Man Asks For Oprah Winfrey's Help To Go Back To Jail

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If you really want something, ask the woman who gave her whole talk-show audience cars. “SEND ME BACK TO PRISON! My final plea is to you Miss Winfrey,” reads a billboard in suburban Chicago aimed at Oprah Winfrey.

Christian musician and songwriter David Joseph paid for the ad. He says he spent years performing for federal inmates until funding dried up in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Joseph, who said he made $20,000 a year performing in 80 to 90 prisons, said he’s not necessarily asking the talk show host to write him a check so he can continue to perform for inmates.

“My main desire is to tell my story on a taping of the Oprah Winfrey show,” said Joseph, of Mayfield, Pa.

Joseph hopes that by telling his story, somebody — he doesn’t care if it’s Winfrey or someone else — will be interested in picking up the tab.

On Thursday, Joseph said he’d received some crank calls and calls from people wondering why he wants to return to prison.

But, “I haven’t heard from her or any of her people as of yet,” he said.

Harpo Studios Inc., Winfrey’s production company, did not return calls from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Credit: MSN Entertainment/AP

Murtz Jaffer is the world's foremost reality television expert and was the host of Reality Obsessed which aired on the TVTropolis and Global Reality Channels in Canada. He has professional writing experience at the Toronto Sun, National Post, TV Guide Canada, TOROMagazine.com and was a former producer at Entertainment Tonight Canada. He was also the editor at Weekendtrips.com.