In the city where she first became a household name, Oprah Winfrey took the stage at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for the 2024 presidential election.
This marked a significant moment for Winfrey, who prefers to stay out of politics but said she felt compelled to use her platform to urge Americans to choose “optimism over cynicism” and “inclusion over retribution.”
“I feel like we all have to do our part. We all have to do something, and I feel that we all have been in multiple conversations about what’s gonna happen. What should we do? What can be done? And now that we have this opportunity, I felt like I should grab this opportunity,” she told “CBS Mornings” co-host Tony Dokoupil in an exclusive interview shortly after her speech.
Winfrey’s appearance was considered one of the night’s biggest surprises. She said she recognized that her decision came with risks, but she believed it was worth it because of her deep concern for the country.
“A lot of things are at stake,” she said, particularly abortion rights, which she views as essential, especially for women.
“The bottom line for me is that decency and respect are on the ballot. And that’s why I was willing to do it. And let me just tell you the big risk was when I don’t have anything to lose. Now, I don’t have a show … It’s not what, what is it gonna cost me other than knowing that I had to do whatever I could to speak,” she added.
When asked about the significance of Harris potentially becoming the first female president of the United States, Winfrey became emotional.
“It will mean that the glass ceiling has been shattered,” and noted that it would send a powerful message to women and girls everywhere.
“Women all over the world will be weeping in the streets. It will mean that actually anything is possible because this is her mother, her father, to immigrants coming to the United States … only in America could Kamala Harris’s story be possible. And I’m here because only in America. Could my story be possible?” she said.