Thread by @lesliemolson

I have a story about Tina Turner. I worked for CBS News in the 1990s, and one assignment I had at "60 Minutes" was to watch old raw (unedited) interview footage, for some reason I can't recall. So I watched the raw footage of a 1996 Mike Wallace interview with Tina Turner.

Wallace interviewed her at her estate in Nice, and it starts in the usual way with b-roll of them walking the grounds. Then they're sitting across from each other in her sitting room, and right out of the gate— immediately—he's leering, telling her how *sexy* she is.

By this time I'd heard the stories about Wallace's sex-pestery at "60 Minutes" (e.g., snapping women's bras in the hallways). My interactions were only intimidating. I was in charge of booking camera crews and Don Hewitt himself told me to ignore his direct requests and so I did.

Anyway, as they talk Wallace has a confident smirk on his face and goes on about her performances, how *sexual* they are, why are they so sexual, how sexual is she, and so on....

Turner looks at the camera, mimes "cut" and the footage ends abruptly.

When filming resumes, Mike is PROFUSELY apologizing to Tina with a sheepish, serious look on his face, and promising to stick to questions about her career. It's obvious that she gave him what for when the camera stopped rolling and it was glorious! Few people had done that.

It was great to see Tina Turner call him out like that, but to think that she had to deal with that shit from an overpaid, predatory former game show host, despite her being one of the most brilliant talents of the 20th century, is appalling.

The interview as it aired is bad enough, actually—Mike Wallace belittled Tina Turner's talent and also thought nothing of treating her with zero respect, until she threatened to kick him out of her house. Wallace was an asshole of the highest order.

buzzfeed.com/josephlongo/ti…