Iyanla Vanzant Says Evelyn Lozada Interview Was Not for Ratings

By Christine Thomasos, Christian Post Reporter Friday, September 21, 2012

Evelyn Lozada appeared on motivational speaker Iyanla Vanzant's "Iyanla:Fix My Life" on OWN recently, but now the spiritual counselor is making it clear that she did not intend to capitalize off of the reality television star too soon after a very public domestic dispute with Chad Johnson.

In an interview on SiriusXM's Cocoa Mode show, 59-year-old Vanzant insisted that she was not seeking high ratings when attempting to help Lozada, 36, through the issues in her life. Although Lozada and ex-husband Johnson made headlines after the latter allegedly headbutted his wife last month, Vanzant said the reality television star initiated the conversation to appear on the show.

"She wrote in as a result of a challenge…she was challenged on her show 'Basketball Wives' to clean up her behavior, which brought to her awareness [that] she didn't know how to handle conflict and strife," Vanzant said on the radio show. "So she reached out to the show."

In a report on The Grio, Vanzant said she chose to work with Lozada because the reality television star writing in to the show was an "indication of willingness."

While Vanzant explained why she chose to focus on Lozada's dispute with Johnson on the show, she revealed that other people's opinions on the matter didn't matter to her.

"The show was done prior to the upheaval with her and Chad, and it was scheduled to be the third show, not the first show," Vanzant explained in The Grio report. The reason it was the first show was, because of the upheaval with her and Chad, it was timely…And so, you know, at my age, I can't care what people say, and most of it, I forget."

While Vanzant's show proved to bring media maven Oprah Winfrey's OWN station its highest premiere ratings thus far, the motivational speaker said she considers it "healing" not television. However, she admitted that Winfrey prompted her to take on the task of healing people on television.

"When Oprah Winfrey tells you that you need to have your own show, you feel compelled to do it," Vanzant said in The Grio report. "Especially if she's gonna pay for it!"