Comments on Oprah Goes There

money and fame, money and fame.

These people just got their kid back after four years of not knowing whether he was alive or dead or what. My guess is that they are so thrilled to have him back that they aren't exactly concerned with appearances at the moment.

If I was in their situation and Oprah asked me that question I doubt I'd get in her face and tell her to mind her own business.

two things: first, Oprah is disgusting. Shawn hasn't been home for *a week* and she already has him and the family on. I never had much respect for her, but I lost a TON of respect for his parents. The natural media crush wasn't bad enough, you had to go on OPRAH?!?!? How about giving the poor kid a chance to breath? Mother F-ers.

Second: Howard Stern read a story on the air yesterday about a "psychic" that four years ago told the Akers (Shawn's parents) that Shawn was dead. What kind of low life thief preys on the parents of a missing child? I wish the media would pay more attention to things like this so those frauds would be put outta business for good.

Yeah, but the funny thing about this, Monkey, is that they have been *so* carefull about what they've said up to this point. The police, the lawyers - everyone's been advising these families on what to say/not say - and then they go on Oprah (which certainly reaches more people than any of the press releases they've done so far) and basically ignore that advice.

*squints at pic* gasp, no - he didn't take out the lip piercing, did he? He was darned cute with that piercing ...

What did you expect? Oprah is just another lowest-common-denominator distraction for the elderly, the unemployable, and all the other miscellaneous that are home during the day. You can dress her up, but she's still lowbrow.

Oprah only asked the question that everyone is thinking. I don't fault her for that.

If Oprah wants to be of service, she should have Bill OReilly on her show to discuss his opinions of the 'case of the missing boy.'

His disgusting viewpoint can be found here:

http://www.atlargely.com/2007/01/fox_pundits_cla.html

Someone ought to have enough power/position to expose his filth to enough light that it destroys him.

I fault oprah for being a sack of cultural shit that propagates infinetly through national airways.

The pornography of emotional blackmail and torture. People get off on that shit.

It's repugnant. And it's the reason I stopped watching or listening to that woman years ago.

Oprah really should not have asked that question. He'll now have one more thing (teasing, taunting and strange looks) as well as the obvious mental trauma he has to contend with.

The parents are not without blame, but it's understandable that in their euphoria of getting their son back their anger and sadness at the abuse he suffered may have clouded their judgement when answering the question.

He looked so lost and troubled behind those eyes, I hope he can find something akin to happiness in the future.

Suz: uh, he was kidnapped and held for 4 + years. Does the question really have to asked? On TV? It would be news if he hadn't been abused.

Leave that to the counselors, and off TV.

While it's shitty of Oprah to ask (and come on, what else do we expect of her - she's the queen of sensationalism and preys on the uneducated and desperate), I think the stupidity award goes to the parents on this one. The kid needs therapy and time to readjust and ZOMG LET'S GO ON OPRAH NOWZ!

It's just ridiculous - if anything, you'd think the parents would be more respectful of their son's privacy and need for time.

It seems as if the post-kidnapping ordeal has tortures more exqusite than those devised by the kidnapper.

Even the (in)famous Oprah is not immune to the maxim 'absolute power corrupts absolutely'.

She is incredibly self-centered and has increasingly been dismissive toward her guests; continuously cycling conversations back to herself.
Her opinions must be heard.

I feel so sorry for the poor kid.
I sincerely hope he can get through this.

And the younger one as well.

I would have faulted Oprah (or Barbara Walters or Paula Zahn or Anderson Cooper or Larry King) for not asking the god damn question. You have to be deathly naive to agree to an interview and not expect to be asked the question. And what is wrong with asking the question? It's the stigma and shame that comes from a society that can't be adult about situations like these (e.g., victim blaming) that fucks people up. People should talk about this stuff, if for no other reason than to reassure the victim that there is no stigma or shame when some sick fuck steals you away for half your life.

That said, I'm over Oprah.

My problem with the interview is that it happened so soon. The parents themselves admitted that they hadn't even gone to counselors yet - just gotten some advice from some Child Advocates. Seems that the best thing for the kid would be to get counseling for him first before they throw him in front of the country. And when Oprah asked him why he didn't try to get out, the boy responded that he didn't want to answer. So what does she do? She asks him off-air and then tells the whole country what he said and the camera pans to him. I mean, really! What's the difference? I thought that was a bit much.
Did anyone notice how Shawn kept looking at his dad mostly? That was so sad. It was like he was looking for approval.

