Oprah Gets Schooled on HIV and Has Her Own Aha! Moment

An HIV-positive woman explains to Oprah that not everybody has it as well as Magic Johnson.

By Jorge Rivas Oct 08, 2010

In 1987, "The Oprah Winfrey" show aired a groundbreaking program called "AIDS in America" that humanized the AIDS epidemic. But 23 years later and countless segments on the subject (including the rising HIV rates in woman and communities of color), Oprah still has got a lot to learn.

Yesterday, Oprah aired a segment called "Why She Sued Her Husband for $12 Million" in which she interviewed a woman named Bridget who won an unprecedented $12 million in a case agaisnt her ex-husband. Bridget had contracted HIV from her ex. Midway through the segment, Oprah attempted to compliment Bridget on how healthy she looked by saying, "You look at people like Magic Johnson, and you realize that you can live a healthy, happy, long life" with HIV. But Bridget didn’t want to hear any of that. She interrupted Oprah and proceeded to make that experience a teachable moment for Oprah. Not everybody, she explained, has access to cutting edge treatment. 

Watch the clip above and then take a second to watch the clip below that originally aired in 1987 from "AIDS in America."