Earlier in the week, the actress tweeted her frustration at being left out of plans for the magazine’s “Persons of Interest” cover, because she stars on the show. She claimed this happened because of her race. Debra Birnbaum, TV Guide’s Editor-in-Chief, issued this response:
“I made an editorial decision to do a story about the relationship between the two male characters on ‘Person of Interest’ and that’s who I was going to put on the cover. That has been my decision all along, ever since I saw the pilot. We’re certainly fans of Taraji Henson and her storyline on the show was never intended to be the focus of our cover story. I don’t know where there was a misunderstanding about this, but it’s been clear to everyone from the start. I don’t make decisions on who is put and not put on the cover based on race or gender.”
TV Guide has since decided to drop the “Person of Interest” cover all together, and instead go with a cover that features the new “Charlie’s Angels.”
Do you think Taraji was overreacting?