Gossip & Rumors
Tommy to O: Racist E-Mail a "Big Fat Lie"

Tommy Hilfiger has never been kicked off Oprah's show ... because he's never even been on Oprah. But today, the preppy designer appeared for the first time with O to refute an ugly urban legend that's been circulating for over a decade.

An e-mail first popped up about ten years ago -- and has recently resurfaced -- which alleges that Hilfiger was booted off the set of "Oprah" when he supposedly admitted that he intended his designs for "upper-class white people," not for Blacks, Jews, Asians or Latinos. Turns out that Hilfiger never said anything of the sort -- anywhere -- and that he wasn't even a guest on the show.

Hilfiger was so floored by the rumors, he tells O, that he paid FBI investigators "a lot of money" to track down the source, though the closest they got was an unnamed college campus. And, in the end, he says, the rumor's ridiculous because, frankly, what he really wants is money "from anyone that will buy my clothes."

Tags: Oprah, Tommy Hilfiger, TommyHilfiger

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(Page 6 of 7) Previous 15 Comments | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Most Recent | Next 15 Comments

76. omg this suzanne lady is really crazy i just got through page 1 and two and she is still ranting.......i am no longer reading anymore of her boring rants, go get some help crazy woman. everyone please ignore her she is boring and ignorant.

Posted at 8:40AM on May 3rd 2007 by shelana

77. Ugh..Suzanne, Suzanne. I haven't been able to get past the first three lines of any of your numerous novellas, but I'm curious now...are you married? If you are, I'm feeling incredibly sorry for your husband who probably has to sit night after night and listen to you drone on and on about absolutely nothing. Poor guy's probably clawed out his own eardrums with a fork by now...

Girl, you need to go curl up somewhere with a nice hot cup of SHUT IT and lay off the keyboard. Yeesh...

Posted at 9:33AM on May 3rd 2007 by ThanksSuzanneMyEyesAreBleeding

78. Well I might have believed him if he hadn't lied. He said he had paid the FBI a lot of money to find out who sent the email... The only problem is the FBI doesn't work for the highest bidder and doesn't take pay to solve crimes.... So Me thinks Tommy is making up stories, now maybe he really never said anything racist... of course I can't believe a word he says after the bogus FBI lie.

Posted at 9:38AM on May 3rd 2007 by Yirmin Snipe

79. Tommy H didn't actually say specifically that he paid FBI agents. He said that he "hired FBI agents" (could have been retired FBI agents working as investigators), that he "did an investigation," and that he "paid investigators lots of money." Investigators could easily have meant private investigators who are paid for their work, and these comments could have been intirely independent from his FBI agent comment. I'm guessing he just didn't articulate it well and as a result, assumptions have been made.

I don't personally believe he made these comments - what kind of a moron would publicly say something that could potentially bury him and and his lucrative business?

Cam

Posted at 10:00AM on May 3rd 2007 by Cam

80. So let me get this straight with that Suzanne bitch. So not only do you hate "Pra" you hate britney Spears and the Jews and so forth. GMAFB. You don't know who you hate. Sounds like you're kind of insecure about yourself. You need serious help that you won't find on this site. And by the way, if you're a racist and so is Oprah, why don't the two of you get together for lunch? Oh, I forgot, you couldn't even afford to lunch with Oprah's maids. And if Oprah is so racist, why are the majority of her guests/audience white? Hadn't thought about that, huh? Never crossed your little bird brain. You're really pathetic and I don't wish to waste another word on you at this time.

Posted at 10:15AM on May 3rd 2007 by Courtney

81. met tommy h on monday night at pete wentz' opening of his new bar. stood in line with him for the restroom and he requests that i watch oprah on wednesday and says it's really important. i guess he told every black person he saw to watch the earth-shattering epi. sadly i missed it, but i think his request was sincere and somewhat funny.

