Nation & World

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Do you have a news tip? newstips@heraldnet.com | 425.339.3400   Published: Friday, November 6, 2009 Winfrey takes Winans off her show By David Bauder Associated Press NEW YORK — Oprah Winfrey is removing gospel singer BeBe Winans from her show’s “karaoke challenge” until charges against him for allegedly pushing his ex-wife to the ground are resolved. Winans appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” last week and was seen in promos for future appearances. Now he’ll be cut out of the segment, said Winfrey spokesman Don Halcombe on Thursday. Winfrey was criticized by some bloggers this week for including Winans after she had taken a strong stand against domestic violence earlier this year. She did a show on the topic when singer Chris Brown assaulted his then-girlfriend Rihanna. The daytime TV leader said at the time: “Domestic violence is something that I wouldn’t tolerate. Period.” Halcombe would only say that the decision to eliminate Winans was made this week. It was not clear if Winfrey had been aware that Winans was charged with misdemeanor domestic assault in the Feb. 13 incident, where Winans and his ex-wife Debra were allegedly arguing about their children. Winans has a court date set for Jan. 20. Winans’ manager did not immediately return a telephone call for comment. “Let’s just not have a double standard on domestic violence or even accusations of domestic violence,” said Joni Reynolds, a woman from the Baltimore area and author of a blog called Ebony Mom Politics. She had called attention to Winans’ participation and wondered if Winfrey had overlooked the charges because the Winanses were friends or because there were no photos that had become public as in Rihanna’s case. Reynolds commended Winfrey for deciding to take Winans off the show. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

1. Marysville man faces child pornography and rape charges 2. Mukilteo teacher a finalist in national country music contest 3. Truck crash near Marysville ties up northbound I-5 traffic 4. Marysville man arrested as rapes of three kids investigated 5. Laid-off Boeing workers could qualify for more benefits 6. When taggers strike in Everett, city picks up the cleanup bill 7. Silvertips rally late, beat Spokane in OT 8. Kids talk turkey: What Thanksgiving is all about 9. One last chance for two Jackson High School players 10. Don't try this at home with your turkey 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Holiday Lightings & Santa Sightings • Ruling in the pool • Archbishop Murphy takes title • A season of performing arts • Budget numbers have official fuming • Wildcats move on to 2A semifinals • Holiday Bazaars & Fairs Calendar • Edmonds’ Westgate Chapel serves up hospitality for holiday • Mavericks fall • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed • Cascade Bank earns $1.6 million