Media mogul Oprah Winfrey has launched a new series “Oprah Talks COVID-19” for Apple TV Plus.
The 66-year-old former TV host announced the show on social media and for its first episode, she sat down with actor Idris Elba via Facetime to talk about his coronavirus diagnosis.
“Like millions of people all over the world, I’ve been staying safer at home for over a week now. I know a lot of people are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, & uncertain. Because of that, I want to offer some hope & gather thought leaders & people going through it to add some perspective “Which is why I FaceTimed @idriselba and his wife Sabrina who are safely quarantined together after he tested positive for COVID-19. Idris fills me in on his journey and Sabrina reveals the result of her test after they decided to quarantine together,” Winfrey posted.
In the episode, Elba, 47, said he has been dodging interviews with the press but wanted to talk to Winfrey as a “friend” because “journalistic approach to doing things like this is probably one of the best”.
About his decision to go public with his diagnosis, Elba said, “COVID-19 has come to a sort of pressure point right now but for the last two weeks, it’s been a talking point and I really felt that a lot of people didn’t know what was gonna come … It didn’t really feel relatable. There were a bunch of theories going around: it’s a conspiracy! Is it even real? “And when I got tested and it came back positive, it became very real. It was always real for me but it became very real. And I just felt compelled to tell people this is very real. Someone like myself, in the public eye, can press a button and 30 million people will get a message the next day, I think is a really important component in the messaging around COVID-19 right now,” the actor said.
Sabrina, who sat besides Elba, said she has also been tested positive for COVID-19.
Throughout the series, Winfrey will continue to have remote conversations with experts and people facing challenges caused by the pandemic, which first originated in China and has so far claimed the lives of over 13,000 people.
“Oprah Talks COVID-19” is now streaming and can be viewed on Apple TV Plus by its subscribers. People who don’t have a subscription can also watch the show on the streaming service’s application.
The show is part of Winfrey’s multi-million dollars deal with Apple for creating content for the company’s newly-launched streaming service.