Jezuz Fuck! What the hell is wrong with these people?!?

1.) Oprah! WTF? I used to sorta kinda like Oprah. I mean, you gotta give her her due. She carved out a place for herself, and was mostly pretty decent about it. I loved it when she took on the dumb fuck Texas Cattlemen a few years back. But WTF? You'd think with her being all sensitive and shit that she'd know better than to drag this poor kid on national TV within days of returning from 4 years of being kidnapped, and ask him the most embarrassing questions imaginable. I just lost a whole lot of respect I used to have for that woman.

2.) His parents! WTF? You just got your kid back after 4 fucking years. Do you s'pose maybe he might need a little time to recover. Some time to himself. Perhaps a counseling session or two before you throw him to the wolves? Nope. Lets go on Oprah. Talk about publicity whores of the worst order. If this is their concept of good parenting, they don't deserve to have him back.

Yes, Suz, everyone is wondering. The possibility of sexual assault was the big unasked question on everyone's mind. But right now, it is the prosecutors and child counselors that need to be asking those questions, in private, in confidence. Not Oprah, and not on national TV. A couple of months from now, after the prosecutors have built their case, and the kid has had some time to recover and the family to regroup, then yes, I would expect Oprah (or Barbara Walters or whoever) to ask the question publicly (and if I was that kid's parents I'd still tell them all to fuck off, but at least I wouldn't fault the media for asking). But not less than a week after his release.

I think it's disgusting that the family paraded their son on national television, especially right after getting him back. The kid needs to be in therapy, not in front of a camera. I just wonder how much more damage he is suffering due to being in the spotlight. Yes it was cheap for Oprah to ask the question, but the bigger fault lies with the parents for allowing their son's ordeal to become a media circus.

plus what difference does it make if they *think* he was or not. their thoughts on the matter are one thing and what happened is another.

OK, since nobody's said it yet:

The kid had a cell phone (one of the neighbors returned it to the kid in the last year or so). The kid had internet acdcess (he made two late night postings to the website of his own 'missing child' foundation). He could drive (the abductor gave him lessons. A neighbor later saw the kid driving without the abductor).

The abductor worked two jobs and was not around very much.

The kid got to listen to Insane Clown Posse all day long, very, very loudly, according to the neighbors. He didn't have to go to school. You have to have parental permission to get piercings (I'm guessing) so the abductor even hooked him up with those.

Everybody is saying that the kid was terrified and all that stuff, and certainly my heart goes out to the parents, but what if, (ahem) he had a pretty good situation? Heretical to say, I know.

I don't see anything wrong with the question.'

It's the first thing everyone wants to know, and it's the natural question everyone's been dancing around.

The stupid ones are the parents. There the ones cashing in on the fifteen minutes of fame. I think I know why the kid didn't go home.

You know what the deal is: Oprah's just trying to keep it looking sharp at the tip of the milf spear.

This kids parents are bizzare. They are on all kinds of shows from Larry King to Opera, to the Today show, and many more. They would go to the opening of a bag of potato chips if invited.
Call me crazy, but after four years away from their son, would some quiet family time not be in order. The morning after they found him they had a long long news conference and they have not stopped since.
I think that they fell in love with the spotlight when he was kidnapped, and it is they that might need help to be weaned off of that rather than their son to readjust to normal life.
That kid needs help, but so do his folks.

This kids parents are bizzare. They are on all kinds of shows from Larry King to Opera, to the Today show, and many more. They would go to the opening of a bag of potato chips if invited.
Call me crazy, but after four years away from their son, would some quiet family time not be in order. The morning after they found him they had a long long news conference and they have not stopped since.
I think that they fell in love with the spotlight when he was kidnapped, and it is they that might need help to be weaned off of that rather than their son to readjust to normal life.
That kid needs help, but so do his folks.

This kids parents are bizzare. They are on all kinds of shows from Larry King to Opera, to the Today show, and many more. They would go to the opening of a bag of potato chips if invited.
Call me crazy, but after four years away from their son, would some quiet family time not be in order. The morning after they found him they had a long long news conference and they have not stopped since.
I think that they fell in love with the spotlight when he was kidnapped, and it is they that might need help to be weaned off of that rather than their son to readjust to normal life.
That kid needs help, but so do his folks.

