After a remarkably poignant and inspiring speech at the 2018 Golden Globes, fans immediately jumped online to demand that Oprah Winfrey run for president in 2020. After all, that speech, given when she was honored with the Cecil B. DeMille award, was downright presidential. Oprah, according to two anonymous “close friends” who spoke to CNN, is reportedly “actively considering” running for office, and has been for the past several months.
One of the anonymous friends told CNN that Oprah hasn’t made up her mind about running, though. However, her confidants have been pressuring her to run, the source said. Oprah has deflected questions about running for office in the past, but at the Golden Globes, longtime partner Stedman Graham said she “would absolutely do it.” Dude, play it cool! Recently, her best friend, Gayle King, brought up the idea on CBS This Morning. Oprah quickly shot back, stating, “there will be no running for office of any kind for me.”
If Oprah changes her mind — or if the anonymous sources are right and she’s already contemplating a run — she has a massive backing by fans and celebrities alike. Meryl Streep told The Washington Post at the Golden Globes that Oprah, “launched a rocket” with the speech. Oprah called for an end to sexism in Hollywood, evoked the memory of civil rights leaders like Rosa Parks and Recy Taylor, and dedicated the prestigious award to victims of sexual violence. “I want her to run for president,” Meryl said. “I don’t think she had any intention [of declaring]. But now she doesn’t have a choice.”
During his monologue, Golden Globes host Seth Meyers actually joked about Oprah becoming president. And that was about two hours before her speech!
“Oprah,” Seth said. “in 2011, I told some jokes about our current president at the White House Correspondents Dinner — jokes about how he was unqualified to be president — and some have said that night convinced him to run. So if that’s true, I just want to say: Oprah, you will never be president! You do not have what it takes!”
If Oprah were to run for president, it’s clear that she would keep touting the importance of the Me Too and Time’s Up movements. Oprah told reporters (including from HollywoodLife.com) backstage at the Golden Globes that it’s “an opportunity for something powerful” to happen in the United States:
“With every day’s revelation, I thought here is an opportunity for something powerful — a powerful growth, and how do we use this moment to elevate what is happening instead of continually victimize ourselves,” Oprah said. “And so I think that wearing black in solidarity is one step. I think that what Time’s Up is doing with the legal defense fund is a major step. It was very important to all of us involved with Time’s Up that it not just about the women of Hollywood, because we are already a privileged group, but to extend to the women of the world. Because as I said tonight, there isn’t a culture, a race, a religion, a politic, a workplace that hasn’t been affected by it.”
Oprah does have connections to the presidency, though she has never run for any political office. She actively campaigned for former president Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential race, and endorsed Hillary Clinton for 2016. Oh, and when Donald Trump attempted to run for president in 2000 under the Reform Party, he voiced desire that she run as his VP on multiple occasions. Fun fact!
HollywoodLife.com has reached out to Oprah’s rep for comment.
HollywoodLifers, do you think Oprah should run for president in 2020? Let us know why or why not!