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Oprah Winfrey visited The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last night to discuss her forthcoming role in the historic Ava DuVernay directed film, A Wrinkle In Time.
They also got into America’s new favorite pastime: politics.
Winfrey moderated a roundtable discussion for 60 Minutes between pro-and anti-Trump supporters in Michigan.
“The first time it was a little awkward, and I could tell there were people who didn’t want me sitting next to them,” Winfrey admitted. “So, you know what I did? I leaned in closer,” she said to great applause.
“They actually told me later that they thought that I would bring my own political stuff there and that they weren’t that happy to see me. That’s what they said to me afterwards,” she added.
“I wanted to bridge the divide in this country and get both sides talking to each other,” she continued. “They listened and disagreed without being disagreeable with one another.”
America’s hope
The episode aired in two parts and was actually six months in between each taping. Winfrey revealed that the 14 participants maintained their points-of-view and kept in touch after the taping. They even started a Facebook group for themselves called, “America’s Hope” as a way to continue to explore similiar conversations.
When asked by Colbert how the roundtables differed from her long-running talk show, Winfrey said, “I tried really hard to not to be biased either way… I literally say.. my only intention is to listen and to keep an open mind and to let people be heard…I try to be a better listener,” she explained.
Biased reaction
Winfrey also responded to Colbert’s inquiry about her reaction to Trump’s tweet regarding the 60 Minutes segment, which read:
“Just watched a very insecure Oprah Winfrey, who at one point I knew very well, interview a panel of people on 60 Minutes,” Trump tweeted. “The questions were biased and slanted, the facts incorrect. Hope Oprah runs so she can be exposed and defeated just like all of the others!”
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Winfrey briefly responded on the Ellen DeGeneres show, but expanded her explanation on Colbert.
“Here’s the deal,” she said. “I take all criticism, particularly over the years… so when I heard that the president had tweeted that, I went back and looked at the tape to see what he was actually talking about. Was I bias? Were we not fair? And I didn’t get it. But I did examine it.”
“I called up the 60 Minutes producers, I said, ‘Hey, is there any validity to this at all?’” she continued. “And we all looked at it and said no.”
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Winfrey also spoke about her time as a “blonde superhero” (Colbert’s words, not mine) for A Wrinkle In Time, which hits theaters this Friday, March 9. Take a look at the clip below.
