James Frey Accuses Oprah Winfrey of “Brutal Hypocrisy” Nearly 20 Years After Memoir Scandal

Nearly two decades after the literary world was rocked by the revelation that James Frey had fabricated major portions of his bestselling memoir A Million Little Pieces, the author is back in the spotlight—this time flipping the script on one of the most powerful women in media: Oprah Winfrey.

In a new interview with The New York Times, published June 8, Frey didn’t hold back when revisiting the scandal that nearly derailed his career. He accused Winfrey of engaging in “brutal hypocrisy” in the way she condemned him in 2006, stating bluntly, “She told more lies to the public times a thousand than I ever have.”

Frey’s memoir was originally hailed as a raw, unflinching portrait of addiction and recovery. But its credibility came crashing down in January 2006 when The Smoking Gun published an exposé revealing that Frey had fabricated or exaggerated numerous details, including a criminal record and jail time.

At the time, Winfrey had endorsed the book through her influential book club, propelling it to massive success. But when the truth surfaced, she invited Frey onto her show to publicly confront him. “I feel duped,” she told him during the televised grilling. “More importantly, I feel that you betrayed millions of readers.”

Now, as he prepares to release a new novel titled Next to Heaven, Frey seems determined to reframe that moment—not as a moral reckoning, but as a media pile-on led by a figure who, he says, should examine her own record.

“You might be the most influential lady in this world,” Frey said in the new interview. “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.”

Winfrey, who has not publicly responded to the interview, did at one point acknowledge mishandling the confrontation. In 2011, she invited Frey back onto her show and privately apologized for the tone she took during the now-infamous 2006 episode. “My apology is not for what I said, it was for the way I said it,” she explained. “What people saw was my lack of compassion.”

But Frey now appears unsatisfied with that attempt at reconciliation. In his latest remarks, he defended the creative liberties he took with A Million Little Pieces, claiming only about 15% of the content was untrue and arguing that “every other memoir writer has lied” to some extent. He even compared his storytelling choices to artistic license: “When Rembrandt painted self-portraits, is he allowed to manipulate the paint to make himself look however he wants himself to look?”

Despite the controversy, Frey has always maintained that the heart of the book—its message about battling drug and alcohol addiction—remains truthful. “Nobody’s disputing that I was a drug addict and an alcoholic,” he said. “It’s about the battle to overcome that.”

In retrospect, Frey chalks up his mistakes to a persona he constructed during recovery. “Instead of being as introspective as I should have been,” he said, “I clung to that image.” He insists he never set out to deceive readers, and still doesn’t believe he “conned” anyone.

Oprah’s dramatic on-air rebuke of Frey remains one of the most talked-about moments in daytime television history—a rare instance where the queen of empathy appeared cold and prosecutorial. It also ignited a larger conversation about truth in memoirs, a genre often balanced precariously between memory and embellishment.

The scandal did temporarily derail Frey’s mainstream career—he lost a publishing deal, became the subject of widespread ridicule, and faded from the literary scene. But he didn’t disappear. In the years since, Frey has written novels, co-founded a controversial fiction “factory” that produced the I Am Number Four series, and cultivated a reputation as both literary rebel and cautionary tale.

Now, at 55, Frey seems to be seeking not redemption, but retribution. His latest comments aim to reclaim a narrative he feels was hijacked—one in which he wasn’t just wrong, but wronged.

While Oprah has remained silent on this latest chapter, her legacy—like Frey’s—has been shaped by that fateful confrontation. The media mogul has weathered her own share of controversies in the years since, including criticisms over her health advice platform and some past interviews. But few scandals have struck as deeply at her brand of trust and transformation as the Frey fallout.

Whether Frey’s renewed attacks will resonate with readers, or simply stir up old wounds, remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: nearly 20 years later, he’s still not done telling his version of the story.