NEW YORK—FEBRUARY 11, 2011—Oprah Winfrey made a special appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” this morning, where she told Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski that she’s “feeling great about Obama’s leadership.” Winfrey also discussed the current state of politics in the U.S., her recently launched OWN Network and what makes Chicago a great city.
The following below is from MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
A clip of the interview is available at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036789/ns/msnbc_tv-morning_joe/#41530033
MIKA BRZEZINSKI, CO-HOST, MORNING JOE: All right. Welcome back to MORNING JOE in Chicago. And that clip was from tonight’s new episode of season 25 Oprah: Behind the Scenes on the OWN metwork. An joining us now, the host of The Oprah Winfrey Show and the founder of the OWN network, Oprah Winfrey.
Oprah, it is so good to have you on our show.
OPRAH WINFREY, FOUNDER OF OWN NETWORK: I’m so thrilled —
JOE SCARBOROUGH, CO-HOST, MORNING JOE: You can clap, Chicago!
BRZEZINSKI: We love it. We love it.
WINFREY: I’m happy that you are in my favorite place in the world, Chicago. I heard you in the last segment talking about it. Everything that you say about it is true.
SCARBOROUGH: It’s unbelievable.
WINFREY: From the first day I arrived in the city to audition, that was in September 3rd, 1983. It was labor day because I couldn’t get off any other day. So, I came here to audition, and I thought, if I don’t get the job, I’m going to go into PR so that I can just live in this town.
SCARBOROUGH: It is an unbelievable town, and it’s only gotten better. I love to be talking about the 80s. I remember coming here on a college trip and driving up and down Lake Shore and saying it’s the most beautiful place. But it’s only gotten better. And my family loves coming here.
WINFREY: Yes! And this is my favorite restaurant. You are in my favorite restaurant.
SCARBOROUGH: I know! So, I came here about a year ago to eat for the very first time. I come in, and my wife and I look — and my wife immediately go, uh-oh, this is his kind of place. And so they take me to the corner table and they go, by the way, you’re sitting in Oprah’s booth.
(LAUGHTER)
SCARBOROUGH: But it is a very special place.
WINFREY: I actually do claim that booth.
SCARBOROUGH: But this is a very special town, as well. And who would have believed that a guy that you knew when he was in the state senate would so quickly move up and become president.
WINFREY: I believed it. I believed it! I believed it.
SCARBOROUGH: And you did it! In South Carolina. Now, you never get involved in politics, , but yet you went to South Carolina and just made a huge difference.
WINFREY: Well, I could actually feel you know, when we walked in to South Carolina, I remember that. We had just been in Iowa the day before, and when we moved in to South Carolina that day, I could feel a difference in the audience when we came in and when we left. I could feel that shift, you know.
So, I believed from the first moment I saw him in 2004 at the Democratic National Convention, I was watching alone and cheering, and I felt something. And I move on instinct in my life and I just felt — what I really felt was that one day this man will be president of the United States. I did not think it would be in 2008. I just thought one day it will happen. I hope I’m alive to see it.
SCARBOROUGH: You know what the most remarkable thing about take moment was for me?
WINFREY: What?
SCARBOROUGH: And Tom and I have talked a good bit about race before and about how there’s like, a dividing line for people that are 46 or 47, old world, new world. What amazed me was I looked at that picture and was like, wow, that’s really great. And then —
WINFREY: This is the Democratic convention?
SCARBOROUGH: No, no, no! In South Carolina. And it only hit me a few minutes later, wait a second, those are three African-Americans up there. And I didn’t think, oh, there is African-American running for president or, oh, there is a — all I saw was a guy and a woman who I went to law school with, or the type of –
WINFREY: Really?
SCARBOROUGH: Yes. I didn’t’ go to law school. I’m just saying, I just said, oh, I can relate to that. And then I saw you and I said, oh, TV entertainer. And you talked about something that I think a campaign and also that moment that really broke down, I believe, racial barriers where people stopped saying, oh, this is special because it’s an African — no.
BRZEZINSKI: It was just three people on stage.
SCARBOROUGH: Just three leaders.
WINFREY: Well, I’m glad you felt that way. I remember coming off the stage, and the guy who’s done my hair for 25 years. Andre said, gee, that was a moment. That was really something to see the three of you standing there. So, that was great.
TOM BROKAW, NBC: Well, I just had that same experience. This is not just Chicago, this is Oprahland. You come to Chicago and when you’re taken into the Oprahland, it’s really a remarkable experience. And Oprah was kind enough to invite me to be on her broadcast with Bob Woodward and Michelle Obama to talk about military —
WINFREY: That’s after you called me and told me I should do it.
BROKAW: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
SCARBOROUGH: And by the way, what would really make it is if you had me on the show! So kind!
