James Frey's publisher is still mad at Oprah

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Tyra Tue, Oct 9, 2007 at 09:38 PM EST

Wow, it sure is amazing how someone will be so quick to defend a liar. If it were me I would have reacted more harshly than Oprah. She is her brand and her brand is trustworthy. If people don't feel like they can trust what she says then how marketable is she? It is like buying a car that doesn't run. In this situation, you will have those who don't like her anymore or never have just because she demonstrates integrity. This is something which a lot of people lack so they get pissed off when others display it. Because they don't have a clue about how to display it themselves, they criticize others who have the adult mentality to do what must be done. Then there are those who understand and yes even support her. After putting her reputation on the line and her word being the reason others spent their hard earned money to buy a lie, she had every right to confront him on her show. Grow up people, when will right be right and wrong just be wrong? Who is the real victim here?

Wed, Aug 1, 2007 at 03:17 PM EST

Im sorry I dont understand why the publisher isnt taking responsibility for not doing her job & her client lieing.

Oprah treated him harshly, but it all would have been avoided if they hadnt mis represetned the book as a work of non-fiction, no?
Oprah stood up for him, went to bat for him on Larry King, took their (james, publisher, et al) word to heart. So why is the publisher blaming her for being ticked off?

Sounds like a way to avoid responsibility to me.

rita riley Wed, Aug 1, 2007 at 09:59 AM EST

i do not watch oprah anymore because of the way she treated james frey. i do not remember james frey begging to be 'flavor of the month'
i loved the book.

NIx Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 10:40 PM EST

To me, the issue was that it seemed Frey and Talese marketed this book as a memoir, when it could have easily been marketed as autobiographical fiction, only because of the fact that memoirs sell better than literary novels. It's not just the question of subjective truth, or the definition of genre: it's the tawdriness of deceptive marketing to make an extra buck. Prevalent, yes; and always deplorable.

Tom Strong Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 10:31 PM EST

No one should be defending this scumbag fraud.

t3hdow Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 10:09 PM EST

"To say that it is ok to lie because, surely, everyone does is a depressing commmentary on our society."

I never said that. I'm just saying it's hypocritical to bash a memoirist of dishonesty when there's so many half-truths and exaggerations in society to begin with. Of course none of it is right, but Oprah acts like it's the end of the world Frey did that. Uh, we have a president that lied about his reasoning behind sending US troops to Iraq (which cost around 3000 lives) and Frey is the person Oprah wants to hassle about dishonesty?

Silv Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 08:58 PM EST

Who does Oprah think she is anyway? Oh yeah, God.

I am so done with her.

Nan Talese, more power to ya!

BJohnson Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 05:02 PM EST

I'm sure Frey and his publicists, editors all knew that Oprah would demand a response to parts of his book being a complete lie. The book made it's money through the Book Club, they don't have to give it back, why are they mad? That editor knows any publicity is good publicity so go ahead challenge Oprah MONTHS after Frey was on the air during her off season. Yeah she's really bold. Whatever.

junior Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 04:56 PM EST

Both Frey and Talese could have said "no" to doing the show or left during the taping, and they didn't. (Does free will exist in the realm of Oprah?) What did they think was going to happen? Does it matter anymore anyway? The book still sells, Talese and Frey are still makin' money, why complain?

actingup Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 03:27 PM EST

I saw that episode and it was awful to watch. I thought it was way too harsh. I have seen Oprah interview murderers with less vitriol. It seemed completely out of whack.

Stephen Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 02:53 PM EST

Anyway, why is this still news? Read the date people! January 2006

Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 12:33 PM EST

Oh yeah, a man who lies to gain fame, sympathy, money, and accolades is quite an inspiration. Not only did Frey exaggerate his own struggles, he stole tragedies that befell others to gain sympathy for himself. To excuse what he did as part of his disease is just enabling the disease. To say that it is ok to lie because, surely, everyone does is a depressing commmentary on our society.

