Subscribe
Hellobeautiful Featured Video
CLOSE

There once was a time when Oprah Winfrey swore against rappers. The closest a lyricist could get to her couch was when she mentioned how misogynistic or ignorant they were during an episode. It wasn’t until 2009 that Oprah stopped her crusade against hip-hop and joined forces with Jay-Z. She even asked him to teach her how to rap. Coincidentally in 09′, Oprah had seen her lowest ratings of all time for “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” averaging only a 3.2 household rating, according to Medialifemagazine.com.

MUST READ: The 5 Greatest Confessions Told On Oprah’s Couch

Two years later, Oprah waved goodbye to the empire she had built on CBS for 25 years and ventured into her OWN network. OWN reached approximately 505,000 viewers after launching on January 1, 2011. By May 2012, OWN reported losses of an estimated $330 million, sending the channel into “overhaul.” Oprah’s lead series “Oprah’s Next Chapter” wasn’t pulling as much weight as the world thought it would.

A sit-down with Rihanna would eventually give OWN the break it needed. Today, a clip of LL Cool J’s forthcoming interview with O hit the Internet and we can help but wonder if it’s all a ploy for ratings. Could be. but then when you add DMX into the equation, that “could be” turns into a duh!

Turn the page to see the teaser clip for LL’s upcoming premiere on OWN.

1 2Next page »

For 2024’s iteration of MadameNoire and HelloBeautiful’s annual series Women to Know, we knew we wanted to celebrate the people who help make the joys of film and television possible. To create art is to create magic. This year, we spotlight Hollywood Executive’s changing the face of cinema.