We Speak Entertainment

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

Published

7 years ago

January 9, 2018

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.”

Up Next

Cardi B Confirms Offset Cheated On Her, But She’s Not Breaking Up With Him

Don't Miss

The Weeknd Cuts Ties With H&M Over Racially Insensitive Kids’ Sweater

Kiki Archer

Click to comment

We Speak Entertainment

Composer Jonathan Brielle Guests On “Secrets of the Stage” With Host Quinn Lemley on Sunday, December 22nd, 2024

Published

1 day ago

December 17, 2024

Jimmy Star

Composer Jonathan Brielle will be a featured guest on “Secrets of the Stage” hosted by Quinn Lemley on Sunday, December 22^nd, 2024.

“Secrets of the Stage” is a tv show on MNN. Watch as Quinn Lemley pulls back the curtain and interviews artists, entrepreneurs and creators to discover their process “behind the scenes.”

Broadway: Jonathan Brielle wrote the music and lyrics for Foxfire with Jessica Tandy (Tony Award) Hume Cronyn, and Keith Carrdine; Off-Broadway: Himself and Nora (book, music, lyrics); Outer Critics Best Musical Nomination, Minetta Lane Theatre 2016; Circle Reperatory Company, NY: dozens of scores as Composer in Residence under Marshall Mason; Regional: Himself and Nora: American Theater Group production. Earlier versions include NYMF, James Joyce Center, Ireland and The Old Globe; Nightmare Alley (book, music. lyrics): Geffen Playhouse, Gil Cates Director, and NYMF. 40 Naked Women, A Monkey and Me (book, music, lyrics) The Eugene O’Neill Cabaret Conference, Axelrod Performing Arts Center.

Las Vegas: Enter The Night (book, music, lyrics) Stardust Hotel 12 years; MadHattan (book, music, lyrics) New York, New York Hotel; US Tours: Rugrats, Live! (Executive Music Supervisor); Goosebumps, Live! (Producer, Music) TV: Wonderama (music, lyrics) for the national television show.

Charitable Organizations: Executive Vice President of the Johnny Mercer Foundation (JMF), creating programs for federally funded schools in New York, Newark, Los Angeles, Miami and Atlanta. Writer/Producer in Residence of the Johnny Mercer Writers’ Grove at Goodspeed Musicals and helps oversee the JMF Songwriting Project at Northwestern University. Jonathan is the former National Projects Director of the Songwriters Guild of America. Jonathan is the Artistic Director and Founder of Vala, a new platform dedicated launching new musicals and providing Forever Free education for grades K-12. He continues to work from Brielle Studios, a state of the art recording facility. After 20 years in TriBeCa, his studios are now located in Tewksbury, New Jersey in a converted schoolhouse built in 1846.

Quinn Lemley is the star of Burlesque to Broadway and Rita Hayworth -The Heat Is On! Appeared on Good Morning America, Oprah and finalist on Shark Tank.

Bwy adventures: Barking Sharks; Sirens Of The Silver Screen; Born To Rhumba! Wanda and The King of Hair, Hollywood Goddess & Universal Language.

Films The Greatest Ears in Town – The Arif Mardin Story, Lucky Stiff, Picasso Would Have Made A Glorious Waiter.

She’s co-directed/produced, Rebel Rebel The Many Lives of David Bowie, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Wall, and The Ultimate Queen Celebration. She coaches and directs speakers and performers privately.

Recent charity performances include the Luce Foundation, Lifeforce in Later Years (LiLY), Pause for Peace, and Wonderama TV in Times Square.

Q’s sizzling 6 CDs are available on iTunes. Her latest recording The Heat Is On! Will be released in January 2025 not only on all online platforms but on cd and vinyl as well for preorders visit www.QuinnLemley.com .

Secrets of The Stage with Quinn Lemley about lifestyle & entertainment. Airs Every Sundayon www.MNN.org Channel 4 at 7:30 PM EST or subscribe at www.QuinnLemley.com

“Secrets of the Stage” is produced by Quinn Lemley and Co-Produced by Errol Rappaport for QuinnEssential Productions, LLC.