After reports surfaced that Oprah nearly had a nervous breakdown, the TV titan is striking back. INSIDE EDITION has the story.
Oprah Winfrey is shooting down reports that she suffered a mental breakdown.
"Never had a breakdown. not even close. story blown way out of proportion," Oprah tweeted.
Oprah's best friend, CBS This Morning co-host Gayle King, is also blasting the reports. She said, "I am a little annoyed by the story."
The firestorm started when the TV show Access Hollywood reported that Oprah had a "near" nervous breakdown last year because of the pressure of running her once-struggling cable network, OWN, and also shooting The Butler.
She said to Access Hollywood, "I thought, if I don't calm down I am going to be in serious trouble."
The interview sparked headlines everywhere.
USA Today said, “Oprah Confirms Nervous Breakdown.”
“Oprah Winfrey Confesses to Near Nervous Breakdown,” said Daily News.
But Gayle says, Oprah's remark was taken out of context. She was referring to human rights activist Jason Russell’s notorious meltdown when he ran down the street in his underwear in San Diego.
Gayle said, "She did an interview and she said, 'The guy who had a nervous breakdown, I sort of had some of those symptoms.' It is being portrayed to me that she was very close to loosing it. She couldn't take it anymore and that was not the case."
So, Oprah wants to set the record straight: she never had a breakdown.
