Last fall, after the publication of O.J. Simpson‘s If I Did It, we were somewhat dubious about talk-show host Oprah Winfrey‘s claims to have suffered “[a] moral, ethical dilemma” when faced with Denise Brown‘s refusal to go on the show if Fred and Kim Goldman were going to be there, once they’d announced that they were definitely publishing the book. “Am I expected to believe that in 21 years of broadcasting, The Oprah Winfrey Show has never once bumped a guest?” was our exact response.
Well, she didn’t actually bump a guest, but she did pull an entire show about Columbine that was set to air on the 10th anniversary of the high school massacre after determining that the program, which included an interview with Dave Cullen (who’s pretty much written the book on Columbine), “focused too much on the killers.” Earlier this week, Cullen shared his thoughts about that decision with readers of literary agent Janet Reid‘s blog.
“It was crushing when I first got the news about Oprah,” Cullen wrote in a comment; the call informing him of the cancellation came when he was working out at the gym during a break from his book tour. “I literally did not believe the call at first,” he recalled. “When I hung up, I thought I was going to throw up.”
“Life went on,” he reflected. “The book was doing great regardless, which really cushioned the blow. Yes, I’d be happier if it aired, but hey, you win, you lose. I’m doing pretty well here.” He praises Oprah and her crew for their work during the episode’s pre-production: “I told them it was the best day of my life, and I meant it… I wish I had the TV show airing, too, but I’ll take what I got.”