‘I Will Never Run for Public Office.’ Oprah Winfrey Puts Those Presidential Run Rumors to Rest

It’s a question many have been asking for years: Will Oprah Winfrey run for public office?

The legendary talk show host has dispelled the rumors in a wide-ranging interview on the Hollywood Reporter’s “Awards Chatter” podcast, leaving little room for interpretation.

“I will never run for public office,” Winfrey said. “That’s a pretty definitive thing.”

Asked whether she thought she could pull off a victory over President Donald Trump if he sought a second term, Winfrey said it didn’t matter.

“I don’t know. I don’t know the answer to that,” she said. “But I will never have to know the answer to that, because I will never run for public office.”

Trump famously said in 2015 that Winfrey would be his ideal running mate, predicting that the hypothetical ticket would “win easily.” Winfrey responded during his campaign, however, that she supported Trump’s opponent Hillary Clinton.

The hour-long podcast also delved into details about Winfrey’s extraordinary biography, her views on race in America and her response to the recent controversy surrounding HBO host Bill Maher’s use of a racial slur, for which he has since apologized.

“I think the word should be eliminated from the lexicon,” Winfrey told the Hollywood Reporter. “I think it should be eliminated for everybody.”

[Hollywood Reporter]