Oprah Winfrey will speak with NBA player Jason Collins, his twin brother Jarron and family for their first interview together on the heels of Collins' public announcement as the first openly gay active pro athlete in a major American sport. The expanded episode of "Oprah's Next Chapter" airs this Sunday, May 5 from 7:30-9:00 p.m. ET/PT on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.
Collins reflects on the worldwide reaction following his decision to reveal that he is a gay man and how he hopes his story will further the conversation around equality. Oprah and Collins are joined by his twin brother, former NBA player JarRon Collins, his parents Portia and Paul Collins, his sister-in-law Elsa Collins and aunt Teri Jackson, a San Francisco Superior Court judge and The First Family member he came out to.
Excerpt: Jason's Collins' parents share their reaction in learning he was gay:
Oprah: So was there a releasing of the dream for you, of the idea that you'd had for your son, of who he would be walking down the aisle with?
Paul: Yes, yes it was. I think any parent would have that for a child. Especially since you didn't know the child was gay. You know, you have these things: he'll eventually get married, he's waiting for the end of his career to do that - and you just expect that that's going to happen - he'll have children and whatever that might be. And then you have to... you change from that.
Oprah: Did you change immediately?
Portia: Well, part of the process after he told us was to go home and kind-of let it resonate, for the two of us to talk about it. And on the way home we called him, and on the way home we said we love you. And still, like Paul said, you're going through a lot of different checklists. Did you see this? Did you think this? No.
About "Oprah's Next Chapter"
"Oprah's Next Chapter" is the award-winning primetime series featuring
Oprah Winfrey as she steps outside of the studio for riveting, enlightening and in-depth conversations with newsmakers, celebrities, thought leaders and real-life families. "Oprah's Next Chapter" is produced by Harpo Studios. Join the conversation on Twitter using #NextChapter.
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Oprah Winfrey's heart and creative instincts inform the brand - and the magnetism of the channel. Winfrey provides leadership in programming and attracts superstar talent to join her in primetime, building a global
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