Media
mogul
Oprah
Winfrey
has
launched
a
new
series
Oprah
Talks
COVID-19
for
Apple
TV
Plus.
The
66-year-old
former
TV
host
announced
the
show
on
social
media
and
for
its
first
episode,
she
sat
down
with
actor
Idris
Elba
via
Facetime
to
talk
about
his
coronavirus
diagnosis.
"Like
millions
of
people
all
over
the
world,
I've
been
staying
safer
at
home
for
over
a
week
now.
I
know
a
lot
of
people
are
feeling
stressed,
overwhelmed,
&
uncertain.
Because
of
that,
I
want
to
offer
some
hope
&
gather
thought
leaders
&
people
going
through
it
to
add
some
perspective
"Which
is
why
I
FaceTimed
@idriselba
and
his
wife
Sabrina
who
are
safely
quarantined
together
after
he
tested
positive
for
COVID-19.
Idris
fills
me
in
on
his
journey
and
Sabrina
reveals
the
result
of
her
test
after
they
decided
to
quarantine
together," Winfrey
posted.
In
the
episode,
Elba,
47,
said
he
has
been
dodging
interviews
with
the
press
but
wanted
to
talk
to
Winfrey
as
a
"friend" because
"journalistic
approach
to
doing
things
like
this
is
probably
one
of
the
best".
About
his
decision
to
go
public
with
his
diagnosis,
Elba
said,
"COVID-19
has
come
to
a
sort
of
pressure
point
right
now
but
for
the
last
two
weeks,
it's
been
a
talking
point
and
I
really
felt
that
a
lot
of
people
didn't
know
what
was
gonna
come
...
It
didn't
really
feel
relatable.
There
were
a
bunch
of
theories
going
around:
it's
a
conspiracy!
Is
it
even
real?
Which
is
why
I
FaceTimed
@idriselba
&
his
wife
Sabrina
who
are
safely
quarantined
together
after
he
tested
positive
for
COVID-19.
Idris
fills
me
in
on
his
journey
and
Sabrina
reveals
the
result
of
her
test
after
they
decided
to
quarantine
together.
pic.twitter.com/HETVZeqCPE
"And
when
I
got
tested
and
it
came
back
positive,
it
became
very
real.
It
was
always
real
for
me
but
it
became
very
real.
And
I
just
felt
compelled
to
tell
people
this
is
very
real.
Someone
like
myself,
in
the
public
eye,
can
press
a
button
and
30
million
people
will
get
a
message
the
next
day,
I
think
is
a
really
important
component
in
the
messaging
around
COVID-19
right
now," the
actor
said.
Sabrina,
who
sat
besides
Elba,
said
she
has
also
been
tested
positive
for
COVID-19.
Throughout
the
series,
Winfrey
will
continue
to
have
remote
conversations
with
experts
and
people
facing
challenges
caused
by
the
pandemic,
which
first
originated
in
China
and
has
so
far
claimed
the
lives
of
over
13,000
people.
"Oprah
Talks
COVID-19"
is
now
streaming
and
can
be
viewed
on
Apple
TV
Plus
by
its
subscribers.
People
who
don't
have
a
subscription
can
also
watch
the
show
on
the
streaming
service's
application.
The
show
is
part
of
Winfrey's
multi-million
dollars
deal
with
Apple
for
creating
content
for
the
company's
newly-launched
streaming
service.