Oprah Winfrey’s recent interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry shocked the world as the conversation’s ripple effect on the internet lasted days after its premiere.
Oprah has now publicly addressed the impact that her explosive sit-down had on talkshoplive, telling Nancy O’Dell, “I had no idea that it would have the reverberating impact that it has had and continues to have.”
Oprah continued around the six-minute mark: “I did a lot of preparation for that. It was really important to me that what we put out there in the world was put out into the world at the time that everybody could see it and that things didn’t leak and things weren’t misconstrued before the actual interview happened. I remember when we finished doing the interview, and that interview was 3 hours and 20 minutes I think, I stood up and said to the crew, ‘We all know what was said here and how important it is to have a trust to the people who just shared that so I’m hoping you all will not go out into the world and share what has happened here.’”
She added, “And nobody did. So as we were releasing clips to CBS, we were releasing them in such a way that whatever was being put out there could not be exploited. So a lot of time and effort and energy went into it on my part.”
She also said she was “surprised” at Meghan and Harry’s candor during the conversation. “What? You’re going there? You’re going all the way there,” Oprah said.
Oprah added, “The reason why it was such a powerful interview … What makes it powerful is when you have somebody else who is willing to be as open as vulnerable, as truthful as they were. The reason the interview was what it was because they answered the way they did.”
Oprah also touched on the fact that she didn’t meet Meghan or Harry in person before the interview, saying she texted them to tell them, “intention is very part important to me, tell me what your intention is so that we can be aligned in our goal,” she explained. “Our shared intention was the truth. They wanted to be able to tell their story and tell it in such a way that allowed them to be as truthful as possible.”
Oprah’s interview with the couple aired on March 7 where Meghan and Harry recalled racism and preferential treatment within the Royal Family, namely “concerns” about what skin color their son, Archie, would have when he was born. Meghan also openly discussed her feelings of suicide while she and Harry were still living in the UK.
During Oprah’s conversation with O’Dell, she also promoted her latest book, What Happened To You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing.
