Oprah Winfrey Breaks Her Silence on “Secret Son” Controversy

By Staff Writer

Nov 05, 2015 05:28 AM EST

When the story broke out that Oprah Winfrey, the media mogul, abandoned a son and she kept it from everyone else all these years, her good name and her good reputation was almost tainted. Now, she's saying enough and setting the record straight for everyone.

What put the whole thing in motion was the tabloid story his own "secret son" sold. After a few days of silence, ETOnline finally got the interview every person who follows this story is waiting for, the interview with Oprah Winfrey.

In the interview, Oprah stated that she met her "secret son", Calvin Mitchell at the set of one of her movies, "There Are No Children Here", back in 1992. According to Radar Online, Calvin successfully snuck into the set that day, grabbed a soda and handed it to Oprah. She was so charmed by him that she started talking to him about his family, his school and his life. That's when Oprah found out that Calvin's biological mother didn't have enough money to send him to a good school. She was so burdened by the situation of the boy that she took it upon herself to help this boy have a chance, a shot at a better life. So now, it's safe to say that who we're talking about here is not her biological son but someone whom she wanted to help. 

Continuing the story, Oprah and partner Stedman Graham gave the mother a job, found them a decent home and enrolled Calvin in a decent school. Not too long after, the school principal called Oprah to inform her that Calvin hasn't been attending school. That's when they found out that the reason why Calvin wasn't able to go to school is because they can't wake up on time because they don't have clocks in their house. So Oprah went to the supermarket and bought them a bunch of them. But eventually, Calvin still got expelled.

She then had a long and serious conversation with him about how disappointed she was but still willing to give him another chance. "I found a school in Mississippi that was a private boarding school because I thought if I could remove him from the environment that he'd been accustomed to growing up in, that maybe that would be helpful to him." Oprah continues. 

But 16 year-old Calvin told Oprah he can't stay at the school because the teachers "didn't like him". That's when Oprah draw the line. She told Calvin, "I know you are 16 and can't see the road ahead, but if you leave this school and refuse to get an education; I have tried to offer you an education twice, there isn't another school I can put you in. If you leave this school, I am done. There is nothing else I can do." And Oprah said that that was the last conversation she had with Calvin. 

Back to the present day, when Calvin approached her on the set of "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert", she already suspected that Calvin sold the story to the tabloids after being asked about her "secret son" earlier. When she asked why he sold the story, he asked if he could talk to her. Inquisitr reports that Oprah asked her team to take his number and that's when she found out everything was a setup. That's when she gave up. 

Asking what she learned from that experience, she responded, "It isn't enough to give a person a new life or money or a new car, you have to teach them how to fish themselves." She then shared that her experience with Calvin motivated her to found her Leadership Academy for Girls last 2007.

Ever since their last encounter, Oprah haven't had any contact with Calvin Mitchell.

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