With new book, controversial author James Frey still angry with Oprah: 'You can't stop me'

USA Today

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With new book, controversial author James Frey still angry with Oprah: 'You can't stop me'
Author James Frey still has a grudge against Oprah Winfrey, nearly 15 years after the host confronted him for lying in his memoir on national TV.
Winfrey, who chose Frey's memoir 'A Million Little Pieces' for her book club in 2005, challenged Frey and his publisher on her show after she found out he had lied about parts of his drug addiction, criminal history and time in rehab. Frey was largely outcast from literary fame by the general public as well, an example of a public figure getting 'canceled" before the term was widely used.
In 2011, Winfrey apologized to Frey for being too harsh. Despite the pair hugging it out on air, Frey told The New York Times in an interview published June 8 he's still angry, lambasting Winfrey for 'brutal hypocrisy.'
'She told more lies to the public times a thousand than I ever have. And I'll leave it at that,' Frey told the NYT.
USA TODAY reached out to representatives for Oprah for comment.
Frey says Oprah and critics 'won't stop' him amid new book release
Frey's next novel is 'Next to Heaven' (June 17), a dive into the privilege, sex, scandal and murder lying beneath a picture-perfect Connecticut town. It's his first novel since his 2018 'Katerina.' Frey has written well over a dozen novels and many young adult books under a pseudonym since his controversial debut, 'A Million Little Pieces.'
Discrepancies in the memoir came to light after an investigation by The Smoking Gun in 2006. Based on police reports, court records and interviews, The Smoking Gun found much of 'A Million Little Pieces' was dramatized or fabricated.
Though Frey admits he lied in his memoir, he maintained it was merely artistic liberty, comparing it to a Picasso or Rembrandt self-portrait that isn't photorealistic. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Frey says he has a thicker skin when it comes to criticism now. Though he believes in critics' rights to 'say whatever they want,' he also believes he got 'thrown into the fire in ways that I don't think a lot of people do.'
To the NYT, Frey echoed that anger when talking about his lasting anger against Winfrey: 'You might be the most influential lady in this world, you won't stop me. I will lower my head and I will walk forward and I'll keep throwing punches until I die. You can't stop me.'
Now seeking a comeback, Frey also told the NYT his gripes with the current state of the publishing industry. He's spent the years since the controversy counseling other public figures who have been through similar experiences.
'For a long time, writers were fearless sorts of people who held mirrors up to society and showed us what was up. And that's not the case anymore, right?
'Writers are scared of getting canceled,' Frey said. 'Writers are scared of making work that makes people uncomfortable. Everybody wants a hug and a Pulitzer. I don't. I don't need either one.'
James Frey addresses AI, new book 'Next to Heaven'
Frey has also garnered controversy over his use of artificial intelligence, which he said in 2023 he used to see if it could write a story imitating his style and voice. In a 2023 interview with Centre Pompidou, he said he used AI to 'write the best book possible.'
Later, to the NYT, Frey said he did not use AI to write his new book, though he did experiment with it for an earlier project he abandoned and uses it for research purposes.
'It doesn't matter what I do, people are going to find some reason to come for me,' he said.
Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY's Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you're reading at [e-mail].