Oprah Winfrey, Cindy Crawford, show, model
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

September 20, 2023

Oprah Deletes Old Show Clip With Cindy Crawford After Model Says She Was Treated Like ‘Chattel’

Cindy Crawford isn’t holding back regarding her 1986 appearance on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show, where she was allegedly treated like “chattel.”

The famed supermodel got candid in the Apple TV+ docu-series The Super Models. Crawford and fellow iconic “supers” Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington reflected on their rise in the fashion industry.

In a clip from the new doc shared by Daily Mail, Crawford recalled her introduction to the world through a 1986 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show with her Elite Modeling Agency rep, John Casablancas. The budding fashion star was only 20 years old but remembers how Oprah seemingly encouraged her to show off her body to the audience.

“Did she always have this body? Stand up just a moment, now this is what I call a BODY,” Oprah said.

Crawford appeared nervous while standing up to give the audience and viewers a good look at her frame.

“I was like the chattel or a child, be seen and not heard,” Crawford said of how she felt at the time.

“When you look at it through today’s eyes, Oprah’s like, ‘Stand up and show me your body. Show us why you’re worthy of being here.”’

Now, as a 57-year-old mother of two, Crawford reflected on the moment and deemed the footage inappropriate.

“In the moment I didn’t recognize it and watching it back I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that was so not okay really.’ Especially from Oprah!”Crawford quipped.

Winfrey still had the old show clip visible on YouTube up until Tuesday evening, when it quietly disappeared from her channel hours before the documentary premiered. She could be seen directing questions to Casablancas about the “training period” Crawford might’ve been through.

“With Cindy, it was much more psychologically she was not sure she really wanted to model… little by little, her ambition is growing,” Casablancas told Winfrey in response to Crawford.

“She’s getting a sense, and I’m saying it now on this program, if she wants to, she can be No.1 in the business,” he continued.

Crawford’s candid reveal and Winfrey’s swift response highlight the scandals that could come in response to the new four-part documentary available to stream on Apple TV+ starting Sept.20.


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