Oprah Unveils Two Documentaries And Expanded Book Club For Apple
Oprah Winfrey took the stage today at Apple’s highly anticipated product launch event to announce her own partnership with the media giant, E! News reports.
Beginning in the fall of 2019, Apple is launching Apple TV+, a “subscription-based streaming service” that will be downloadable on all Apple products and on smart TVs. Apple TV+ will be available in 100+ countries with new movies and TV shows added every month.
Winfrey entered Apple’s Steve Jobs Theater at the close of the presentation to reveal the results of a multi-year deal with the company.
Among the projects being worked on are two documentaries. The first is currently titled Toxic Labor, and will be a look into workplace sexual harassment and assault. The other will be a multi-part series on mental health, examining “anxiety, depression, addiction, PTSD and loss.” Winfrey stated that “if they do their jobs right” they can change the “shame and stigma” surrounding the condition to “compassion and honesty.”
Winfrey’s second big announcement was about expanding a long-standing aspect of her brand, Oprah’s Book Club. She revealed a partnership with Apple that she promised would build “the biggest, most vibrant, most stimulating book club on the planet.”
Though she had top billing, Winfrey was far from the only famous face present for the event. Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Anniston were also in attendance to promote their new drama The Morning Show, according to People.
Aniston, who will serve as executive producer along with Witherspoon, promoted the series as “an honest look at relationships between women and men in the workplace.”
Steve Carell, who will star in the show, joined the two actresses onstage to discuss the project.
Steven Spielberg was also present to reveal that his 1980s Amazing Stories anthology will be rebooted by Apple TV+.
Among the other big names at the event were Jason Momoa and Alfre Woodard, who will star in a new post-apocalyptic series; Kumail Nanjiani, who talked about his show, Little America; and J.J. Abrams and Sara Bareilles, who introduced their program Little Voices.
Chris Evans, Octavia Spencer, Hailee Steinfeld, Joel Kinnaman, Mark Burnett, Jane Krakowski, and Jada Pinkett Smith are all involved with projects currently in development for Apple, and were at hand for the presentation.
During Winfrey’s speech on stage, she maintained that the significance of the event could not be underscored.
“There has never been a moment quite like this one,” Winfrey said on stage. “We have this unique opportunity to rise to our best selves in how we use and choose to use both our technology and our humanity.”
Oprah is teaming with Apple TV to bring us two documentaries: one on workplace sexual harassment and assault and one focused on mental health. https://t.co/RWwGL7b9rl pic.twitter.com/hBdaa7Ze9V
— E! News (@enews) March 25, 2019
