A long-lost interview between NFL superstar Dennis Rodman and TV legend Oprah Winfrey recently began circulating online and, let’s just say, it hasn’t aged well.
At the time, Rodman was at the peak of his popularity and was making tons of TV appearances. His highest profile one was on Oprah’s show in 1996.
A snippet of the interview resurfaced on Twitter this week. It shows Rodman being asked about his sexuality, which has always been a hot topic of conversation.
Related: Dennis Rodman opens up about his relationship with gay men in the ’90s
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When Oprah questioned whether he was worried about his “sense of sexuality” as a young person, Rodman replied, “I was very scared to be around boys. I didn’t know how I would fit in because I was so shy.”
Then, in a truly cringeworthy moment by today’s standards, Oprah flat out asked if he was gay. When he said “no,” she said she believed him. Then she immediately asked if he was bisexual. When he said “no” again, she asked whether he had ever “thought about” having sex with another man.
Dennis Rodman discusses his sexuality on Oprah Winfrey Show (1996) pic.twitter.com/gkO0B9Xlhb
— Clitaurus (@Epithymia__) April 26, 2020
After the interview started circulating on social media, many criticized Oprah for her line of questioning, which bordered on interrogation.
In her defense, it was a much different time and we’re 99.9% sure she wouldn’t ask those same questions today, nearly 25 years later. Also, it’s not known whether she ran them by Rodman prior to interviewing him. Often, high profile sit-downs like these are scripted in advance.
Check out the responses…
Oprah is so damn rude , she basically wanted this man to say he’s gay so bad ….
— Tokyo (@khanykleee) April 27, 2020
These old clips of Oprah make me realize how problematic she was & how she was able to attain her level of success. She consistently vilified her own community for the White gaze, for DECADES. I was way too young to get it then but I’m grown & wide awake, now.
T R A S H. pic.twitter.com/r6V6lapZ6Z
— Petty L’Belle ☾ (@xoJoyBelleox) April 27, 2020
I’m so sick of Oprah… he told her no and she still persisted to ask him
— Janet Annette (@ThaPerfectBlend) April 27, 2020
I understand the conversation of black mans sexuality was taboo (and still is) but the man said no several times, and why does the audience seem so hostile to the idea of him saying yes?
— Nia Imani 🥀 (@Niamani_) April 27, 2020
Dennis is comfortable with himself, why tf is Oprah trying to pressure him into saying he is gay?? pic.twitter.com/si0xH8e13t
— A DON (@gigi_likespizza) April 27, 2020
she asked the same question 30 times in 15 different ways …
— lateisha lopez (@lateishalopez) April 27, 2020
Listen… Rodman be like, pic.twitter.com/jOACQ9RKDg
— #1 mom (@indigotshai) April 27, 2020
i really hate oprah. like she asked him so many times was he gay passive aggressively as if asking him again would make him change his answer like shes so fucjing jarring bro.
— virghoe ria . 🤎 (@riatheevirgo2) April 27, 2020
Oprah said: pic.twitter.com/s5cajuL0Ld
— yo kellz dont roll up (@kvllytrollin) April 27, 2020
And if he said he was gay or bi what was the endgame gonna be?
— Migos of the Offsets (@SeaOf23) April 27, 2020
This isn’t the first time Oprah has been criticized for past interviews she’s conducted around this same issue.
Earlier this year, actor Nathan Lane recalled going on her show while promoting The Birdcage in 1996 and having Oprah question whether he was worried about being typecast in gay roles.
“Were you afraid of being typecast as ‘are you, are you not?’ ‘Is he, isn’t he…?’” she asked.
Lane called the line of questioning “terrifying,” adding, “No one had been interested in my sex life up until then.”
Related: Nathan Lane recalls that time Oprah tried to out him on her show, says “It was terrifying”
ScottOnEarth
People are blaming Oprah for something that happened 25 years ago? It was a totally different time back then and Oprah has always been an advocate, so people should think twice about what upsets them.
robertrpm1
“NFL superstar” man even my gay ass knows that’s not accurate ?
