Popular Media proprietor Oprah Winfrey has finally addressed reports of her “secret son” Calvin Mitchell.
Reports flew out last week when a young man in braids attempted to speak with the philanthropist outside of The Stephen Colbert Show.
The man was identified as a 35-year-old truck driver, Calvin Mitchell, whom Oprah took under her wings several years.
Admitting the existence of their relationship, Oprah told ET host Nancy O’Dell: “I met Calvin around the early ’90s, I think it was 1992. I was doing a film for television called There Are No Children Here. We were shooting in the projects in Chicago and I was sitting on set during a break, and this cute little sparkly-eyed boy came underneath the yellow tape to hand me a soda. I was so charmed by him that I started talking to him about his family, his school life, and found out that he was in a situation where his mother didn’t have a job and they were stuck in the projects.”
Winfrey further admitted she decided to raise the boy and put him through school but he dropped out of school when he turned 16 against her wishes.
She said: “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. I said, ‘Calvin, this is the moment. This is a seminal moment for you. 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 that was my last conversation with Calvin in the early ’90s.”
On his attempt to meet her outside of The Stephen Colbert Show earlier this month, she said: “I could see the little boy in his eyes, even though time has changed a lot for him, and I said to him, ‘What are you doing?’ As I left, and he was looking so forlorn, he was like, ‘Can I speak to you?’ So I said to somebody on my team, ‘Will somebody get Calvin’s number so I can contact him later?’”
Winfrey added that once she realized he had shared his story with the media, she decided not to contact him anymore.
-Leadership
Boy just found out he wasted an opportunity?... he should bounce!
ReplyDeleteHe was 16! How many wise decisions did any of us make at that age? We all needed help from older ones, guess he didn't get enough help.
DeleteIf she really wants to be kind she she should give him a second chance, as God does with all of us...
I pray she forgives him and take him back too......
Deletecaptain cutie
Teddy, at 16 you can see he gap between where you are coming from. You would have heard and read stories of successful men and women who dreamed and achieved. You would have aspirations if you are serious enough. Wou would want follow through with being a doctor, lawyer, nurse, engineer. Bla bla. As in America they even try to build your dreams from Childhood. Ben Carson is a man who grew and lived in the projects. Look at who he is today. He never left school despite the challenges. Please there is no excuse for a child who isn't serious. He was just the wrong person for the right opportunity. C'mon!! If you fear your sponsor, and she says please stay in school, you will grudgingly do it and get at least all Es. If you didn't want school, you would look for her and tell her you wan to learn a trade. That you are sorry and you just don't think school is for you. You won't take off after 20 years and come back begging. He has no ambition.
DeleteLost opportunity. Oprah, shld give him another chance.
DeleteImagine!
ReplyDeleteLike just imagine!!
DeleteGuys please don't forget to vote Stella Dimoko Korkus as the BLOGGER OF THE YEAR for the 2015 edition of Nigerian Writers/Bloggers awards.
To vote, send Stella Dimoko Korkus as an email with the title BLOGGER OF THE YEAR (which is her category) to nominate@nigerianwritersawards.com
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Lets do it the SDK way!
Gracias!
Oh my! What a wasted opportunity. He was on the path to being great but rebellion led him to another path. Too bad.
DeleteIt's just a case of progidal son!! But this time adopted or being helped
ReplyDeleteOk
ReplyDeleteEeyah. He misused his opportunity. Hnmm
ReplyDeleteHis village people from the days of his forefathers have been on his case
DeleteI love Nigerian mums they will tell you to stay there because there is no space for you in the house again. Shioor
*Yawns *
ReplyDeleteNot interested jare!
He got an opportunity to change is life he rejected it.
ReplyDeleteShe had done her best. That's why mother is mother, nobody can takes the place of your mother.
ReplyDeleteHe's now a truck driver. If he had listened to her advice then, life would have been better for him.
ReplyDeleteHmmmmmm.
ReplyDeleteJust imagine the waste of a beautiful opportunity...
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteGo skool wen u were a boy u refused....what do u want from her now dat u r a man..MONEY??
Ndi Madu!
He missed an opportunity. *SHAKES HEAD,*
ReplyDeleteHe threw his opportunity away
ReplyDeleteWhy crying fowl
Hmmmmm
ReplyDeleteI said it that day... The guy is just a free loader. At 16 he should have been able to clearly decipher right from wrong. Idiot chose to go the wrong way. What exactly was he looking for then that could have prevented him from finishing school?
ReplyDeleteImagine how he blew his chance again by going to the press to either blackmail Oprah or evoke sympathy. Either way, his stunt backfired. Very foolish man..... Some people get cap but dem no get head.