Shari Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 12:04 PM EST

sue, I completely agree. I really love Oprah alot, but that show was extremely hard for me to watch. I kept looking away from the TV. It shocks me she and so many other people were soo surprised that parts of his incredibly moving book were lies/embellishments/half truths. Um, hello? HE'S A DRUG ADDICT! Sober or not, the insecurity that caused him to become an addict is the same insecurity that caused him to feel the need to lie, embellish and/or tell half truths. We need to consider the source people. As beautifully written as the book was, consider the source.

As for Oprah, I think she was a teeny bit too harsh on him but she needed to defend the integrity of herself and her show and book club. She clearly did not want ANYONE to think she condoned Frey's behavior. I just wish she had realized it was ALL a continuing part of his disease, addiction.

djm Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 11:24 AM EST

I don't mind that Oprah lashed out at him - what I mind is her lying to get them there on the show. What was supposed to be a panel discussion was turned into something else at the last minute - which to me is no worse than what he did. I think Oprah has done some amazing things in her life, but I think she has lost site of reality in some ways and is believing her own hype.

Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 11:22 AM EST

James Frey got exactly what he deserved for that garbage he wrote. Oprah took no prisoners in that episode. I've seen nothing like that before.

GeeMoney Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 11:22 AM EST

Just to be clear, I meant "GOD" sarcastically. I don't anyone getting upset or anything. Anyways, dude had it coming.

GeeMoney Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 11:19 AM EST

Million Little Pieces... great book. But let's not forget, James Frey lied to and embarrassed GOD (aka Oprah) on national television. It's probably what he gets for leading the life he did.

Fluffy Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 11:14 AM EST

James Frey lied and conned everyone and damaged the careers of many other people, including Winfrey and Talese. Further, his memoir was about drug addiction and recovery, so his writing a novel, then when it didn't sell, claiming it was the actual facts of his life, actually hurt people who read it, rather than helped them. If you're recovering, you agree not to lie anymore. You admit what you did. Oprah staged an intervention and yeah, she did it for her own purposes, but as someone who had been lied to and used. The sad thing is that Frey remains a pure addict -- he won't admit what he did was wrong and hurt people. And his book, which lies about the struggles of addiction as well as the facts of his life, sets other addicts up for failure. That Talese ignores that fact and responsibility is saddening.

harry Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 10:48 AM EST

I don't necessarily agree with public floggings, but Frey wanted fame and lied to get it. Whatever consequences he has to deal with as a result of his misrepresentations are all well deserved.

Nicole Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 10:02 AM EST

I totally agree that Oprah was disgustsingly self-righteous that day. In fairness, I do think she has good intentions in this world, but she has too high opinion of herself. Rich and famous doesn't make a person a saint or perfect.

rks Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 09:37 AM EST

in the publishing industry, talese is the gold standard. she is a class act all the way. she would never, ever make such candid comments without reflecting long and hard on the truth and integrity of her statements. forget frey -- as much as i love oprah, you just do NOT flog nan talese in public. she deserves MUCH more respect than that. she publishes margaret atwood, aleksander hemon, ian mcewan, helen oyeyemi, and adam haslett, among others. girlfriend is FIERCE.

ml Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 08:32 AM EST

I love Oprah and I love the books. I thought Oprah was harsh on Frey, but he had to know she was not happy! Anyway, I don't get to upset about his "lies". I had a family member that was an addict and after going through rehab, he told us that the book was very spot-on. The point was that we learned about addiction and Frey didn't lie about that.

GingerCat Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 08:04 AM EST

I agree with the blogger totally. I also read and loved both books before one of them got chosen for "Oprah," and nothing is going to take those great reading experiences away from me. So some parts were fabricated? They weren't the important parts, the parts that made the books so affecting.
As for Oprah, I like her in general, but she took the whole thing way too personally. It became a personal vendetta, and that wasn't necessary.
In response to Brittany's comment below, the fact that "My Friend Leonard" is selling for $5 years after its original publication doesn't mean anything--a lot of hardcovers get remaindered after a while. Both of Frey's books have been bestsellers, before and after the controversy.
I look forward to Frey's next book, because he really can write.

