Fantasia Barrino gave “Queen Oprah” Winfrey a shoutout for lending a helping hand after an unfortunate event nearly stopped the singer from continuing part of her current press tour.
The “American Idol” season three winner is currently on the move as she promotes the highly anticipated musical adaptation of “The Color Purple.” In this project, Barrino stars as an older Celie, and her stellar performance already has earned her a Golden Globe Award nomination.
While Barrino, 39, already has visited a variety of cities to promote the film, she recently revealed how a tiny hiccup almost cost her a trip to New York.
In a now-expired IG story, the “Lose to Win” songstress explained that her flight from Los Angeles to New York was canceled by the airline. This abrupt circumstance also caused Barrino to miss her daytime interview with “CBS Mornings.”
Once Winfrey, one of the producers of “The Color Purple,” heard about Barrino’s situation, she quickly intervened in only a way Winfrey knows best.
“Queen Oprah, she texted me this morning. Umm and then we got on the phone she was saying you know congratulating me on the nomination,” Barrino shared. “And I told her I said, ‘I’m still stuck in L.A.’ She said, ‘Give me a second. Call you right back.’ ”
Barrino went on to reveal that the successful philanthropist, 69, made sure that she and her crew made it to New York by way of a private jet.
“She has arranged for us to get on a private plane and we’re headed to New York,” Barrino proudly said. “So, I will be able to get some of my press stuff in.”
According to the posts on her IG story on Dec. 12, Barrino landed safely in The Big Apple and was able to make her appearances.
After news of Winfrey’s kind act landed on X, several social media users appeared to be impressed by her ability to make such a “boss” move within minutes. Some of those comments included, “That why Oprah is the mother f—–g GOAT,” “Oprah is about that action! We love to see it,” and “Oprah with the money…”
A fourth handler posted, “Ladies and gentleman, a boss,” paired with a comical gif of Winfrey stylishly putting on sunglasses.
In addition to Barrino, “The Color Purple” assembly of actors also includes Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins, Halle Bailey, Ciara and Phylicia Pearl Mpasi as a young Celie.
Both Barrino and Brooks made their Broadway debuts years ago while portraying characters from “The Color Purple” in 2007 and 2015. Barrino starred as Celie while the “Orange Is the New Black” actress played Sofia. Coincidentally, those are the same characters they are portraying in the forthcoming film.
“The Color Purple” is scheduled to be released in theatres on Dec. 25, 2023.