This harlot has absolutely ruined this poor boy's life! My personal belief is that painful, distasteful, disgusting and taboo topics such as past child abuse, domestic violence, sexuality of any kind (especially homosexuality) and trauma should be locked away in your subconscious and never, ever brought up to anyone for any reason at all, especially in "proper" company. If the burden is too much to bear, regular consumption of alcohol is the traditional remedy. Do these people not realize that talking about these subjects make others uncomfortable? I have put the question to several members of my gentleman's club, and they all agree -- this violation must not go unpunished! Their sins are compounded by the fact that this episode has upset me and put me off my afternoon tea, but it soothes my heart to see I do not suffer alone. I am comforted to see that my fellow commenters can join me in seeing past this family's doubtlessly harrowing ordeal and their subsequent joy on its happy conclusion and join me in heaping scorn and abuse for this intolerable breach!

It's none of our business whether he was molested or not! What ever happened to the notion than some things are private and can stay that way?

IT WAS UP TO THE PARENTS TO ANSWER HER QUESTIONS.THEY COULD HAVE SAID,CANT ANSWER THAT RIGHT NOW.IS WAS THERE CHOSE.THEY MUST HAVE TALKED TO THERE CHILD IF IT WAS OK FOR THEM TO GO ON HER SHOW.OTHER WISE THEY WOULD HAVE NOT GONE ON,IF THEY THOUGHT IT WASNT COMFORTABLE FOR SHAWN.THEY ALL KNEW WHAT THEY WERE GETTING INTO.AS FOR SHAWN I GIVE HIM THE UP MOST RESPECT FOR GOING ON HER SHOW KNOWING WHAT HE WENT THROUGH.SHAWN MAY GOD BLESS YOU,KEEP YOUR HEAD UP HIGH BECAUSE YOU ALWAYS HAVE YOUR FAMILY......

I FUCKING LOVE CAPS LOCK! GOD BLESS SHAWN YOU!

oprah should be stopped. her grandiosity grows like a storm cloud. some things are good, like the school, somethings, nope. like this. better work out her own history of abuse before she abuses others. she should never have had him on, there's strike number one. strike number two are the strange parents, who my guess have far more to reveal that's off than meets the eye. step father, hmm, maybe the abuse started there. media is the third strike. and with three strikes against a poor teen i'd say that's a good enough reason for him to run away this time, and never come back. i wish him great luck, though, great luck.

What do you think all the attention paid to these "white child/woman disappearance" stories is about? Sure, they are tragic and horrible, but they are essentially a local story, like the 9 year old Thai girl who was gunned down in her kitchen from an errant bullit in a gang shooting in L.A. two weeks ago. How much press did that get nationwide? It didn't because there's no sex there.

The reason these stories make the front page and sell newspapers (or ad time) is because of their purient nature, the desire for sexual thrill. "The People" don't only want to know about the abuse, they want to hear every pornographic detail, revealed in a "safe" confessional style. Media clusterfuck cases like this are just excuses for people to read about, think about, and talk about things about which are supposed to normally be taboo; in this case, the sexual life of an adolescent boy. It's pure, unabashed voyeurism, and reflects deep societal conflicts over issues of sexuality. In the end, I think that like all hysteria, it's deeply, deeply unhealthy.

Our obsession with going on T.V. and laying it all out there in the media confessional is no different from dogs sniffing each others butts. Sexuality is an instinctual response that humans (read:primates) naturally want to explore, and oprah is just hoisting shawns butt out there for all of us to take one big whiff... The exception I take to the whole disgaceful spectacle is that you'd think being able to reason might keep us from being so grotesque about it.

What is a child who has been kidnapped for 4 years doing on this show in public? What were his parents thinking? What was Oprah thinking to ask such a question? I don't know a lot about Oprah, but I can have no respect for someone who does this. It is totally sickening, total exploitation.

This is a country that excitedly tunes in to American Idol auditions to watch judges ridicule the mentally disabled. How many have downloaded a video of Saddam's execution?

America at some point needs to accept that it's appetite for watching others suffer - and getting every last detail of that suffering - is entertainment of sorts. I'm sure many of us questioned the horrifying details of these two kidnappings...but it's Oprah who decided to make a program off of those details. It's easy to blame the parents when few of us have a clue what they've been put through with both the kidnapping and the media frenzy following his return home. Far more media-savvy people have made far bigger errors in dealing with the media. I bet most who fault them would have been in no better position to handle it.

Let both of these children deal with the unthinkable difficultly they'll go through to get back into living something of normal life. Let's be thankful these weren't our children. Let's stop feeding the media/network machines getting rich and getting ratings off human suffering.