Unknown Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 07:35 AM EST

Frey blatantly lied about a book he wrote to Oprahs face, she probably took it personally
he knew what he was getting into when he went back on the show
you can not lie to millions of people and expect not to be called out on it, whether its a good book or not is not the issue, he lied and Oprah called him out on it

Bobby Alderson Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 07:13 AM EST

Who cares they all are gettig paid

Alex Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 04:54 AM EST

chill baby,chill

Ned Tue, Jul 31, 2007 at 12:51 AM EST

I thought she went a little soft on him, he deserved so much more scorn than he received.

A college kid had an extremely minor drug problem, wow, stop the presses.

Dio_K Mon, Jul 30, 2007 at 10:09 PM EST

But, Junior, as myeh pointed out, how much inspiration can you draw from someone who lies to you? What's true? What's false? I need to know if I'm going to compare my truth to his. As much as they want to make it about Oprah, it's about Frey and Talese. It's about their lies and their desire to take money under false pretenses. As has been pointed out, this could have easily been published as a novel or a fictional-memoir hybrid. But they chose to pretend. If you're caught lying, don't get upset when you're called on it.

Jason Mon, Jul 30, 2007 at 10:06 PM EST

Keep in mind that Oprah was protecting herself and the integrity of her show and book club.

michael Mon, Jul 30, 2007 at 10:05 PM EST

LOVE JAMES FREY...

OPRAH??? NOT SO MUCH

Junior Mon, Jul 30, 2007 at 09:51 PM EST

Oprah is an ou of control egomaniac, criticizing her own father about commets he made about her life. I can only imagine how many discrepencies will appear in her autobiography. Fray inspired millions, if some of the facts were imbellished or even false, so what he helped a lot of people with addiction problems.

Stephen Mon, Jul 30, 2007 at 09:42 PM EST

Also, isn't it a well-known fact that Oprah's ego is as big as her bank account? Why is everyone so shocked?

sue Mon, Jul 30, 2007 at 09:35 PM EST

I think that it would be obvious to any reader that an alcoholic would embelish a story because he blacked out and would not remember it. He quit COLD TURKEY which is amazing and should be applauded. He was way down and came back. Nan Talese should have suggested a two line disclaimer to cover both her butt and his. She was the experienced editor. Then Oprah would not have had to behave so deplorably and go on about what it did to HER reputation. She looked like a real egomaniac.

Stephen Mon, Jul 30, 2007 at 09:28 PM EST

Thank you Myeh. People weren't upset about losing $$$. When you've hit rock bottom, you look for sources of inspiration, including recovered addicts. And to find out a man embellished parts of his life to make a more interesting story is betrayal. Frey and his publisher should have printed it as "fiction loosely based on real life events." It worked very well for Eminem in "8 Mile" or in Paulina Porizkova's book "A Model Summer."

myeh Mon, Jul 30, 2007 at 09:09 PM EST

At first when the whole thing went down I thought people, Oprah especially were blowing things out of proportion but my mother put it too me this way, all those people that drew inspiration from James Frey's story have been spit on, because they found out that this guy that "made it through the darkness" never actually was in trouble. So I do agree with whatever tongue lashing James Frey and his publisher got, the publisher especially because she let the book go out as a memoir, when it could have been a perfectly good fiction book. Phew! now if I could say that in one sentence, lol

Mon, Jul 30, 2007 at 08:56 PM EST

>>Is it really that bad one writer exaggerated his written claims on a memoir? <<

In a word, yes.