Posted at 10:08AM on May 3rd 2007 by blaire

82. Back to the topic at hand because that Suzanne bitch is sooo yesterday. Anyway, I agree with the person that stated what moron would admit to any potential buyers that he was a racist? That's just bad PR. Didn't really start seeing any campaign/ads w/ blaacks and other nonwhite races til the rumor started several years ago. Coincidence? Don't know, but never really liked his line past junior high school anyway so his attitude toward blacks would not affect me one way or the other. Why should they?

Posted at 10:24AM on May 3rd 2007 by Courtney

83. Missy Ronald, #25, is actually correct. I heard this a while ago and wouldn't pay a dime for his clothing because of what I heard. A couple of years later I seen the episode. I can remember how I felt when Oprah told him to get off of her stage/set, the crowd was cheering and I was even more shocked because, like most times, her audience was filled with caucasians. He simply got up and walked off. I can promise you all that this is true. I have no hatred towards him. No emotion at all about the situation but Missy Ronald #25 is correct.

I love Oprah and when I saw this headline and this story I was like "Well ain't this a bi#@h" Oprah is up here lying." Well actually she didn't say that he had never been there but she did say " Have you ever been here before?" and he said "no" and she continued. I'm not going to stop watching Oprah but I still won't buy his clothing.

Posted at 12:14PM on May 3rd 2007 by T

84.
Suzanne---
Hang in there and KEEP TRUTH ALIVE !!!!!!!!!

Posted at 12:20PM on May 3rd 2007 by Sebastian

85. Ok....so if the show really did air, for those who have said they saw it, surely, someone, somewhere in the world would have a copy of that video out. You guys say you watched it, surely with Oprah having millions and millions of viewers, some of which tape her show daily, someone should have a copy of that tape, and believe me, they would have released it by now if this RUMOR were true.

Posted at 10:01AM on May 4th 2007 by Angee

86. The real issue is that he is a gay drug addict and alcoholic that can barely stay sober.

Posted at 2:53PM on May 3rd 2007 by patty cake

87. TMZ keeps removing my comments about Suzanne; however they continue to post her racists rants....something is wrong with that picture. Why are they allowing her garbage to get through

Posted at 8:19PM on May 3rd 2007 by Mandy

88. Why would he want to lose millions of dollars by alienating his customers? Also, why would he include people of various races in his ads, and why on earth would he advertise in Source magazine if he didn't like African Americans and didn't want them to buy his clothes? Oh yeah, a taxi driver told me that the internet rumor about being drugged and waking only to find your kidney's gone....IT'S TRUE!!!! And who better to believe than a TAXI DRIVER!?! Duh...

Posted at 9:27AM on May 4th 2007 by poopy do

89. Arn't you bing NICE to this POOR white man and helping him out..did Al and Jesse put you up to this Oprah..to take the Sting out of Imus and the Duke Boys...too little too late.You should be taken off the air because of the comments about white folk to Gail...I was told 17 years ago not to watch your show..but I did..everyone said you were racist Oprah..then I heard the comment about white folk and I cancelled my on line subscription and won't buy your mag. any more..and you couldn't pay me to watch your show now..I have 15 friends doing the same..the white folk thought you were different..why didn't you spend more money in USA..and help the people here..your are only nice to white folk on the show 'cause you know that if they withdraw their support you are toast!!! Take all you money and go to Africa..get outa Dodge!!!!!

Posted at 2:56AM on May 6th 2007 by Vivid

90. Black people wearing this mans clothing line...what a joke..the blacks I've seen only wear baggy pants (showing their underwear) crochet things on their heads (mid summer) and oversized backetball tops...huge foolish sneakers..ugh..no class at all!! I don't know why he was concerned about any rumours about him...because black people don't buy his clothes..and who cares anyway what they think..who cares..we pretend to care but we don't..We have to play nicey nicey..or Jesse and Al will have nice white people arrested for crimes they wouldn't even commit if they had the chance..like the Lacrosse team who wouldn't touch those women with a ten foot pole..well maybe if it was ten feet long..so they wouldn't get heir hands dirty.

Posted at 3:34AM on May 6th 2007 by Doro

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