Two of Oprah Winfrey’s close friends told CNN Monday that the entertainment magnate is “actively thinking” about running for president in 2020.
Talk of a Winfrey campaign ratcheted up Sunday night after she delivered an emotional speech at the Golden Globes about sexual harassment victims.
Some of Winfrey’s confidants have been privately urging her to run, but that she has not yet made up her mind, CNN reported.
In her Sunday night speech, Winfrey said that Hollywood needed to crack down on sexual harassment after several bombshell reports of such behavior from several powerful figures in the film industry.
{mosads}“For too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dared to speak their truth to the power of those men. But their time is up. Their time is up!” Winfrey said as she accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award.
Winfrey’s speech earned widespread praise, with the hashtag #Oprah2020 quickly picking up steam on social media.
In an interview after the show, Winfrey, 63, said she does not have plans to run for president.
Winfrey’s longtime partner, Stedman Graham, told the Los Angeles that a campaign isn’t out of the question.
“It’s up to the people. She would absolutely do it,” he said.
Actress Meryl Streep told The Washington Post that Winfrey “doesn’t have a choice” but to declare a presidential run after the speech she gave.
“I want her to run for president,” Streep said.