Ask Jayson Blair.

t3hdow Mon, Jul 30, 2007 at 07:58 PM EST

Think what you will of James Frey or his works, but the way Oprah lashed out on him was a little too harsh. Is it really that bad one writer exaggerated his written claims on a memoir? So much of our media in this nation is filled with so many half-truths, it's ridiculous to see one man martyred for it. What's the worst that could happen? We lose the $25 it costs to purchase the damn book? Come on...

Dio_K Mon, Jul 30, 2007 at 07:56 PM EST

Why is this coming out now? Is Ms. Talese ready to publish a "behind the scenes" book? Hard to believe after all this time, that she's finally setting the record straight. What's the real agenda? And I love the quote: "When someone starts out and says, 'I have been an alcoholic. I have lied, I have cheated' ... you do not think this is going to be the New Testament." I guess she never really believed Frey and expected the rest of us to not believe him either. Why bother with non-fiction then? Is everything she edits a novel? She has zero credibility.

jonathan Mon, Jul 30, 2007 at 07:44 PM EST

right, that makes more sense.

Maeve Mon, Jul 30, 2007 at 07:26 PM EST

I think Ceejc's point was regarding Nan Talese not doing any fact-checking of Frey's book and "sleeping on the job." I agree. This is what publishers and editors are for. Frey is an addict, acting like an addict by continuing to lie, and Talese and the editors should have been more thorough in researching it before printing it. Don't blame Oprah.

jonathan Mon, Jul 30, 2007 at 07:14 PM EST

ceejc
talk about not checking your facts, perhaps you should take a look at a Larry King interview with Frey where Oprah called in to defend him. Perhaps Frey thought she was on his side and that's why he agreed to do the interview. Plus, he was suppossed to be a guest with other authors, leading him to believe it wouldn't be about his "lies".

Lucy Mon, Jul 30, 2007 at 06:59 PM EST

I completely agree with the blogger. Oprah lashed out because she felt humiliated. Which is something she said repeatedly. For someone who preaches about forgiveness she definitely didn't follow her own advice. Yeah he lied that's besides the point. What she did was deplorable.

Jonathan Mon, Jul 30, 2007 at 06:58 PM EST

Even if I partly disagree with what Oprah did, it sure made for some intense television, and I'm not sorry that it happened. All the same, A Million Little Pieces is a fantastic book.
The statement I disagree with most here is yours: "even-better sequel My Friend Leonard". I didn't enjoy the sequel even half as much.

ceejc Mon, Jul 30, 2007 at 06:54 PM EST

"nobody deserves the kind of public beat-the-dog-with-a-newspaper treatment he got on that one awful episode of Oprah. Right?"

Wrong. You sleep on the job, never bothering to fact-check and ignoring the many people who told you Frey was down-right lie, and Oprah's to blame because she helped sell your book of lies? Try taking some personal responsibility for the whole debacle and stop pointing fingers.

What did Frey and Co think Oprah was going to do, thank him? Of course she was going to tear him a new one. He lied TO HER FACE and on National TV. I'd humiliate the ish out of him too if given the chance.

Stephen Mon, Jul 30, 2007 at 06:50 PM EST

I can't wait until I see the headline "Book Publisher Mysteriously Disappears, Search begins."

NineDaves Mon, Jul 30, 2007 at 05:52 PM EST

to quote kathy griffin, "you don't screw with oprah, barbara walters, or the jews." good luck talese. it was nice knowning you!

Nav Mon, Jul 30, 2007 at 05:47 PM EST

Oprah may have been wrong to invite him back to her show simply to attack him, but Nan Talese thinks Oprah is the only one who should apologize? Really? Oprah isn't the one who knowingly published a memoir filled with lies.

Brittany Mon, Jul 30, 2007 at 05:28 PM EST

What Oprah did got the public's attention, but was in no way appropriate. James Frey's books, regardless of whether you view them as biographies, memoirs, or fiction, are amazing stories. The result of everything that has happened surrounding the books is interesting; I got "Leonard" on sale for $5 at Border's last week.