarducci (SNL).

[@emilystewartfitness]

I got voted "Most Likely to be the Next Oprah" in my senior year high school yearbook. I was flabbergasted at the time and am haunted today. What did that mean?!?!?

[@function0077]

The drawing on the screen is literally Sophie behind Robert.

[@TheGreatDevlin]

17:15 Speak on it. The Blerd/Alt kid struggle.

[@PeterTubaEuph]

WOOT!! SHOUT OUT TO THE DJ SCREW TEE-SHIRT!!!

[@averagejoe455]

Mother Theresa next!!!

[@goodun2974]

Other worthy (unworthy?) subjects in the news/info-tainment industry include Paul Harvey, Morton Downey Jr, Jerry Springer, Don Imus, Howard Stern, Mike Wallace, and Barbara Walters....

[@bengarver8155]

Memory is strange.. My mom recently was telling me about the decade she worked for the local school system. Starting part-time in the cafeteria and working up to helping with handicap kids. I had to remind her that she only had custody of me until I was 6, and she worked in the cafeteria part-time at the school I was at for a few months. She was honestly surprised but had to admit it was true.

[@beebeebees]

Honestly, I came into this expecting a rich asshole and holy shit was I wrong. She is such a horribly traumatized woman who has been given an irresponsible amount of money and fame by society, and (please note that I don't follow celebrity culture so I'm basing this off of what I've heard in these two episodes) so far she could've turned out SO MUCH worse and that leads me to believe that there is a good soul under all those celebrity brainworms. I can't bring myself to call her a bastard. Honestly it comes back to what is at the heart of this podcast in that everyone is so very human and is capable of horrid things if put in the "right" situation. Great episode 🎉 I have void in my chest now, I'm gonna go play with my kitty until it feels better. (She's sleeping I'm gonna join her)

[@nicks8443]

I had an English teacher in high school who worked for a network affiliate in Charleston, WV. When Oprah came to town for a segment, they paid to put her up in a very nice hotel. The next day on air, she claimed that either the faucet or tub had brown water coming out of them. Anyway, if that story is true (I tend to find the source trustworthy) there seems to be a pattern of exaggerating, especially with regards to her own and others' poverty. She clearly had some bad stuff in childhood. I have sympathy for that. But the seeming pattern of embellishment is weird.

[@Rockyzach88]

lol the glasses thing is silly as shit.

[@bradvine4564]

Oprah, Stalin, G. Gordon Liddy?

[@goodun2974]

Other kids called me "the Professor" (possibly a Gilligan's Island reference) because I read so much.

[@xedden2]

All the parts about misremembering your childhood, only in a negative direction, are so fascinating to me because my sister does this. She will come up with these wild stories that have no basis in reality and are provably and objectively false but she just thinks we're trying to gaslight her. I cannot figure out why she does it and it hurts our parents so much because we had a great childhood. The only thing I can think of is that her and her wife really like being seen as the victims and underdogs in any situation and will always turn it to something like that.

[@dagame81790]

Anyone know what brand/model headphones Robert is wearing in this episode? They look interesting.

[@Revolver1701]

Oh, you’ve done it now. Oprah is gonna put a curse on you.

[@6ganey9]

I just listened to pt 3, and speaking of bastards, I think Robert & Co should do one on Joan Rivers.

[@victoriaeads6126]

I truly don't understand prejudice against dark toned skin. Oprah, for all of her character flaws, is a beautiful woman. We are all the same fricking species. Textured hair, flat hair, melanin, not nearly enough melanin to stave off skin cancer ... We are all cousins.

[@victoriaeads6126]

Mind you, I also don't ever plan to inhabit that head space where I might be able to see where bigots are coming from. I will continue to respect people until their actions cause them to lose my respect, regardless of their physical characteristics.

[@pmfg875]

Oprah was in beauty contests. She is very pretty. She is also very intelligent

[@victoriaeads6126]

@pmfg875 I agree. She's lovely, and it's always been clear that she's one of the sharper people you'll ever meet. I just don't know her personally. I am unconvinced that she belongs in the Halls of the Bastards, but I'm also not sure she doesn't, jury's still out for me. I sincerely doubt that I'll have a strong opinion either way by the end of the series. I have a moral objection to the idea of billionaires, but she certainly isn't the worst of them.

