Winfrey is setting the record straight after social media critics mocked her walk during a glamorous appearance at alongside longtime friend .
The 72-year-old media mogul - who has been proudly showcasing her dramatic - sparked chatter after arriving at the Chloé show at the Tennis Club de Paris on March 4.
Although her outfit turned heads, it was clips of the star cautiously waddling down the red carpet - with King, 71, moving just as gingerly behind her - that quickly went viral.
Online commenters were quick to weigh in, with one claiming she looked ‘disoriented, unsteady, stiff,’ while others speculated about her past knee surgery or joked that the pair appeared older than their years.
But Winfrey wasn’t about to let the internet have the final word. In a clip shared by @jznotthatjayz and later reposted to her Instagram Stories, the star addressed the moment directly during a break from filming.
And according to Winfrey, there was a perfectly logical reason behind the much-discussed walk.
Oprah Winfrey is setting the record straight after social media critics mocked her walk during a glamorous appearance at Paris Fashion Week alongside longtime friend Gayle King
The 72-year-old media mogul sparked chatter after arriving at the Chloé show at the Tennis Club de Paris on March 4
‘On the internet, somebody was - you know how people drag you on the internet - so they were dragging me and Gail saying “Look at them walking like they're 90 years old”,’ she began, prompting laughter from the audience.
Winfrey then explained that the awkward moment happened just as she arrived at the Chloé fashion show.
He admitted it was 'very uncomfortable back then for an African-American woman and a very, very white guy' to be dating, adding their relationship 'was unusual in the South.'
'My whole family grew up in the South, and so I was obviously aware of that,' he said.
Still, the two refused to let public reaction derail their relationship.
'It became a joke between us,' he recalled, explaining that because their schedules were so busy they barely saw each other. 'because we would work all day and then, like we really saw each other once a week, and she or I would say, "Hey, which restaurant do you want to empty tonight?"'
Although their romance was short-lived, Tesh said even then it was clear Winfrey was destined for greatness.
Today, Tesh is married to actress and author Connie Sellecca. The couple wed in 1992 and share daughter Prima.
Winfrey, meanwhile, has been with longtime partner Stedman Graham since 1986.
Writing in O, The Oprah Magazine in 2020, she reflected on their decades-long 'spiritual partnership.'
At first, however, she wasn’t convinced.
Winfrey admitted she initially thought Graham was a 'player' and 'too handsome' to be interested in her, noting he always seemed to be with the same girlfriend whenever she saw him — so she 'didn't pay much attention' to him.
That changed when they both visited a sick mutual friend in 1986.
'We left together, and I asked if he wanted to get a beer,' she recalled. '(Yes, I drank a lot of beer then and wore cowboy boots every day.) He said he didn't drink. (Still doesn't—not one sip of nothin' alcoholic since I've known him.)'
She continued: 'I thought he was nice enough, but I wasn't that impressed… Tall and handsome, for sure. But actually too handsome, I thought, to be interested in me.'
'I figured he must be a player. So did all my producers. They warned me not to get involved with that Stedman guy.'
Despite those early doubts, the pair went on to build one of the longest-lasting relationships in show business.