BROKAW: We did have a great conversation. But you were very responsive.
But here was a powerful moment for me. Obviously there were many of them because we had a mother who had lost a son in Iraq, and Bob was talking about that. I had that family that I know from my hometown.
But at the end of the broadcast, Michelle Obama who came on and talked very movingly about her relationship with military families across the country, and then these two stood up and embraced. And I thought back to the early days of my life, and I didn’t ever think I would see two woman, African-American, the most powerful woman in the media today, in the world, and the first lady of the United States — and the audience was it multicultural, multirace audience, and they were deeply moved.
And this has nothing to do with Democratic or Republican politics. It really has to do with where we have advanced as a nation in that we can have those kinds of moments, and people are beginning to take them as the ordinary part of our lives. But these are extraordinary accomplishments, and we’ve still got a long way to go. But we’re moving in the right direction.
WILLIE GEIST, MSNBC: And there was another moment, too, in Grant Park on election might when the president’s family came out. Well, you were crying and the Reverend Jackson, who’s backstage if we got a minute (ph) was crying. Talk about what you were feeling on that might.
WINFREY: Well, I think I was feeling like this actually happened. It really happened. And I looked over and saw Reverend Jackson, and I was thinking about him and what he must be feeling. I’m sure you’re going to talk to him about this. I’ve never even talked to him about it. I was thinking about him being there on the balcony with Martin Luther King and then being able to stand there in Grant Park. That’s what I was thinking.
BRZEZINSKI: So how are you feeling now? You put yourself out there. You obviously have a lot of power and an incredible ability to connect with people. How are feeling about the mood of the country and Obama’s leadership?
WINFREY: I’m feeling great about Obama’s leadership. I feel that everybody has a learning curve, and I feel that what — the reason why I was willing to step out for him is because I believed in his integrity and I believed in his heart. And I believe what he really wants for this country is for this country to be greater, stronger, more innovative. And I believe that those principles are what really enforce his beliefs. So, I have no issues with the Obama administration.
SCARBOROUGH: And it’s a tough process, isn’t it, personally and —
WINFREY: And I think everybody complaining ought to try it for a week!
BRZEZINSKI: Love that!
SCARBOROUGH: You know, and the thing is, I’ve always said when people complain about it, I say, everybody ought to run. I don’t care what they run for, just put themselves out there one time before they complain.
But we’ve got a lot of friends inside the administration. Valerie and David and so many others who go to Washington and do their best. It’s the same thing with Republican administrations, as well.
But it is such a tough process. Have you been surprised being personally connected with people in the White House just how tough politics can be these days?
WINFREY: Yes. I never really paid attention to it before I knew somebody who was there, obviously. I’ve been voting all my adult life and have voted for Republicans and voted for Democrats because I always look for who is the best candidate and who I feel is going to serve the country.
But, yes, I’m surprised at the mood of the country. I’m surprised at the fact that we live in an era where it’s so easy for everybody to have a position of criticism.
SCARBOROUGH: Right.
WINFREY: And I get really concerned because I think we are one nation, even though we all have different beliefs. And I think that the president of the United States, that position, holds a sense of authority and governance over us all. So that even if you’re not in support of his policies, there needs to be a certain level of respect for the office.
SCARBOROUGH: You have people running around saying they want the president to fail. I always — when I get up and give speeches, I always say the same thing. My parents, my grandma, she taught me you pray for people who are running the country. You pray for the president.
And you know what, I even saw her praying for Jimmy Carter –
BRZEZINSKI: Stop it! I knew it you were going to go there!
SCARBOROUGH: So if you can pray for Jimmy Carter — I’m joking, Mika, I’m joking!
Let’s talk about TV now and let’s the media landscape. You’ve completely changed it. You could have rode this out for years making $80 billion a year, but you decided — it is around $80 billion, if you round down.
(LAUGHTER)
BRZEZINSKI: It really doesn’t matter.
SCARBOROUGH: But you decided to jump. I mean, to start your own network. It would have been much safer for you to say oh, I’m going to go home and I’m just going to travel the world. I’m going to give some money to some people. But, no, you started a network. That can be a very, very ugly proposition.
WINFREY: Yes. And, you know, and it is challenging, I have to tell you. It’s very challenging. But before I go into my network, may I just say the reason why I’m here is because I met one of your producers at some event. And I was telling them how much I love the show. I think you all do this better than anybody in television. You do this morning –
(APPLAUSE)
BRZEZINSKI: That would be Chris. You met Chris. And Oprah, is that your executive producer that’s there? Our EP and your EP.
WINFREY: I think you guys – I mean, I think the flow, the ebb and flow, the rhythm of the show, I think the authenticity, I think the fact that you have real conversations, the conversations aren’t this short. I think that you guys got the morning thing down. I think you got the TV thing down. You do it as well as anybody.
