Talk show powerhouse Oprah Winfrey has accomplished what Larry King could not: she got bestselling author James Frey to admit his best selling ‘memoir’ was largely fictional. The drama was increased by the fact that Oprah Winfrey promoted his book and was largely responsible for it becoming a bestseller. In perhaps the most dramatic Oprah episode ever—which is saying a lot—Oprah cried and audience members booed the formerly popular author.

In a stunning switch from dismissive to disgusted, Oprah Winfrey took on one of her chosen authors, James Frey, accusing him on live television of lying about “A Million Little Pieces” and letting down the many fans of his memoir of addiction and recovery. “I feel duped,” she said Thursday on her syndicated talk show. “But more importantly, I feel that you betrayed millions of readers.” Frey, who found himself booed in the same Chicago studio where he had been embraced not long ago, acknowledged that he had lied.

A sometimes angry, sometimes tearful Winfrey asked Frey why he “felt the need to lie.” Audience members often groaned and gasped at Frey’s halting, stuttered admissions that certain facts and characters had been “altered” but that the essence of his memoir was real.

Thursday’s broadcast, rare proof that the contents of a book can lead to great tabloid TV, marked an abrupt reversal from the cozy chat two weeks ago on “Larry King Live,” when Winfrey phoned in to support Frey and label alleged fabrications as “much ado about nothing.”

Sure, it makes for great television, but is this yet another sign that television shows need to more carefully research their subjects? What do you think? Is Oprah, in a way, as ‘guilty’ as Frey for the misinformation spread to her TV audience? Please leave your opinions in the Comments section!

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