Oprah Winfrey is facing a lawsuit over “Iyanla: Fix My Life.”
A Mississippi woman is claiming that the OWN show featuring life coach Iyanla Vazant is a “carbon copy” of her own work, a proposed show called “The Agency,” and is seeking unspecified damages.
“The two television shows are virtually identical,” Otisa C. Strickland wrote in papers filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. “Both shows involve a counselor that travels all over the United States to people homes [sic] to counsel them about their problems.”
Strickland says that Winfrey had access to her ideas because in 2011 she claimed copyright infringement on another OWN show, “In the Bedroom with Dr. Laura Berman.” But in a letter attached to the lawsuit filed this week, OWN said that Strickland’s proposed show, “Conflict Solutions,” featured a completely different concept based on a judge resolving disputes, rather than a sex therapist helping couples.
“Iyanla,” which premiered in 2012, returned in September for its sixth season, drawing 670,000 total viewers according to Nielsen, slipping 7 percent compared to the Season 5 premiere.
Past show topics have included attitudes about “angry black women,” broken families and a closeted gay pastor.
Strickland is representing herself in the case.
A spokesperson for OWN did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
9 Surprising Daytime Talk Show Failures, From Harry Connick Jr to Queen Latifah (Photos)
From Oprah to Ellen, daytime TV has found its own array of talk-show stars. But clearly the format isn't for everyone. Here are nine ill-fated talk shows from stars who deserved better.
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Queen Latifah is a real head-scratcher. The rapper and actress has broad audience appeal and likeability. But she's bombed with two different talk shows titled "The Queen Latifah Show," one in 1999-2001 and another from 2013 to 2015.
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Everyone loves Tony Danza, right? Maybe not. The irrepressible former "Taxi" and "Who's the Boss" star premiered "The Tony Danza Show" in 2004. Audiences were apparently unimpressed by games like "Extravadanza!" and the show was yanked after two years.
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"The Wayne Brady Show" arose out of his work on ABC's primetime improv hit "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" But Brady's charm evidently didn't translate to daytime, and the show was axed in 2004 after two seasons.
Jane Pauley was the widely admired co-host of "Today." That would make her a natural fit for her own daytime show, right? Nope. "The Jane Pauley Show" premiered in 2004 and was canceled after just one season.
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Megan Mullally tried to capitalize on the success of her Emmy-winning role in "Will & Grace" with a syndicated talk show in 2007 -- but low ratings led to cancellation after just five months.
"Anderson Live" had one of the most impressive sets in talk-show history, with big picture windows looking out on Central Park in New York. But viewers didn't care all that much for the view and CNN newsman Anderson Cooper saw his show axed after two seasons, ending in 2013.
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Katie Couric's syndicated daytime talkshow, "Katie," was canceled in 2013 a year after it debuted in 2012, airing for a total of 2 seasons. The ill-fated show, which failed to break through to the “Ellen” and “Dr. Phil” ranks, was distributed by Disney/ABC Television Group.
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“The Meredith Vieira Show” was canceled in 2016 after 2 seasons. After debuting in 2014, it was quickly renewed for a second season, which premiered to much lower ratings than the first season. After the cancellation, Vieira transitioned to coverage of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro for NBCUniversal.
Harry Connick Jr.'s syndicated daytime talk show, "Harry," was canceled by NBCUniversal Television Distribution in 2018 after only two seasons. It had aired on Fox-owned stations for a total of 299 episodes, though in the end, it failed to find its footing.
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We’ve compiled a list of ill-fated daytime talk shows from stars who deserved better
From Oprah to Ellen, daytime TV has found its own array of talk-show stars. But clearly the format isn't for everyone. Here are nine ill-fated talk shows from stars who deserved better.