Television icon Oprah Winfrey made a surprise appearance at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in her hometown of Chicago, where she urged Democrats and independent voters to “choose common sense over bullshit.”
“Let us choose truth, let us choose honor, let us choose joy,” Winfrey told a cheering crowd on Wednesday. “Because that’s the best in America.”
Winfrey, who has shunned the political spotlight in recent years, presented hers to Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, on the third night of the four-day convention. Some star power.
The 70-year-old’s remarks followed a prime-time speech by Mr Walz to formally accept the party’s nomination for vice president.
Her support for the pair further energized the Democratic National Committee – which this week has hosted other famous faces such as rapper Lil Jon.
In keeping with party convention tradition, the Republican Party’s gathering last month was also filled with stardust. Musician Kid Rock and wrestler Hulk Hogan both make appearances.
In addition to her message of unity, Winfrey, the former talk show host, also tacitly criticized her Republican challengers, former President Donald Trump and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance.
“Despite what some may think, we are not that different from our neighbors,” Winfrey said. “When a house is on fire, we don’t ask the homeowners their race or religion, we don’t want to know who their partner is. Who or how they vote? No. We just try to save them.”
She expressed disdain for Mr. Vance, adding: “If the place happens to belong to a cat lady who doesn’t have children, then we’ll try to get that cat out as well.”
The comments referred to a 2021 interview in which Mr. Vance called Democratic politicians “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable about their lives and the choices they’ve made, so they want the rest of the country “People also suffer.”
The comments went viral after Trump announced the Ohio senator as his running mate. was severely criticized. Oprah has no children.
The billionaire media mogul has shunned politics in recent years. In 2007, she supported then-Illinois Senator Barack Obama’s presidential hopes. Winfrey considers Obama a friend because the two overlapped in political orbits in Chicago, and Winfrey hosted fundraisers and volunteered for his campaign in Iowa.
But on Wednesday night, Winfrey positioned herself as an independent, urging other like-minded voters to support Democrats in November.
“What you’re seeing is a registered independent who proudly votes again and again because I’m an American and that’s what Americans do,” she said.
Traci Prince and Kathy Sykes jumped out of their seats when they saw Oprah, who was born in their native Mississippi, take the stage.
“We absolutely love Oprah,” Mrs Sykes told BBC News. “Everyone in Mississippi is proud that she has us.”
She said Oprah’s speech sent a “powerful message” to independent voters, particularly those voting for Ms Harris.
“She gave good reasons – to choose common sense over nonsense,” Mrs Sykes said in the chamber.
Wednesday night also featured several other celebrity guest appearances, including Stevie Wonder, Mindy Kaling and Kenan Thompson.
Democrats are calling on their high-profile supporters to help draw attention to their convention, hoping their attendance will catch voters’ attention and potentially turn out their votes for Ms. Harris in November.
Previous research on celebrity endorsements Some say big names have the ability to bring publicity to parties, but it’s unclear whether that will translate into votes.
Research suggests that friends and family may have a greater influence on how a person votes — and in some cases, celebrities may even delay voters from casting their ballots.
Additional reporting by Max Matza