BROKAW: But the difference is, Oprah, you were able to take your entire gift list to Australia.
(LAUGHTER)
BROKAW: We’re taking these people to Hoboken.
BRZEZINSKI: Oh, well.
MIKE BARNICLE, MSNBC: Don’t look under your chairs.
WINFREY: No, there’s nothing there.
BARNICLE: I’m curious about you and listening to the conversation this morning, your network, your friendship with the president of the United States. That young woman who showed up in Chicago in September of 1983 looking for a job and was going on go into PR if she didn’t get the job. Does that young woman now, fast forward all these years later, do you ever worry about someone shaking you and saying, Oprah it’s time to get up and go to school and –
(LAUGHTER)
BRZEZINSKI: It’s all been a dream.
BARNICLE: It’s such a compelling American story, your story.
WINFREY: Only in America could this story happen. Only in America could this story happen.
And, no, I really live in the moment of, yes, this is going on and now I must embrace this moment. Like I have to leave here and I’m doing a live show this morning with all the ladies from “The View.” So, I will take that in.
And one of the things that I wanted to do for this 25th season, my farewell season of the Oprah show, was to be able to do exactly what you’re saying and that is take in every moment and not take one moment for granted. So, every time I come out and that audience is there and they have come from across town and 80 percent have come from across the country, to appreciate what it took to get them in the seat, to appreciate whatever that show is, to not be the girl at the wedding who wakes up an says what really happened in the wedding?
BRZEZINSKI: In your behind-the-scenes program, it’s great to see all the people in your life that make it happen and how unbelievably dedicated they are. 24/7. You got to love it. You got to want to do it. And they do.
WINFREY: Yes, we’re a force. And I love my team. I think I have the best team in TV. I know we all do. But I think I have the best team in TV, and they are responsible along with the audience for us having 25 years of success in the greatest city of America.
SCARBOROUGH: Let me —
WINFREY: Willie — Willie has to speak! I’ve been (INAUDIBLE) and said, you’re going to love Willie. You know, I Twittered and said, look, I’m a little nervous about doing MORNING JOE.
BRZEZINSKI: Are you still nervous?
WINFREY: No, I see the flow is really good.
GEIST: Gail and I have a little thing going. My wife’s aware of it.
SCARBOROUGH: It’s inappropriate emailing and –
GEIST: It’s just email.
BRZEZINSKI: How great is Gail?
WINFREY: She’s the best friend anyone could ever have.
BRZEZINSKI: I love her!
WINFREY: Yes, yes.
GEIST: You know, I’ve been watching this the behind the scenes show that you’re doing on OWN. And it’s just —
WINFREY: Tonight at 7:00.
GEIST: Tonight at 7:00. It’s just staggering what goes into a show. Because we just roll in five minutes before the show, and it’s all showbiz.
BRZEZINSKI: We do!
GEIST: I’m just kidding. We have a great staff.
WINFREY: What time do you get up for Way Too Early?
BRZEZINSKI: Oh, it’s awful!
GEIST: 3:00 in the morning.
WINFREY: Wow. Three’s tough.
GEIST: But what goes into a show, I was watching the one where for your first show, where you had the plane and Travolta, and the ideas on paper just sound outrageous. And yet your staff —
WINFREY: They always know they can pull it off. I have 43 shows left, but who is counting?
(LAUGHTER)
BRZEZINSKI: Nobody.
WINFREY: 43 shows left as of today. May 25th will be my good-bye for the show.
SCARBOROUGH: So why did you decide, instead of just taking a victory lap, going to tackling OWN?
WINFREY: Because I love the platform. As you know, there’s nothing like it for sharing ideas, for sharing information. And I think that the landscape is not so good out there for a lot of television. So, I wanted to be able to continue with the planned for the to be able to be a force for good in the world and be able to say meaningful things.
SCARBOROUGH: And I’m not going to ask you to analyze yourself too much here —
WINFREY: Please don’t.
(LAUGHTER)
WINFREY: I really can’t. It’s too early.
SCARBOROUGH: You talked about our show in our little world. You have a lot of people running 30 minutes of balloon boy while we’re taking press conferences in Japan. And I’m dead serious. In your time slot, on a much bigger scale, there are a lot of people that came in and tried to beat you and you’d have – today, we have the three headed mother who is arm wrestling a –
BRZEZINSKI: In a bikini.
WINFREY: There are been over 127 talk shows who started since I did.
SCARBOROUGH: So, what separated yours, and how were you able to rise above, have great programming and draw the audience?
WINFREY: Because I made a decision in the ’90s — I was interviewing skin heads in the Ku Klux Klan —
BRZEZINSKI: Right.