When a kid has been mistreated and the parents act like it was horrible and refuse to talk about it etc, the kid picks up on that. When they talk straightforward and clinical and move on, the kid isn't nearly as affected. So she is a bit touchy-feely. The parents answered with truth. That is a good thing.

seattle98104
money and fame, money and fame

i think you mean:
money and fame, fame and money. . .;o)

What a bunch of asswipes! Sorry but that is how so many of these nasty comments come across. Anyone who has been the center of a media circus will tell you that the advice they get from experts on this topic is to go public in one big interview and end the circus. Once that is done the rest of the media really loses interest. In this case the best place to go would be someone like Oprah because of the wide viewership. Once she finishes her interview the family and the boy will find media interest diminishing. They won't park on his doorstep, follow him around and keep calling. No one is looking at the reality of the situation and what would happen if no interview was done -- the media vultures would keep hounding them. Why? Because people were curious and wanted to know, because they have opinions on everything -- like the people who post here. The media gives the public what the public is willing to pay for. So blame the public for the media circust and realize that the best way to end that was the big interview and this was the wisest way to go.

I agree that this was much too soon to expose this kid on Oprah.
Fine for his parents and aunt, but not for the boy.
The rest could have been done in public.
It's going to be hard to find an impartial jury. But that nutjob Devlin plead guilty, although BOTH boys were in his house!

I don't think it's hard to figure out why these boys got taken.

Slender, doe like...unassuming youngsters.
How hard could it be for a 300 pound gorilla to put fear in them and do whatever he wanted?
Mentally, emotionally AND physically.

To have the WHOLE world know, that a MAN had his way with you...is a TERRIBLE thing for a boy to have to come to grips with.
It's bad enough for a girl...but for a boy, no boy would want that getting around.
He's going to need to stay out of school for a while all over again, although he said he looked forward to it.

And teens can be such knuckleheaded mutants, THEIR probing, impudent and rude questions will be so hard on these kids.

I think their parents were extremely premature to put this kid all over national television.
Oprah feels a particular attachment to abused and abused kids.
She's put out notices and rewards that have gotten some bad guys caught.
She encourages the public to get involved...and, she's been sexually abused herself.
That gives her some serious cred. She might have gone too far here.
But all the good she's done can forgive this situation.

Let's hope this Devlin creep goes away for a long time.
And in the meantime, maybe Bubba will break his neck.
When that happens, I won't weep.

We may never know all the details of what happpened. Therapist confidentiality will deal with that.
But let's keep our eyes open and alert...this shit happens to kids too often with much less happy results.

Good luck to Shawn and Ben...

Oprah wanted to expose Devlin as the shit he is. I understand her motivation there, well beyond the obvious ratings grab. Devlin shouldn't get away with any of the pain he inflicted on all of those people and Oprah, in some way, was trying to mete out what justice she can dish up from her pulpit. I can't blame her for wanting to name some of the pain of the whole thing. Yeah, there's other reasons for her to do it--the advertisers--but there's not letting Devlin off too.

you americans have a sickness about celebrity; it makes you illogical and self-destructive. even being famous over something nasty, or disasterous is better than being private. sick. why even talk to reporters? No reporter has the right to pry into your personal life, they let them. Even if they were paid big money, they don't have to speculate an answer to any question.

I would like to know how much the parents have been paid for all the media appearances, and whether or not they are putting the money in some kind of trust fund for the kid. I suspect they are pocketing whatever money they are getting out of the whole spectacle for themselves. Not that I am judging them overly harshly for that in and of itself, who knows what I would do if put in the same situation? What galls me is that they act like such caring parents willing to do anything for their son, when their real motivation may be greed and the desire for fame, the kid be damned.

I love the trailer trash losers on this site posting about how "lowbrow" Oprah is. She is a billionaire who has improved the lives of millions of people. It's her JOB to ask relevant questions in interviews. Get over it. She's not going to ask the parents: "How do you feel about the Red Sox this season?" She is just doing her job and if the parents didn't want to be asked such questions they shouldn't have agreed to be interviewed. Get over it and move on with your pathetic lives.

I watched that episode in horror and disgust as well. When she implored the audience to cheer for Shawn, his discomfort was palpable. The only "good thing" to come from that episode was the moment the two cops that discovered the truck and then the boys came on and Shawn mouthed a very gracious "thank you."

The parents of the other child did the right thing though and after left the kid in the green room with a computer game.

