Oprah Winfrey: Sorry for Begging for OWN Viewers

We all know the Oprah Winfrey Network is struggling with ratings—but apparently the situation is so bad that Winfrey herself felt the need to tweet a request for viewers on Sunday night, as the Grammys were airing. "Every 1 who can please turn to OWN especially if u have a Nielsen box," she tweeted just before Oprah's Next Chapter aired. An uproar quickly ensued, with some slamming Oprah for "begging for viewers," Fox News reports.

Winfrey was first defiant, tweeting, "The word 'please' is used as courtesy not a beg … 'desperate' not ever a part of my vocab … 'unethical' a little harsh don't u think? Seemed like it made sense to me. Sorry if u're offended." But yesterday, the talk show queen issued an actual apology, saying in a statement, "I removed the tweet at the request of Nielsen. I intended no harm and apologize for the reference." Networks are not allowed to directly appeal to Nielsen viewers, Fox News notes.