Oprah Winfrey corrects fan who dissed her Maya Angelou tribute


Maya Angelou and Oprah WinfreyMaya Angelou and Oprah WinfreyCorbis via Getty Images

Oprah Winfrey made it very clear she’s allowed to call Maya Angelou by her first name.

Weeks after a television clip of Angelou correcting a young woman for addressing her by her first name went viral, some can’t seem to let it go — including one overzealous follower who felt the need to correct Winfrey.

On Thursday, which was Angelou’s birthday, Winfrey, 65, paid tribute to the late poet and author. Writing on Instagram, Winfrey said, “Maya would have been 91 today! This is my favorite picture of us. Even in death I feel the ‘unbroken continuity’ of her mother-sister-friendship reference in the Henry Scott Holland canon ‘Death is Nothing At All.’”
Oprah Winfrey on Maya Angelou: 'She Will Always Be the Rainbow in My Clouds'
To that, one person commented, “Ms. Angelou to you Oprah. You have no license to call her Maya. She will always be Ms. Angelou.”

Winfrey was quick to respond that she had every right to refer to the late literary icon by her first name.

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“She actually gave me permission after the 2nd or 3rd visit to her home to call her ‘Maya,’” she responded. “Believe me I’ve witnessed when other folk did NOT have that permission!”

That response has since garnered more than 16,000 likes and opened the floodgates for more commentary.

John Mayer even commented, “When Oprah claps back – look down. One of her hands is your face. Now look in the mirror. That’s right; you have seen Oprah hands for a face. You’re tripping. This is due to the dusting of neurotoxins released from the clap. You will wake up at the job you had in high school, but at the age you are today. In your pocket you will find a note that says ‘do better.’”