STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Oprah Loves Obama but Won’t Campaign for Him in 2012

Oprah Winfrey told CBS's "The Early Show": "I will not be out [on the campaign trail for President Obama] because I'm trying to fix a network,” her own OWN.

A lot has changed since 2007, when Oprah Winfrey, then one of the most popular and powerful women in the nation, formally backed Barack Obama’s White House bid, her first-ever presidential endorsement. She also campaigned and hosted fundraisers for the less well-known senator.

 

Five years later, both have lost a little bit of their shine, and the former talk-show queen is prioritizing her struggling Oprah Winfrey Network over what could be a tight race for President Obama.

 

“I actually love our president and have the utmost respect for him and that office and what it takes to be there," Winfrey said on CBS’s Early Show. "I will not be out [on the campaign trail] because I'm trying to fix a network.”

 

Last month, the president thanked Winfrey at a fundraiser for her support over the years.

 

"And then, there is my good friend, Oprah, who very early on, when I was still running, just decided that she would support this guy with a name that nobody could pronounce," Obama said. "And just like books and skin cream, when Oprah decides she likes you, then other people like you, too."

 

BET Politics - Your source for the latest news, photos and videos illuminating key issues and personalities in African-American political life, plus commentary from some of our liveliest voices.

(Photo: Darren McCollester/Getty Images)

Latest News

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.