One of Hollywood's most enduring friendships, between Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, may be on the rocks.
Sources close to the respective moguls tell the Daily Mail that Oprah is allegedly frustrated by Perry's lack of ability to take criticism, and is ready to wash her hands of him despite the fact that his shows bring big ratings to her network, OWN.
"When Tyler first brought his shows to OWN in 2012, it was a love affair between the two of them," the source says. "Oprah was very involved in watching Tyler develop them creatively, and they even shot promos together with her as Miss Sophia from The Color Purple and he as Madea. But that relationship has soured in the last six months because Oprah finds Tyler difficult to work with and he doesn't take constructive criticism well at all."

According to the source, things got especially tense when Oprah tried to bring new writers onto Perry's shows, particularly The Have and Have Nots, after viewer feedback suggested Perry's writing was lacking. "That's when Oprah finally got to see a side of Tyler she hadn't experienced yet," the source says. "He resisted her feedback, the same way he resists the feedback of critics and media people who chastise his work, and became extremely defensive with her." 

The source continues, "He told her, 'Aren't the shows delivering ratings for the network? Well, then let me do what I do and you can keep your focus group research to yourself.' "

What's more, Oprah is reportedly pissed about recent news reports claiming Perry "saved" her network with his high-rated shows. The impasse means the two moguls are keeping their distance from each other. "Gone are the days of them having long phone conversations and texting late into the night," the source says, adding that Perry didn't join Winfrey, her man Stedman Graham, Ava DuVernay and David Oyelowo for a Christmas holiday in Fiji.
Of course, his absence could also have to do with the fact that he has a newborn baby at home. We're hoping these feud rumors are just that — rumors — because these two Black Hollywood powerhouses work amazingly well together.
See a recent example of the "Oprah Effect" with BET Breaks below:

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