Oprah Winfrey Denies Being Arrested for Sex Trafficking
Rumors emerge TV star's Florida home was raided by law enforcement
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Billionaire TV star Oprah Winfrey has denied rumors she has been arrested during a sex trafficking raid on her Florida home.
The anti-Trump talk show host started trending on Twitter Tuesday night as online reports claimed Winfrey’s house in Boca Raton, Florida, had been raided by authorities.
After the rumors went viral across social media, a tweet was posted from Winfrey's official Twitter account to deny the allegations.
Winfrey told her fans she is “just sanitizing and self distancing with the rest of the world” amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"Just got a phone call that my name is trending," her account posted on Twitter:
"And being trolled for some awful FAKE thing. It’s NOT TRUE. Haven’t been raided, or arrested. Just sanitizing and self distancing with the rest of the world. Stay safe everybody."
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The rumors appear to have emerged from an unverified online post that claims Winfrey's home in Boca Raton, Florida was seized and excavated to reveal underground tunnels she supposedly used for sex trafficking.
The post included photos purportedly showing Winfrey's house surrounded by red tape and a Red Cross sign, which is supposedly a cover for the raid.
Just got a phone call that my name is trending. And being trolled for some awful FAKE thing. It’s NOT TRUE. Haven’t been raided, or arrested. Just sanitizing and self distancing with the rest of the world. Stay safe everybody.đđŸ
— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) March 18, 2020
Many Twitter users were not convinced by Winfrey's online denial, however.
Prominent investor Michael Coudrey noted an apparent discrepancy between Oprah's denial post and her usual tweets, saying in a reply:
"99% of your past tweets are sent via IPhone, so why is this one sent from the website?
"Not saying there is any truth to the allegations, but did your PR person write this for you? Just curious."
99% of your past tweets are sent via IPhone, so why is this one sent from the website?
— Michael Coudrey (@MichaelCoudrey) March 18, 2020
Not saying there is any truth to the allegations, but did your PR person write this for you?
Just curious. pic.twitter.com/kXo1c3kP4O
There were also reports that she was just one of many celebrities arrested, including Tom Hanks, whose coronavirus infection was supposedly a "cover" for his arrest.
The next supposed celebrity arrests for "pedophilia" are Celine Dion, Madonna, Charley Barkley and Kevin Spacey who will all claim to have the coronavirus.
The claims get even more salacious, with Harvey Weinstein supposedly getting a lighter sentence for providing testimonies against Hollywood elites like Quentin Tarantino, John Travolta, Steven Spielberg, Charlie Sheen and politicians such as Bill Clinton and Joe Biden.
This isn't the first time Oprah Winfrey has been tied to sexual misconduct allegations, however.
Her close relationship with convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein has drawn mounting scrutiny ever since accusations first emerged against the Hollywood mogul.
In early 2018, internationally renowned musician Seal trashed Winfrey on social media just days after her widely-praised speech at the Golden Globe Awards on sexual misconduct in Hollywood, calling her a “part of the problem for decades.”
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Seal republished a pair of photos of Winfrey with disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, including one in which she appears to be kissing the producer’s cheek.
Overlaid on the photos, in all caps, is the text: “When you have been part of the problem for decades, but suddenly they all think you are the solution.”
“Oh I forgot, that’s right…..you’d heard the rumours but you had no idea he was actually serially assaulting young stary-eyed actresses who in turn had no idea what they were getting into. My bad,” Seal wrote.
He added the hashtag “#SanctimoniousHollywood” to the post.
Around the same time, Juanita Broaddrick, a now-75-year-old retired nurse who alleged former President Bill Clinton raped her during his 1978 campaign for Arkansas governor, and that his wife, Hillary Clinton, helped him cover it up, also slammed Winfrey.
She brought that allegation to Oprah’s attention.
"Hey @Oprah #GoldenGlobes," Broaddrick tweeted in January 2018.
"Funny I’ve never heard you mention my name. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?
"Guess not. My rapist was/is your friend, Bill Clinton.”