That was even worse,going to tell stories to media people.
DeleteWho send am message?
Someone like this isn't fit to be close to a private person,he can sell her story for just a dollar!
Now that he has become an efulefu,please nyenu ya money to invest in something. Doh Allah
The man is very foolish.
ReplyDeleteWhat did he want from her now?
Double Imagine!!
ReplyDeleteOh too bad
ReplyDeleteAll she ever wanted was a good life for the boy.
ReplyDeleteHe wanted something else.
You tried Oprah.
Lolzz@ekwensuic behavior
ReplyDeleteLol@ tiela aki and ekwensuic behaviour.
ReplyDeleteOprah should ignore him biko.
Opportunity comes but once. If only he can get a second chance. On a second thought, why go straight to the media when he was yet to meet with his foster mother??
ReplyDeleteNa wa
ReplyDeleteHi Stella,I have a story to share about a certain Nigerian music producer,just in case no one knows him,his name is spells and he produced quiet a lot of hit bangers in naija,just to cut d long story short want you to know that he has a baby mama,he proposed to another woman,so here is d story,he left his baby mama that struggled for him to get to where he is now and yh I'm hr friend,shs is too quiet for my liking and I feel bad cos this useless drop outof a guy disvirgined her got her pregnant and left her because he sstarted making more money
ReplyDeleteHe now started dating a lag rich babe,still his baby mama Dint say nothing sometimes I wonder WHR this girl gets her strength from,anyways he proposed to his new chic,I just lost it when I heard today from a mutual friend of ours,one thing this spells doesn't no is his baby mama is such a sweet girl,a lot of her friends have planned to sell their stories online but she begged them not to but m so pained I can't keep quiet.thanks stella.
Can't write my name cos she will kill me if she finds out its me.
Anonymous
Spells nobody knows you, this is just a publicity stunt, keep wasting your time Bro, d story never sweet reach
DeleteOkay! We don't know him. #byefelicia
DeleteHi Stella,I have a story to share about a certain Nigerian music producer,just in case no one knows him,his name is spells and he produced quiet a lot of hit bangers in naija,just to cut d long story short want you to know that he has a baby mama,he proposed to another woman,so here is d story,he left his baby mama that struggled for him to get to where he is now and yh I'm hr friend,shs is too quiet for my liking and I feel bad cos this useless drop outof a guy disvirgined her got her pregnant and left her because he sstarted making more money
ReplyDeleteHe now started dating a lag rich babe,still his baby mama Dint say nothing sometimes I wonder WHR this girl gets her strength from,anyways he proposed to his new chic,I just lost it when I heard today from a mutual friend of ours,one thing this spells doesn't no is his baby mama is such a sweet girl,a lot of her friends have planned to sell their stories online but she begged them not to but m so pained I can't keep quiet.thanks stella.
Can't write my name cos she will kill me if she finds out its me.
Anonymous
Sorry but you're no friend! She obviously doesn't want her story out cos she wants to protect her baby from negative publicity! Idiot, you're too foolish to know that telling stella or any media house will help the guy afterall no publicity is bad publicity! He will become popular. This is Nigeria and child support doesn't follow. If you really love your friend and want to help you should buy milk and diaper for her baby. Enemy in disguise
DeleteIf you want to spill some tea and make me believe you, call names. Your name,your supposed friends name or you foh.
DeleteWow,thought as much with his fat hypocritical face,snake in disguise, I dnt blame d baby mama fr being quiet, no one should associate with DAT guy,he treats people badly especially if he feels you are not up to standard but u my dear friend of hers you shouldn't have brought her gist here even if it hurts u,by d way who is d baby mama we wanna know
DeleteStella pls follow up we need dis gist
Dem deh follow the boy wella, oyinbo demons no deh play at all
ReplyDeleteHe wasted an opportunity that was offered to him on a platter of gold..he must be regretting it now.
ReplyDeleteStella, stop late reporting.
ReplyDeleteShe did more than enough jare. The guy wasted d opportunity given to him
ReplyDeleteLol @ 'Ekwensuic'. Did u schl in Madonna? Dt word only exists in Fr Edeh's vocab
ReplyDeleteSilly guy
ReplyDeletePeople wey get yansh no sabi sit down...had it been I saw that kind of opportunity way back, I would have gotten to the top without stress.
ReplyDeleteMay I not frustrate my helpers and waste opportunities in JESUS Name, amen
ReplyDeleteAmen
DeleteAmen!!
DeleteMessage to young ones on the fast lane. Slow down, educate yourself either formally (university) or informally (finish high school then learn a trade).
ReplyDeleteSow your youthful years building your future. Trust me cars, clothes, travels and babes would ever be available.