James Frey Calls Out Oprah Winfrey's “Brutal Hypocrisy” Over Memoir Scandal

James Frey is revisiting a controversial chapter from his past.

Nearly 20 years after being publicly criticised by Oprah Winfrey for fabricating parts of his 2003 memoir 'A Million Little Pieces'—a book that had once been featured in her book club. Frey is now calling out what he sees as hypocrisy in how she handled the fallout.

“It’s the brutal hypocrisy of it,” Frey told The New York Times in an interview published June 8. “She told more lies to the public times a thousand than I ever have.”

Frey remained defiant when addressing Winfrey’s influence and the impact of her criticism.

“You might be the most influential lady in this world, you won’t stop me,” he said. “I will lower my head and I will walk forward and I’ll keep throwing punches until I die. You can’t stop me.”

James whose newest release 'Next to Heaven' hits shelves this month, acknowledged that roughly 15 per cent of 'A Million Little Pieces' was embellished. Still, he defended his actions, stating he “lied just like every other memoir writer has lied.”

He asked, “When Rembrandt painted self-portraits, is he allowed to manipulate the paint to make himself look however he wants himself to look?” while drawing a parallel between artistic expression and memoir writing.

James’ remarks come nearly two decades after 'The Smoking Gun' published a January 2006 exposé uncovering falsehoods in his memoir, such as exaggerating his criminal history, overstating time spent in jail, and portraying himself as a key figure in a 1987 train-car accident.

Shortly after, Oprah invited James onto her show to respond. The host told him she felt “duped” after reading the report. She also said, “More importantly, I feel that you betrayed millions of readers.”

James acknowledged his mistake, noting that he had adopted a hardened persona as a “coping mechanism” during his struggle with alcohol and drug addiction. Reflecting on his approach to writing, he said, “Instead of being as introspective as I should have been, I clung to that image.”

Although Oprah felt betrayed by his embellishments, James said he didn’t feel like he “conned” anyone.

“I still think the book is about drug addiction and alcoholism, and nobody's disputing that I was a drug addict and an alcoholic,” he said. “It's about the battle to overcome that.”

Oprah brought James back on in 2011 after privately apologising for how she spoke to him during the infamous exchange, which he forgave her for.

“My apology is not for what I said, it was for the way I said it,” she explained to him. “What people saw was my lack of compassion, so I apologise for my lack of compassion because I am in the business of trying to get people’s stories and getting to the truth of those stories.”