Oprah Gets a Sign From God to Run for President on ‘Colbert’

Oprah Winfrey was on The Late Show Tuesday night to talk about her role in Ava DuVernay’s new film version of A Wrinkle in Time. But what Stephen Colbert really wanted to talk to her about was Donald Trump.

Recently, President Trump attacked Winfrey for what he called her “very insecure” performance during a political focus group of sorts she conducted on 60 Minutes. “Hope Oprah runs so she can be exposed and defeated just like all of the others!” he tweeted.

“I wanted to go to 60 Minutes because I thought, let’s see what we can do to bridge the divide in the country,” Winfrey told Colbert. “Not one person changed their mind, but they learned to listen to each other and disagree without being so disagreeable. That’s what happened.”

After reading Trump’s tweet to Winfrey, Colbert told her, “Now, I would say, if there is one thing I associate with you, it’s ‘insecure.’ You just don’t seem like you’re coming from a place of strength.”

“I didn’t understand that,” Winfrey said of Trump’s comment. “But here’s the deal: I take all criticism.” Even after examining her own behavior on the tape, she said she still “doesn’t get it.”

Even when they moved on to talk about the new film and its themes of darkness and light, Colbert seemed to be leading her back to the political realm. “What’s the darkness today these days, do you think?” he asked her.

“It’s this pervasive feeling that one group of people is better than the other or one side is better than the other side,” Winfrey told him. “And so in times of darkness, we must all be warriors for the light, Stephen.”  

After a break, when Colbert brought up the idea of Winfrey running for president in 2020, she got a huge cheer from the audience. “I feel humbled and honored by that,” she said. But that doesn’t mean she is reconsidering her definitive decision to stay out of the race.

Last month, Winfrey told People magazine that she prayed on the prospect saying, “God, if you think I’m supposed to run, you gotta tell me, and it has to be so clear that not even I can miss it.”

With that in mind, Colbert had God appear on the ceiling of the Ed Sullivan Theater and try to make his case. “I’m a huge fan,” the Lord told her. When she reciprocated that sentiment, he added, “Wow, Oprah knows who I am? I can’t wait to tell Jesus.”

“God, I don’t mean to hurry you along, but is there something you’d like to tell Oprah?” Colbert asked.

“Oh yeah. I hear thou seekest a sign?” God asked. “Well, is this clear enough?” he said, pointing to a sign that said, “Run.”

Winfrey laughed so hard she started choking. “All I can say, God, is that ‘run’ is now a part of my exercise routine, I can tell you that,” she said. So instead, he changed the sign to read “Oprah 2020.”

“Lord, let me just say this to you,” Winfrey said. “It’s not something I’ve ever seen myself doing. It’s not the kind of job that you can have without fully devoting yourself to it 100%.”

“Have you seen this White House?” God asked in response.

“God, take it from me, Oprah,” she told him. “It’s going to be OK. Everything’s going be OK. And I’m sure you’re going to find someone that you are just as inspired by in 2020.”