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Oprah Winfrey “Intrigued” by 2020 Presidential Run, Gayle King Says

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Last year, Oprah Winfrey told The Hollywood Reporter‘s Awards Chatter podcast, “I will never run for public office.” So, imagine her surprise when people rallied for her to run for President of the United States in 2020—all thanks to her empowering speech at the 2018 Golden Globes.

Lady Gaga and Meryl Streep have already offered their support. “It’s up to the people,” Winfrey’s partner, Stedman Graham, told The Los Angeles Times. “She would absolutely do it.”

But does Winfrey want to do it? Her best friend Gayle King discussed the possibilities on CBS This Morning Tuesday. “I do think that’s interesting, because Stedman says he thought the reporter said to him, ‘Would she make a good president?’ And he said, ‘Absolutely, she would.’ That’s how he interpreted the question. Because this is the thing: Stedman would never so cavalierly say, ‘Absolutely, she would do it. It’s up to the people.’ He would never do it. I got e-mails from people yesterday that said, ‘Is Stedman being strategic or is he being supportive?’ He is nothing but supportive,” she explained. “He would never just throw it out there like that.”

To get some clarity, Norah O’Donnell re-read the quote Graham gave to the newspaper. “He did say, ‘It is up to the people,'” King told her co-host. “But I’m telling you, his interpretation of the question was…He thought the reporter was saying, ‘Would she be a good president?'” King then said she “absolutely” does not think Winfrey’s “position has changed” since then. “I don’t.”

“I was up talking to her very late last night. I do think this, guys: I do think she’s intrigued by the idea. I do think that. I also know that after years of watching the Oprah show, you always have the right to change your mind,” King said. “I don’t think at this point she’s considering it. But listen, there are people who have said they want to be her campaign manager, quit their jobs and campaign for her. She loves this country and would like to be of service in some way, but I don’t think that she’s actively considering it at this time.” Lest anyone assume she’s speaking out of turn on Winfrey’s behalf, she said, “That’s a change from me. It’s not a change from her.”Winfrey, who made history as the first black woman to receive the Cecile B. DeMille Award, worked hard on her acceptance speech. “She knew how she wanted to start. This was the thing for her: She knew exactly what she wanted to say and she knew how she wanted to say it. She crafted the speech, she talked to an editor at the magazine, and the two of them came up with it. But Oprah put down exactly what she wanted to say. Those were all her words,” King said. “Listen, she writes her ‘What I Know for Sure’ column every month in the magazine. She’s a very good writer. We all know she’s a very good talker. So, I think it was home run on many levels.”

“I will say this: Being in that room was electrifying,” said King, who was at Winfrey’s table. “It was the right person giving the right speech at the right time. She wanted that moment to be more than women wearing black dresses in solidarity. She really did want to speak to young girls around the country. She really did want to say, ‘Enough, already!’ I think she delivered on al that in a very eloquent well. But will she run for president? I think it’s a very intriguing idea.”

If Winfrey ever were to announce her candidacy, the public shouldn’t expect an announcement anytime soon. “I don’t think there is such a thing as a timeline. And I’m not trying to be cute here or be mysterious, but I do think it’s a very intriguing thing that she had never considered,” King continued. “People say, ‘Oh, yeah, she wrote that speech as a launching pad for what she wants to do.’ That’s absolutely not true. She worked on it, she practiced it, she rehearsed it. I was a practice audience member. And I have to say, I knew the speech was going to be powerful, just when she was reading it to time. Before, when she was there at rehearsal, they told her she had to cut three minutes out of it because it was six minutes long. They said, ‘You have to cut it to three minutes.’ And Oprah said, ‘If it was any other night than this one, I could do that, but I don’t plan on cutting it.’ As it turned out, with all the applause, it went nine minutes. I think they were very pleased and producers thought that was worth going late for.”

 

 

We Speak Entertainment

Alexis Hunter Guests On “If These Walls Could Talk” With Hosts Wendy Stuart and Tym Moss Wednesday, June 11th, 2025 

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Who else but hosts Wendy Stuart and Tym Moss could “spill the tea” on their weekly show “If These Walls Could Talk” live from Pangea Restaurant on the Lower Eastside of NYC, with their unique style of honest, and emotional interviews, sharing the fascinating backstory of celebrities, entertainers, recording artists, writers and artists and bringing their audience along for a fantastic ride.  

Alexis Hunter will be a featured guest on “If These Walls Could Talk” with hosts Wendy Stuart and Tym Moss on Wednesday, June 11th, 2025 at 2 PM ET live from the infamous Pangea Restaurant. 

Wendy Stuart is an author, celebrity interviewer, model, actor, filmmaker and along with If These Walls Could Talk she hosts TriVersity Talk, a weekly web series with featured guests discussing their lives, activism and pressing issues in the LGBTQ Community. 

Tym Moss is a popular NYC singer, actor, and radio/tv host who recently starred in the hit indie film “JUNK” to critical acclaim.

Joi Lansing may have been the last of Hollywood’s blonde bombshells, but she was also victim to its vile, indeed murderous system of control. With Joi Lansing: A Body to Die For, author Alexis Hunter, herself a victim of studio “indentured servitude” and Lansing’s partner and spouse during the starlet’s final years, offers the tell-all now available in a new, frank edition set for these post- #MeToo years, and just in time for the tenth anniversary of marriage equality. More so, the author is currently in talks with enthusiastic producers to cast this vital story as a film or mini-series.

Hunter, a quiet activist over decades for the rights of women and the LGBTQ community, was forced–like far too many–to endure a hidden life during her years with the noted sex symbol. “I had to pose as her little sister”, Hunter explained, “and was given the name Rachel Lansing” to explain their shared life. It is rare that such a romance can exist amidst the seductive yet destructive climate of Hollywood. Indeed, the pair forged a lasting relationship cut brutally short by the encroaching cancer Joi developed following years of breast- and buttocks- enhancement injections by a rabidly profit-mad industry. Told with a still palpable love by the author, the book places the reader into the heart of a relationship that couldn’t have known it was destined for such a meager shelf life. Joi Lansing, actress and vocalist, was the tragic biproduct of male-led business thriving on the distorted body imagery of women, particularly in the time of #BeverlyKills, which we apparently are not as far removed from as we’d thought. The book is a must-read as our society re-evaluates whether or not we’ve done all we can to assure this tragedy doesn’t happen again. As Hunter states in this unfortunately timeless tale, “Joi died for beauty”.

Watch Alexis Hunter on “If These Walls Could Talk” with hosts Wendy Stuart and Tym Moss on YouTube here:

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