Dan, go back to phone licking for Gary Bauer. It's hard for me to take preaching about right and wrong from someone as clownish as you.

Normally I don't buy complaints against Oprah because I think she generally handles tough issues in a very smart, appropriate and positive way (as opposed to certain "advice" columnists that probably should not be allowed within 50 feet of a computer), so this was really shocking to me. What a horrible decision by the Queen. How scould Oprah not appreciate the trauma this kid has been through and give him a little space? God only knows what this kid has been through or the possible shame he is feeling right now.

As a person that has worked with children that have been sexually abused, I understand why it went there. Everyone seems to be going on the notion that this is something that needs to be a secret and that he should feel shame in some way. That is exactly what the molester would like him to do and feel, keep it a secret! Its what keeps them in business!!!!!

Children heal from this type of abuse by talking about it. Oprah is also a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and can relate to what is going on with him better than anyone who has not experienced it.

These parents are just typical media whores at this point. The STEPfather most of all. He is so wet to get money for his stupid foundation (never heard of it before this) that he would sell his wife's kid to the highest bidder. Keep convincing yourself that this was appropriate to do.

We will all know your level of depravity when you sell your story for a movie. These people actually seem more revolting that Elizabeth Smart's parents - and that isn't easy to do.

Oprah shouldv'e asked Shawn why he helped keep Ben Ownby in the house? Why didn't he help him to get back to his own parents if he cared so much for him? Shawn did NOTHING to help this kid and he can stop telling everyone that he didn't want Ben to go through what he did. It is one thing to watch yourself be abused but to watch another boy - the abused become the abuser. I guess that saving Ben would have spoiled Shawn's little independent life.

Stop the bullshit about the Stockholm Syndrome - I think we all can see why your wife's child would want to run away from you. It won't be long before he demands those piercings back and runs away again from your "religious" family. What would Jesus do?

I wonder how much of the decision to go on Oprah and say what they said is about responding to O'Reilly's obscene comments. I also wonder about the possibility they are deliberately laying the groundwork for a possible legal defence.

One of the ways a predator might control children for any length of time would be forced complicity. This family is perhaps deliberately and carefully establishing that their son is a victim here - which would of course be true, no matter what he was compelled to do. Compulsion, all behavioural minimalists theories aside, can be a complicated and ambiguous thing.

Blaming the victim here is doubly appalling as it would have been one of the things a twisted pedophile would probably threaten a child with. "Nobody will believe you."

Oprah has become so "declasse". All that adoration has gone to her head that she has lost any sense of delicacy. Whether Shawn was sexually molested will come out in due time, together with other lurid details that many voyeurists would want to know. The lawyers and policemen seem to have a better understanding of the protocol. Money has dulled Oprah's delicate instincts.

I think this is a good move for the parents and the kid. The parents get to poison the jury pool. Everybody knows this kid was molested, since there was no ransome or revenge. Why else would Devlin take them? The kid gets some attention and a nice ego boost and a once in lifetime opportunity. Remember that there are probably going to be other charges so it would have come out in the court papers. Great vulnerability can turn into great strength. This kid is a victim. Hopefully he can point to this as something positive that came out of the experience. He'll probably get hundreds of fan letters and a lot of emotional support.

O'Reilly's repugnant comments make it entirely understandable for the Hornbecks to stay visible and remind people that their son was a victim.

Maybe they've gotten caught up in it all. Give them a break, they're human.

Shawn was 11. Anyone who judges him is a psychotic asshole. Period.

I'm not sure about Oprah and whether making Shawn a survivor-celebrity is really in his interest or what... but it is at least an arguable proposition, in contrast to the shame and assumptions floating around about Shawn. Look at him. It is like those people who wondered why some of the pages didn't turn Foley in sooner... suggesting that they weren't sufficiently masculine enough to get our sympathy. Shawn was a kid. Either love him from afar or fuck off. If can't give him the benefit of the doubt, you suck.

I see nothing wrong with them going on Oprah. It's a quality show and she conducted the interview with the highest level of class and integrity. The media was speaking for them 24/7. They had to find a venue to speak for themselves and Oprah's by far the best in the business.

We are not seeing the other kid Ben and his family whoring themselves on TV. They have probly gone to ground to try to quietly heal their family and child.

People will take any opportunity to get their 15 minutes of fame, no matter how self destructive the scenario.

It's frightening, it's discusting. Oprah is a child molester too.