Entertainment

Colman Domingo's Mother Wrote Letters to Oprah for Years Begging Help

Good Hang with Amy Poehler · Colman Domingo · June 9, 2026

Good Hang with Amy Poehler

Colman Domingo

"She would always say, 'Well, you know, I wrote Oprah today.' I was like, 'Why?' And she said, 'Well, you know, she can help you.' I was like, 'What's she gonna do?' 'Well, she helps people, you know. She can help you.' My mother used to write to you over and over again. And she sort of stops and she says, oh, I don't know if I got the letters, but I know I got the message."

Colman Domingo revealed his late mother Edith wrote to Oprah Winfrey approximately eight times in the 1990s asking her to help her struggling actor son. Years later, when Domingo was hiking with Winfrey after working together on The Color Purple, Winfrey told him she may not have received the letters but received the message, illustrating Domingo's mother's prophetic belief that influential figures would eventually embrace her son.

About this episode

Amy Poehler interviews actor Colman Domingo in a wide-ranging conversation covering his career trajectory, personal philosophy, and upcoming projects including Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day. The episode opens with a pre-recorded segment featuring Spielberg himself discussing his history with Domingo, revealing he originally intended to cast him in an unmade Gershwin biopic and describing his unconventional kitchen-based audition process. Domingo, 56, discusses his working-class Philadelphia upbringing with his mother Edith, who instilled confidence by telling him Christmas lights were hung to welcome him home from the hospital. He shares how his mother wrote letters to Oprah Winfrey in the 1990s asking her to help her struggling son, and how years later Oprah told him she received the message even if not the physical letters. Domingo chronicles his path from shy bookish teenager who didn't attend high school dances to finding confidence through self-help books while working at Barnes & Noble. He moved to San Francisco, lived in a Tenderloin studio closet with three roommates, began writing plays, and met his husband Raul through a Craigslist missed connections ad 21 years ago. The conversation explores his breakout roles in Rustin, Sing Sing, and The Color Purple, his leadership philosophy on set centered on empathy and love, and his approach to rejection in Hollywood. Both Gen X members, Domingo and Poehler bond over their shared love of dancing, with Domingo describing growing up with dance parties in his carpeted Philadelphia basement. The episode touches on his recent honorary doctorates from Temple and Swarthmore, his work on the Donna Summer musical, and his collaboration with Tina Fey on Four Seasons.

Key takeaways

Spielberg disclosed he originally intended to cast Domingo in an unmade Gershwin biopic after their first meeting, before ultimately abandoning the project despite extensive casting.
Domingo's late mother Edith wrote letters to Oprah Winfrey approximately eight times in the 1990s asking her to help launch her son's career, predicting Spielberg and Spike Lee would love him.
Spielberg revealed he conducted kitchen-based auditions starting with Raiders of the Lost Ark, having actors cook with him to help them relax and show authentic selves.
Domingo met his husband Raul 21 years ago through Craigslist missed connections after both independently posted ads seeking each other within hours of crossing paths.
Domingo earned $150 per day for Sing Sing, describing it as a labor of love working with formerly incarcerated men from the actual prison arts program.
Domingo discussed his leadership philosophy centered on love and empathy, crediting his mother's message to put love into everything after her death in 2006.
Spielberg praised Domingo as bringing kindness and collaboration to sets, comparing working with him to a self-driving car that requires minimal direction.