Gayle King Weighs In on Oprah's Possible Run for President

Among the people closest to Oprah Winfrey are her longtime partner Stedman Graham and her longtime best friend for life, Gayle King.

After Seth Meyers suggested in his 2018 Golden Globes monologue that Oprah should run for president, the notion gained traction with the rousing speech she gave while accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award during the ceremony and when Graham told the L.A. Times that Winfrey “would absolutely” run for president. And there was still another person left to ask (aside from, of course, Oprah herself): Gayle King.

On Tuesday, King cleared the air while colleagues questioned Winfrey’s potential run for office on CBS This Morning, directly responding to Graham’s quotes. “I do think that’s interesting because Stedman says that he thought the reporters said to him, ‘Would she make a good president?’ and he said, ‘Absolutely, she would,’” King said. “Stedman would never so cavalierly say, ‘Absolutely, she would do it. It’s up to the people. He would never do that.”

She continued to express Graham’s support for Winfrey and explain that he misinterpreted the question. So is she considering it? “No. I absolutely don’t think that her position has changed … I do think she’s intrigued by the idea. I also know after years of watching the Oprah show, you always have a right to change your mind. I don’t think, at this point, she’s actually considering it.

King continued, "But listen, there are people who said they want to be her campaign manager, who want to quit their jobs and campaign for her. She loves this country and would like to be of service in some way, but I don’t think that she is actively considering it at this time.”

In October, Winfrey shut down rumors of a potential run. “There will be no running for office of any kind for me,” she told CBS This Morning.

Oprah 2020? TBD.