January 26

This Day in History

Also on This Day

Lead Story
Australia Day, 1788
American Revolution
Engagement at Burke County Jail, 1779
Automotive
"The Dukes of Hazzard" premieres, 1979
Civil War
Joseph Hooker takes over the Army of the Potomac, 1863
Cold War
U.S. Olympic Committee votes against Moscow games, 1980
Crime
First Australian penal colony established, 1788
So-called Mad Butcher terrorizes Cleveland, 1936
Disaster
Cyclone Wanda causes flooding in Australia, 1974
General Interest
Pinzon discovers Brazil, 1500
Tennessee passes nation's first prohibition law, 1838
Franco captures Barcelona, 1939
Republic of India born, 1950
Hollywood
Sam Goldwyn buys rights to The Wizard of Oz, 1934
Literary
Oprah Winfrey takes James Frey to task for lying, 2006
Music
"The Twist" ends record-setting run, 1962
Old West
Pinkertons maim Frank and Jesse James' mother, 1875
Presidential
Kennedy appoints first female presidential physician, 1961
Bush appoints Rice as secretary of state, 2005
Sports
Bears beat Patriots in Super Bowl XX, 1986
Vietnam War
POW spends 2,000th day in captivity, 1970
North Vietnam rejects U.S. peace proposal, 1972
World War I
Ukraine declares its independence, 1918
World War II
Audie Murphy wounded, 1945
Soviets liberate Auschwitz, 1945

Literary

Jan 26, 2006:

Oprah Winfrey takes James Frey to task for lying

Previous Day January 26 Calendar Next Day

On this day in 2006, during a live broadcast of her daytime TV talk show, Oprah Winfrey confronts author James Frey about fabrications in “A Million Little Pieces,” his memoir about addiction and recovery, which she chose as an Oprah’s Book Club selection in September 2005.

“A Million Little Pieces,” published in 2003, was James Frey’s first book. In it, he describes in graphic detail his harrowing experiences with addictions to drugs and alcohol, and his time at a treatment center when he was in his early 20s. After Winfrey picked “A Million Little Pieces” for her popular on-air book club, which launched in 1996, the memoir climbed the best-sellers lists, following in the footsteps of many of the club’s previous selections. In October 2006, Frey appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” to promote his book, which the talk show host had previously said she “couldn’t put down,” calling it “a gut-wrenching memoir that is raw and it’s so real…”

Then, in early January 2006, The Smoking Gun Web site published an expose claiming court records, police reports and interviews with a variety of sources showed that Frey had falsified and exaggerated parts of “A Million Little Pieces”--especially surrounding his criminal past and time spent in jail--in order to make his story more dramatic. On January 11, 2006, Frey and his mother appeared on “Larry King Live” to defend “A Million Little Pieces,” and Winfrey called in to the show to express support for the author. However, two weeks later, on January 26, when Frey appeared on Winfrey’s for a second time, he faced tough questioning from the talk show host, whose attitude toward him had changed. Winfrey began the live program by telling him, “It is difficult for me to talk to you because I feel really duped. But more importantly, I feel that you betrayed millions of readers.”

Frey admitted to Winfrey that he had altered and embellished details of his story, including the fact that he had been in jail for just several hours, not 87 days, as stated in his book. When Winfrey asked him about a particularly memorable incident from the book in which he wrote about having root canals without anesthesia, Frey conceded he couldn’t recall whether or not the dentist had used any Novocain. Winfrey also confronted the publisher of “A Million Little Pieces,” saying her staff had been contacted about possible inaccuracies in the book, only to be told that the publishing company stood by Frey’s story as a work of non-fiction. During the show, the publisher acknowledged that “A Million Little Pieces” had not been fact-checked.

Frey’s fabrications sparked a national debate over the definition of memoir. In the aftermath of the controversy, he was dropped by his literary agent, and his publisher settled a class-action lawsuit brought by readers who claimed they had been defrauded. Future editions of “A Million Little Pieces” included a note from Frey in which he admitted to altering parts of his story. However, the scandal did not signal the end of Frey’s career: He went on to publish the novels “Bright Shiny Morning” (2008) and “The Final Testament of the Holy Bible” (2011).

Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!

Previous Day January 26 Calendar Next Day

This Week in History, Jan 26 - Feb 1

Jan 26, 2006
Oprah Winfrey takes James Frey to task for lying
Jan 27, 1302
Dante is exiled from Florence
Jan 27, 2010
"The Catcher in the Rye" author J.D. Salinger dies
Jan 28, 1873
Colette is born
Jan 29, 1845
"The Raven" is published
Jan 30, 1945
Michael Dorris is born
Jan 31, 1923
Norman Mailer is born
Feb 01, 1814
"The Corsair" by Lord Byron is published

What Happened on Your Birthday?

Pick a Date

Editor’s Picks

Bio.com

  • On This Day

    On This Day

    Read about notable birthdays and celebrity deaths at On This Day.