Excuse me! Sheesh! Oprah assumes that she was dissed because she is black. Or is she even more annoyed that no one recognized her star status???? I've been turned away from stores whose doors were also already closed, which had shoppers shopping inside (because they had arrived earlier, before closing time).
I have no doubt that Hermes would have been glad to oblige Oprah's lavish credit card purchases if they had only realized that it was Miss O herself,,,,but, get over yourself girl!
Oprah is reportedly going to "talk about it" referring to her "crash" experience on her show later in the season,,,,why? It's not like the rest of us don't already know what it's like NOT to be afforded star treatment.

Oh!!!...We´re really enjoying to know that another regular person in GOD´S eyes is not allowed to violate the regulations of a commercial place. Now, that is in GOD´S eyes because we all know that Mrs.Oprrrrrraaahhh thinks she is special, superior and absolutely above the rest of us. That issue about she was or not in the limo., is way far for what counts and that is to obey rules and not being arrogant, moreover the fact of again using the racial card to insinuate it was the "reason" of not been allowed in, IS pathetic and hateful but at the same time amusing because it usually takes sometime to see how wealthy people who haven´t worked actually hard physically and with all the academic richness...end up showing how they really are,let´s not forget where OPRAH came from. She hasn´t made money as a surgeon, lawyer, engineer,or...electrician, housekeeper, security guard, etc., WE ALL KNOW the KIND OF "HARD WORKING" PERSON...she has been on the last 20 years. We love the "incident".

O.K. For starters, I would like to say that Oprah Winfrey is (or so I've been told on her show) is an amazingly kind and generous woman who is truly an inspiration and humanitarian to those in need {in need of, at ther very least, a makeover). That said, I must point out that if this situation truly happened as haws been stated: the "big O" standing (or sitting in her limo) outside Hermes in Paris and denied access (after closing hours) simply because of her ethnicity, or more specifically, her North Africanism (Is she? And if so, how much descriminative time do these people at Hermes have on their hands?) then this is truly a bullshit story.

I am a young, very attractive (if I do say so myself) white, blondish-red haired female with a MASTER'S DEGREE IN FRENCH LITERATURE AND GRAMMAR who does not look like she is afraid to spend some serious kizash on some lovely and highly overpriced scarves, men's shirts and other 'trinkets'in an upscale Parisian "magasin" . Still, I have yet to gain entry into a 'Hermes Paris' after hours (and believe me, I've tried).

Upscale French shopkeepers are not the commision- hungry desperados of Rodeo Drive, but rather a sophisticated genre of very overpaid, supermodel-type young things with attitude and snobbishness to spare.

This is not a racial issue, but a lesson in what the French call "la politesse". The store closes at six? Then plan on being there at at the very least, 15 minutes beforehand.

Oprah, in this particular situation, seems to be playing the race card. As if someone would allow me(a relative nobody on the entertainment scene who may purchase a scarf or two) to shop to my heart's content and refuse the big O's obviously unlimited budget based on race. I don't care if I'm as ditzy as Paris Hilton with twice the wad, Hermes waits for no man (or highly privelidged woman for that matter). Read the store hours and shop accordingly, period. Special treatment for the exceedingly rich and famous in NOT part of the French repertoire. Get over it and be there on time. Otherwise, consider Hermes to not be an establishment that is shallow enough to change their entire business practice to suit your ego-driven, shallow and self-centered needs.

Shame on them for having a bit of integrity.

The bottom line is

Oprah, meet Bullshit; Bullshit, Oprah.

hello you guys are just yapping i feel for gayle and oprah and i think it was quite humilating anyway i can not however think of any racial issue attached to it by some3 magazines and. regarding oprahs' status it ahas anever been down am telling you i come from a deep vill;age in tanzania called Katoma in Bukoba Kagerra Region but everyone there knows oprah and Gayle for that matter since Oprah can never stage two shows without mentioning her name.

BIG UO OPRAH YOU ARE GR4EAT AND I DONT CARE IF YOU ARE BLACK OR WHITE BUT I THINK THAT WAS REALLY ABSURD.
WE ALL LOVE YOU AND WE CHERISH YOU FOEVER.
your fan Shubi

i respect oprah for the way she comes up life.
i am sick and tired of the different minority groups claiming race when they don't get what they want. i think that oprah expects that since she is treated like a queen in this country and that everybody is at her beck and call because of her stature and her money. shame on you. I read somewhere when on line about oprah's live. when she had her first anchor position. and anchoring was not her future. this was in the '60s, instead of showing her the door. they found another job for her--her own talk show and the restis history
i wonder what would have happened if she had been white--she would have been shown the door. and at the time this took place the studio was concerned about the fact that she was black and that if they didn't find her another position there would be backlash. she didn't yell racist then. why now.

I agree with most of the posters here and I had told my husband the same....I doubt if Hermes would even let me in during regular hours. Get over yourself Oprah..don't make this a racial issue. You just had to follow the same rules the rest of us have to live by and that is Regular store hours.
This really infuriate me!!!!