In an interview with the Associated Press, Miss. Winfrey explained that her intentions were not to cause a media feed fest when she mentioned what happened to her in Switzerland.
“I think that incident in Switzerland was just an incident in Switzerland. I’m really sorry that it got blown up. I purposefully did not mention the name of the store. I’m sorry that I said it was Switzerland. I was just referencing it as an example of being in a place where people don’t expect that you would be able to be there.”
The incident became international when Oprah suggested that it was racism that caused a store clerk in Switzerland to deny her seeing a handbag of her choice because it was too expensive.
She told Entertainment Tonight: “I was in Zurich the other day, at a store whose name I will not mention. I didn’t have my eyelashes on, but I was in full Oprah Winfrey gear. I had my little Donna Karan skirt and my little sandals on. But obviously ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ is not shown in Zurich.”
Oprah’s apology comes after the sales clerk accused her of lying. In a recent interview, the clerk emphatically denied being a racist and said she was shocked that Oprah made such a claim.
“It is absolutely not true that I declined to show her the bag on racist grounds. I even asked her if she wanted to look at the bag,” she said.
This has the makings of a lawsuit. Its the natural progression.
