ET has uncovered vintage footage of the entertainment mogul revealing that her longtime partner once wanted her to run for office.
Oprah Winfrey for president!
That's what fans have been chanting, tweeting, posting and asking about ever since the 63-year-old entertainment mogul's powerful, inspiring speech at the 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards over the weekend. Although Winfrey has repeatedly shut down speculation that she would ever run for office, it hasn't always been totally out of the question.
ET has uncovered footage from a 1987 interview with Winfrey on the set of The Oprah Winfrey Show, where she revealed that her longtime partner, Stedman Graham, was encouraging her to start a campaign.
"He's a very special man in that he's not the least bit intimidated by me or what I do. He says to me all the time, 'Look, I want you to be president... you want to president? Run for president, I'll work the campaign,'" Winfrey said at the time. "So, I'm very grateful to have somebody like that, who doesn't want to be in the limelight with me, isn't trying -- when you walk into the room, isn't looking for all the cameras. And, so, I don't know what will happen."
Graham was interviewed by reporters from The Los Angeles Times on Sunday, where he said Winfrey "absolutely" would run for president. However, during her appearance on CBS This Morning on Tuesday, host Gayle King (Winfrey's best friend) said Graham misheard the reporter's question.
"Stedman says he thought the reporter said to him, 'Would she make a good president?' and he said, 'Absolutely she would,'" King clarified. "That's how he interpreted the question."
"This is the thing," she added, "Stedman would never so cavalierly say, 'Absolutely, she would do it. It's up to the people.' He would never do that."
ET also spoke with King on Tuesday to talk about the possibility of her pal in the White House someday.
"I do think [Oprah] is intrigued, [but] that doesn't mean she is thinking about running," she revealed. "I do think that the speech was a different moment for her. ...She knew that she met the moment, but the reaction to the speech has been sort of overwhelming to her."
"Listen, Oprah has got a very nice life," she continued. "She is doing very well for herself and this is not something she is seeking or trying to encourage people to even encourage her to run. She certainly is someone that cares deeply about this country. I believe that she could make a difference in this country. ...For the first time, I am even like, 'Are you sure, are you sure?' -- which only irritates her."
Hear more in the video below!
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