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Kitty Kelley’s new Oprah biography is coming out tomorrow and while we’ve been hearing about it Kelley claims that there are plenty of outlets who refuse to give her any coverage. According to Kelley, she’s been denied interviews with Larry King, David Letterman, Charlie Rose, and Barbara Walters among others based on her subject material alone. She also had trouble getting her book published because so many people, particularly publishing companies, are scared of pissing off the almighty Oprah.

Advance details are out about Kelley’s book and there’s some dirt in there, particularly about Oprah’s childhood. Kelley said that Oprah’s cousin (who calls herself “Aunt Katherine”) told her that Oprah’s biological father is not Vernon Winfrey, the man who raised Oprah, but another guy she can’t disclose. Oprah’s cousin told Kelley all about it and swore her to secrecy. Oprah’s “Aunt Katherine” doesn’t believe Oprah was sexually abused as a child, either. Relatives often discount victims and that doesn’t mean much. (On the Today Show this morning, Kelley referred to Oprah’s abuse as the main factor in her teenage promiscuity, so it’s clear that she believes it happened.) As for whether Oprah is gay or not, Kelley calls her “asexual”:

On whether Oprah is gay
“I know people are expecting me to ‘out’ her. But I think she’s just asexual,” Kelley says. “She’s poured all of her energies into her career. And if she is, she is never ever, ever going to come out. So relax, people.”

Oprah’s maybe “elaborated” past
“And now she’s made me keep secrets,” says Kelley, who claims she knows who Winfrey’s real father is but won’t divulge it until Winfrey’s mother tells her daughter, something she has been unwilling to do for decades.

Kelley spent three days in Winfrey’s hometown, Kosciusko, Miss., chatting up Katharine Esters, Winfrey’s cousin who goes by “Aunt” Katharine, then talked to Vernon Winfrey in his Nashville barbershop. (He raised Oprah early on but says he’s not her father.)

Neither believes Winfrey’s stories about sexual abuse in her youth. (Winfrey says she was “continually molested” from age 9 until 14, and she did give birth to a baby boy at 15 — her uncle was suspected of being the father.)

“I don’t believe a bit of it,” Esters told Kelley. “No one in the family believes her stories (of sexual abuse) but now that she’s so rich and powerful everyone is afraid to contradict her.”

Kelley says she found that many of the stories Winfrey has told over the years may be “elaborated.”

“I tried to give both sides,” Kelley says. “Oprah’s stories are colorful and a bit over the top. Maybe they’re just little exaggerations.”

On getting denied for promoting the book
One problem facing Kelley this week is promoting her new biography. Many of Winfrey’s pals have circled their wagons. The View’s Barbara Walters, CNN’s Larry King, CBS’ David Letterman and PBS’ Charlie Rose have all refused to have Kelley on their shows.

“All said very openly that it was because of Oprah,” she says. “And they haven’t even had a chance to look at the book yet.” She is booked on the Today show today and Bill O’Reilly’s show Tuesday.

[From USA Today]

Another interesting tidbit from the book includes an alleged fling that Oprah had in the 1970s with muzak composer and talk show host John Tesh. Supposedly Tesh got freaked out about their interracial relationship and took off in the middle of the night. Kelley also claims that Oprah’s mother doesn’t have her daughter’s phone number and has to go through an assistant to talk to her.

Oprah never spoke to Kelley despite many attempts to interview her for the book, and many of Oprah’s friends, like Maya Angelou and Maria Shriver, declined to be interviewed as well. Hundreds of Oprah’s old colleagues and family members did grant interviews, though, most of them on the record. (Some had to necessarily speak anonymously due to the confidentiality clause Oprah makes all employees sign.) Judging from this advance excerpt from Oprah: A Biography, Kelley tries to give a balanced view of one of the world’s most powerful and a successful women. She brings some scandal to the table, though, just like Oprah’s been known to do in order to drum up interest in her show.

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