--- description: It's a question many have been asking for years: Will Oprah Winfrey run for public office? title: Oprah Winfrey: "I Will Never Run for Public Office" image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2b0276e2c59e97b0/6988d162fb4eacbe7d8926b4/gettyimages-522699708.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 'I Will Never Run for Public Office.' Oprah Winfrey Puts Those Presidential Run Rumors to Rest by [Kevin Lui](/author/kevin-lui/) ## Kevin Lui Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 13, 2017 4:25 AM CUT  Oprah Winfrey in New York on April 20, 2016. Oprah Winfrey in New York on April 20, 2016.Ben Gabbe—Getty Images/Tribeca Film Festival by [Kevin Lui](/author/kevin-lui/) ## Kevin Lui Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 13, 2017 4:25 AM CUT 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](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/awards-chatter-podcast-oprah-winfrey-immortal-life-henrietta-lacks-queen-sugar-1011398 "undefined") 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](http://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/donald-trump-running-mate-pick-opinion-219692 "undefined") that the hypothetical ticket would “win easily.” Winfrey [responded](http://new.time.com/preview/post/4815894/ "undefined") 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](http://time.com/4813655/bill-maher-real-time-apology/ "undefined"). “I think the word should be eliminated from the lexicon,” Winfrey told the Hollywood Reporter. “I think it should be eliminated for everybody.” \[[Hollywood Reporter](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/awards-chatter-podcast-oprah-winfrey-immortal-life-henrietta-lacks-queen-sugar-1011398 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4815894/oprah-winfrey-never-run-president/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4815894/oprah-winfrey-never-run-president/"},"headline":"'I Will Never Run for Public Office.' Oprah Winfrey Puts Those Presidential Run Rumors to Rest","datePublished":"2017-06-13T04:25:49.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:44:25.900Z","description":"The legendary talk show host has dispelled the rumors once and for all","url":"https://time.com/4815894/oprah-winfrey-never-run-president/","keywords":["Newsfeed","celebrities","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2b0276e2c59e97b0/6988d162fb4eacbe7d8926b4/gettyimages-522699708.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kevin Lui","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/kevin-lui/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2b0276e2c59e97b0/6988d162fb4eacbe7d8926b4/gettyimages-522699708.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Tribeca Tune In: Greenleaf","caption":"Tribeca Tune In: Greenleaf","creditText":"Ben Gabbe—Getty Images/Tribeca Film Festival","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4815894/oprah-winfrey-never-run-president/","name":"'I Will Never Run for Public Office.' Oprah Winfrey Puts Those Presidential Run Rumors to Rest"}}]}] ```