[@andrewklang809]

It's a prejudice as old as the African slave trades themselves. It runs very, very deep worldwide, and a lot of people, both consciously and unconsciously, don't want it to be let go.

[@justinhobbs8646]

the third is Vince Vaughn

[@comradecats]

liddy erasure for another longest childhood episode im p sure that first whole episode of the 6 parts was about how insane he was lol

[@TheEmotobucket]

Hey Did anyone notice his new hand tattoo

[@BigShug-e2k]

Amazed that they haven’t done one on fauci 😂

[@Crafty_Phoenix]

March of Dimes is for prenatal health, not for cancer. I thought it used to be for helping people with preterm babies, which would make sense given Oprah's story, but it looks like they've expanded their scope.

[@zerogravy7446]

Just say Noperah to the Oprah. The nickname thing is true though, I remember very well being "the walrus" for like grades 4-7 cause I was on the fat side.

[@mattsonnie2989]

Who's talking my prahs?

[@jasonparker9367]

Will be right back after a commercial break with our segment: Remembering your Voodoo Spirt! Sponsored by Oprahzempic.

[@bmwkmx1]

Is this another 3 part?

[@andrewklang809]

Four part minimum. We only just reached her at seventeen, getting her first big break. Next episode will probably end with the launch of her talk show in the mid 80s. And that's still going to be a decade plus before Dr Phil.

[@alexbaptista185]

Sophie is most definitely a fixture of this show.

[@SageWon-1aussie]

Like, the producer?

[@alexbaptista185]

@SageWon-1aussie PRODUCTS!

[@GreatistheWorld]

Next subject of behind the bastards: Oprah’s Biographers

[@cameronlang6858]

Invictus is fantastic

[@terrancelopez9631]

Where can a guy find those bone conduction headphones?

[@jackiew6598]

They aren't the same, but Shokz makes some really good ones. I love mine.

[@terrancelopez9631]

@@jackiew6598 I appreciate it; thanks!

[@Scriven42]

March of Dimes was polio wasn't it?

[@thespicyginger6772]

matee what is that headset

[@jaycie5021]

Sorry for the double post if I'm missing my post from earlier today but it looks like I forgot to hit post so. . . The entire thing with who "discovered" talent is like how Columbus "discovered" the new world. They were the last to find it but the one that take all the credit.

[@sharkbelly1169]

Cannot wait for the video for part 3 'cause *listening* to the clip of the Satanic Panic blood libel segment is making me desperate to see this person. How is Oprah in 1986 doing a 2013 InfoWars bit????

[@loudpackmen024]

I'm so used to spotify but I need to make a new skktttrt

[@HellaSweetStacks]

Sophie is a beast at consistently missing the point and getting worked up for nothing lol

[@cherch222]

When you have such blatant lies like the grandma picture example, it puts every word she says into question.

[@chernobylcat1791]

i dont suppose Rob Evans is in vegas for the 40K LVO?

[@andrewklang809]

He's probably there as a temporary climate refugee.

[@-user_redacted-]

I just want to know why her parents basically have the same name. Vernon and Vernita? That's some "we're having twins and want them to have matching names" shit...

[@Midgemer7127]

Vince McMahon episodes spent a lot of time on his childhood

[@SavageGreywolf]

It was more like one episode on the history of wrestling and one episode and change on his childhood

[@anathematic5083]

L. Ron just wanted to construct additional pylons

[@billmozart7288]

44:00 I also think Oprah had enough cashé to ask Aretha on the show

[@TroyConvers5000]

Posh money?

[@goodun2974]

I presume you meant cachet .....?

[@billmozart7288]

@goodun2974 yes, thank you

[@goodun2974]

@billmozart7288 , blame autocorrect and/or voice to text!

[@KB0OTY]

Going to Shot Show?