SCARBOROUGH: We just did that last week. Go ahead.
(LAUGHER)
WINFREY: And I made a decision — there was a moment during a commercial break where one of them said get her. And I made a decision that I was not going to use the platform for anything that I thought would not bring a little piece of light if to people’s lives.
And I realized that while I think I’m interviewing the skin heads and I’m showing how egregious they can be and all that, that really I’m giving them a voice. And so I made a decision that when I’m going to use this platform, I’m going to use to give a voice for that which I think can be helpful to people.
So that was — that made all the difference. At the time, a lot of my affiliates were like, well, don’t tell people you’re going to take the high road.
BRZEZINSKI: Right. Right!
WINFREY: You’ll lose the numbers! And we did. The numbers dipped. But I thought, either I’m going to do what feels right to me, do what feels to me, or I’m going to leave the business.
SCARBOROUGH: And we were last night, we were at an event in memory of the great Tim Russert
WINFREY: Oh, yes.
SCARBOROUGH: And again, our moment, with this show, was when Phil Griffin said to us, you have an audience of one, and it’s Tim Russert. And if Tim would be embarrassed of what you do, then don’t do it.
WINFREY: Wow.
SCARBOROUGH: And it really did – and at that point, we walked in and told Willie he was going to be fired.
(LAUGHTER)
SCARBOROUGH: I’m kidding! I’m kidding! No, no. He had a five-year no-cut contract. But it does, though, whether you’re talking about TV or whether you’re talking about politics. And I know, Tom Brokaw, you’ve learned this through the years so much better than me — but if you don’t underestimate the American voter or the American viewer, they will always surprise you. They will always look for that light that you’re talking about.
WINFREY: But the other thing is, I consider myself, I think one of my gifts is that as much stuff as I’ve been able to acquire, materialistically, I’m not defined by it. And I still hold myself as the surrogate viewer. I, even better than my producers, and I say I have the best team, I, even better than them, I can put myself in the place of the viewer.
SCARBOROUGH: That’s the secret, isn’t it? Knowing what your audience wants.
WINFREY: I think I am the viewer.
BROKAW: You know what I really believe — as you know, I’m all over this country constantly. And the people want someone who’s going to talk straight to them.
These are really unsettling times in so many ways. Three weeks ago, we hadn’t had any idea that Egypt would blow up. Last summer, it was the BP explosion. So, there’s an enormous a lot of stuff going on in the lives of people in which they’re looking for real information, but also looking for real value in television.
And that’s across the political spectrum. And what Oprah does so well on the success of this broadcast, I believe, is it gives everyone time and there is a kind of reason —
WINFREY: It’s the time thing.
BROKAW: It’s the time thing. And there’s a reasoned attitude about it, and Oprah is amazing at listening, which is the real key. And being in the studio with her and looking out at that audience. And I ran into a Beverly Hills matron after I had been on, it was the last person I would have expected would have flown to Chicago because she’d gotten tickets for your show, then she had gone back and helped organize some fundraising for military families, which we had talked about.
But Oprah has this uncanny capacity to listen, give people time to say what they have to say, and choose the subjects very carefully and do the right mix. You know, today it’s “The View” and then it will be something else the next day. And people are unfailingly interesting — interested in what she has to say. So I think that is a lesson.
SCARBOROUGH: And by the way, Willie and I want you to know that if material objects ever get in the way of you reaching out to the men and women of America, we will help you. We will —
BRZEZINSKI: Cars.
GEIST: But the big mistake people make is, do they always say, who is the next Oprah? When they heard this was your last season, it’s like who’s going to fill the shoes? Like, who is the next Michael Jordan? There is no next Michael Jordan. Do you see people on the horizon, outside of this room –
(LAUGHTER)
GEIST: — who excites you, who can carry your legacy a little bit?
WINFREY: No. I think my legacy is my legacy, and whoever the next person is, they will define themselves by whatever they choose to do. You know. That’s really the way it works.
GEIST: So it’s not me?
(LAUGHTER)
WINFREY: It may be. It may be.
BRZEZINSKI: He’s a cute thing, isn’t he?
SCARBOROUGH: You can e-mail Gayle now and tell her —
GEIST: (INAUDIBLE)
WINFREY: This was so delightful!
SCARBOROUGH: Well, listen, we thank you so much for coming here and doing it —
WINFREY: You know, I’m always on my treadmill watching. This is usually the time I’m watching from my treadmill. I gave up the treadmill today for —
BRZEZINSKI: You might want to give him your treadmill.
WINFREY: No, no!
SCARBOROUGH: All right, Oprah, thank you so much. We appreciate it!
(APPLAUSE)
BRZEZINSKI: Thank you, Oprah Winfrey. And Chris and — very nice.
(END)