Troysky
@robertrpm1 …..same. I laughed and laughed!
Kieran
Graham knows he was an NBA star. He just did that to see if you were paying attention.
frapachino
What a horrible life Graham must have , sitting around digging up old stories in order to illicit “ outrage “ and encourage discord! Go read a book dude!
AZ71
Sorry, I’m a gay man and I’m with Oprah on this one. She wasn’t rude at all. Rodman is being disingenuous. He wont say he’s gay or bisexual but then flirts with the idea of being gay and admits to kissing a man. She wants an honest answer and he is clearly flirting with reality.
Troysky
@AZ71 ….thought the same thing. methinks Rodman was ready to discuss it. …a little awkward, but generally ok. Masses were wondering about his sexuality at the time…she was doing her job….he wa$ ready.
Black Pegasus
I’m a 90s kid so unlike the kids who are posting memes in response to Oprah’s tough questioning I understand the context. Back then Dennis Rodman was unlike anything the sports world had ever seen. He challenged what we thought about sexuality, athleticism and masculinity. People not only wanted to put Dennis in a box, but their cognitive dissonance demanded it! There was no way many people could understand or accept him without doing away with the ambiguity. Oprah was responding to the questions millions in her audience had during that era.
Troysky
@ Black Pegasus ….so agree. …I wrote more, then realized I’m repeating what you said so well…+ he’s smart and, imo, saw this coming and was at ea$e. …+ he looks great here.
Kangol2
Oprah is the same person who promoted J. L. King, the popularizer of very negative, dangerous rhetoric and memes about Black men on the DL. Even he later walked back some of his claptrap.
She also supported the addition of an anti-DL storyline into the Tyler Perry-directed film version of Ntozake Shange’s for colored girls, even though it was not in Shange’s original play. It was totally unnecessary.
OTOH, she has also been supportive to very supportive of LGBTQ rights and individual people over the years.
Kieran
Let me start by saying I don’t believe Oprah is a homophobe. Frankly, I think she’s too intelligent to be a bigot. But I do see Oprah as someone who was born in the 1950s, and how could she not have internalized a lot of the casual homophobia of the era and culture that she grew up in? In her mind, a star athlete like Dennis Rodman should have been loudly and angrily denying any suggestion that he might have an attraction to men when she brought up the topic. You can see Oprah being somewhat perplexed and confused by Rodman not trying to defend his straight privilege by forcefully denying the gay and bisexual charge in this interview. The clip is noteworthy in that it shows how deeply entrenched homophobia was in American society even on the enlightened “Oprah Show” during the Clinton years in the 1990s.
Wicked Dickie
“…A long-lost interview between NFL superstar Dennis Rodman…” Way to perpetuate the gay stereotype. If you can’t get the first sentence right then it holds that the rest of the story you wrote is inaccurate.
Toofie
So now we’re supposed to be outraged about Oprah from an interview 24 years ago… There are plenty of REAL problems with real threats nowadays. Focus on that.
JessPH
A clip which is more than 20 years ago? Seriously? Oprah was one of those few TV hosts who were brave enough to have gay people as guests during the 80s. There is not a single homophobic bone in her body.
Kieran
Phil Donahue was much better on the gay issue. His iconic talk show was “must see TV” in the 70s and 80s and it was one of the few programs that would discuss homosexuality in a positive light.
richardNobbs
The textbook of homophobia is being upset that someone asks if someone is gay. Being gay fine, it’s great, it’s lovely. When was the last time you heard of an unearthed tape of a celebrity, sports figure, ice cream guy being asked if he was straight? When was the last time you heard of a gay man being the subject outcry cuz someone asked if he was str8? Never. H-O-M-O-P-H-O-B-I-A.
Bob LaBlah
Newsflash: this is also the time when he was running around with Madonna during the time when Madonna was promoting a clandestine lesbian aura about herself. Rodman jumped on the bandwagon and made millions wearing wedding dresses, makeup and the like. You go figure from there as to whether he was hiding something or simply making an ass of the public like Madonna did.