Photo: Paul Natkin/Getty; Grand Central Publishing
Debra Lee is remembering how she found the backbone to turn down two of the biggest names in show business.
The former CEO ofBETrecalls what it was like to say “No” to the Queen of Soul,Aretha Franklin, andOprah Winfrey, in her new memoir,I Am Debra Lee. And the self-confessed introvert says that standing her ground when dealing with both women taught her valuable lessons about how to navigate her way in the corporate world.
“I didn’t have very many female role models. I never worked for one,” Lee, 68, tells PEOPLE. “The prominent people in my career were always men. So, it was great to get to know Aretha, and I was a little terrified of her at first.”
Debra Lee and Aretha Franklin developed a friendship based on respect.Courtesy of Debra Lee
She says, “[Aretha] was the kind of celebrity that would call me directly. A lot of artists will call the head of programming or the person doing the musical award show, but she had no hesitation to call me directly.
“I had to learn how to deal with her. Some of her requests I couldn’t say yes to. I had to learn how to say no to her and stand up to her. And I think over time she respected me for that, and we really developed a relationship. So, the song she [sang] when I was in sixth grade, that I used to sing to, ‘Respect,’ really manifested itself in my relationship with her.”
“She always demanded respect, and she handled her financial affairs. She made her own decisions about what she wanted to do and what she didn’t want to do. I was never really sure what she thought of me, but in the end, I’d like to say we were friends.”
In fact, Franklin — whodied of pancreatic cancerin 2018 at the age of 76 — invited Lee as her special guest to watch her perform at the Justice Department in 2015 at the farewell ceremony for the then attorney general Eric Holder. “I learned a lot just from watching her,” Lee says of their friendship.
Lee says she once had to tell Oprah Winfrey (pictured above) ‘no’ too, during her years as BET CEO.Splash News
“It felt not pleasant,” she says of their conversation. “But I also knew I couldn’t let her do that. I wouldn’t let any other Black targeted network buy time on BET. And, as I explained to Oprah, ABC doesn’t let NBC advertise on their network and the same with CBS. It was difficult, but I explained to her my rationale, and I hope in the end that she understood it.”
Lee’s new memoir, I Am Debra Lee, is released on March 7.Grand Central Publishing
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Lee with singer Alicia Keys.Kevin Mazur/Getty
I Am Debra Leeis out now.
source: people.com
