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Oprah Winfrey is getting slammed for her affiliations with the spiritual healer "John of God." Winfrey had originally featured John of God on her show on November 10, 2010, in an episode titled Do You Believe in Miracles?. However, about eight years later, on December 17, João Teixeira de Faria aka John of God, was arrested in Abadiania in Brazil over s*xual assault charges. Over 600 accusations were reported by the victims of the "spiritual healer."
Media outlets and fans are now criticizing Oprah for giving the Brazillian man a platform to ruin more people's lives. John was sentenced for 370 years in jail and is currently incarcerated at the Aparecida de Goiania Complex, as per Bustle.
Trigger Warning: Article contains information about s*xual assault and mentions of r*pe. Reader discretion is advised.
How did Oprah Winfrey help John of God increase his following?
Winfrey is a talk show host and television producer who is known for being generous and humble. Her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, has featured a lot of well-known celebrities and public figures over the years. One such known face was Brazillian spiritual healer John of God.
On November 10, 2010, the billionaire artist covered an article by Susan Casey, titled "Leap of Faith: Meet John of God," and subsequently, the episode was named Do You Believe in Miracles?.
He later became known as Winfrey's spiritual healer and guide, earning hundreds of followers.
Netizens' reactions to Oprah and John's interactions after he got arrested
Many people accused Oprah of enabling John to get the followers he needed to inflict the horrors that he committed.
Accusations against John of God
Many women reached out to João Teixeira de Faria for spiritual healing after he gained popularity. Later, one of the four women who first accused John appeared for s*xual violation on television talked about Winfrey. She told New York Times in 2018:
"I heard of John of God from a friend and had seen Oprah Winfrey’s documentary."
The accusers also described the heinous crimes Faria committed over the years.
According to Buzzfeed, one of the victims talked about how she wanted to be cured of past s*xual assault trauma by the spiritual healer, John of God, but instead, he took her to a secluded room and "had her m*sturb*te him."
She also accused him of r*ping her during a separate incident. The other three accusers wished to remain anonymous but shared their own stories.
The aforementioned victim stated:
"I really hope I can help other women out of this shadow, because we do not need to feel ashamed."
She added:
"He has to feel ashamed, and all the people who protect him so he can continue to do what he does."
Since then, over 600 accusations have been submitted by around 300 women to Brazillian courts against John of God, according to Washington Post. The list of victims even includes his own daughter who expressed her life of abuse inflicted by her father to the court of Goias state, Brazil.
Among the horrid accusations, the spiritual healer was also accused of manipulating and keeping women as s*x slaves for a period of ten years. He would get the poor women pregnant and then sell the child to the "highest bidder," according to Buzzfeed News.
Oprah Winfrey has not spoken about John of God ever since he was accused and convicted of r*pe, s*xual misconduct, and illegal possession of firearms.
On July 10, 2023, John received an additional 99 years sentence, making it a 370-year prison sentence, as per NBC.
