Relationship coach blames Oprah for fueling family estrangement ‘for decades’

Oprah Winfrey is shedding light on family distancing, which she calls “one of the fastest-growing cultural shifts of our time,” but one expert says the media mogul helped fuel that same culture.

“A Cornell University study now shows that nearly a third of Americans are actively estranged from a family member,” Winfrey said on a recent episode of “The Oprah Podcast,” referring to adult children who have “no contact” with their parents, siblings or entire family systems.

Winfrey called the trend a “silent epidemic” that may be especially relevant during the holidays.

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But family and relationship coach Tania Khazaal, who focuses on fighting the “culture of isolation,” took to social media to criticize Winfrey for acting as if the estrangement crisis appeared “out of nowhere.”

“Now Oprah is reeling from the consequences of distancing, after having been one of the most important voices driving it for decades,” Canada-based Khazaal said in a statement. instagram video, which attracted more than 27,000 likes and 3,000 comments.

Khazaal said Winfrey’s messaging began in the 1990s and has contributed to a cultural shift in which walking away became the first resort, not the last.

According to the relationship coach, millennials, some of whom grew up watching Oprah, are the main demographic that separates family members, and even if it wasn’t intentional, “the effect has been absolutely harmful,” Khazaal told News Digital.

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The coach, who has her own history of estrangement, questioned why Winfrey is now treating the issue as a surprising crisis.

“She is now hosting a discussion with separated parents and children, talking about estrangement as if it were some hidden, sudden, heartbreaking epidemic that she had nothing to do with,” she said in her video.

Khazaal said he believes discussions about distancing are necessary, but insists people should not “rewrite history.”

“Distancing is not entertainment or a trendy topic of conversation,” he added. “These are real families, real pain, parents who die without hearing the voices of their children.”

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Winfrey reportedly responded in the comments, writing, “Happy to have a conversation about this, but not on a reel. I’ll ask my producer to contact you if you’re interested.” But the comment was later deleted due to the backlash it received, Khazaal told News Digital.

“I would still be open to that discussion,” Khazaal said. “The first thing I would like her to understand is simple: cases of abuse or danger aside, the family unit is the most sacred structure we have.”

“When children lose their sense of belonging to their home, they look for it in the outside world,” he added. “That’s contributing to the emotional fragility we’re seeing today.”

His criticism sparked an online debate, with some social media users saying Khazaal is expressing a long-overdue concern.

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“The first time I heard, ‘You can love them from a distance,’ was from Oprah…in the ’90s,” one woman said.

“My son got separated of us for five years,” said one mother. “The pain, the pain and the hurt never goes away.”

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Others, however, argued that Winfrey’s podcast episode was empathetic and that distancing should not be oversimplified.

Mental health experts They say the conversation about distancing is more complex than the influence of any one celebrity and reflects broader cultural changes.

In the episode with Winfrey, Joshua Coleman, a California-based psychologist, said: “The old days of ‘honor your mother and father,’ ‘respect your elders,’ and ‘family is forever’ have given way to a much greater emphasis on personal happiness, personal growth, my identity, my political beliefs, my mental health.”

Coleman noted that therapists sometimes become “distancing intermediaries” by inadvertently green-lighting distancing.

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Jillian Amodio, a master’s degree social worker at Maryland-based Waypoint Wellness Center, told News Digital that while public figures like Winfrey help normalize these conversations, distancing might be a more openly discussed topic now.

“Distancing used to be handled privately and quietly,” he said.

But even strained relationships can be resolved with the right support, experts say.

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Susan Foosness, clinical director of patient programs at North Carolina-based Rula Health, said families can strengthen their relationships by working with a mental health professional to improve communication, learn healthier conflict resolution skills, and build trust and empathy through quality time together.

“No family is perfect,” Foosness told News Digital.

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Khazaal agreed, saying, “Parents need to learn to listen without lapsing into justifications, and children need help talking about their pain without blaming or avoiding.”

News Digital reached out to Winfrey for comment.