Oprah quits ’60 Minutes,’ says it was ‘flattening out my personality’

Oprah Winfrey revealed in an interview published Tuesday that she is no longer working as a contributor to “60 Minutes,” with the media mogul stating the work was “flattening out” her personality. 

“It was not the best format for me,” Winfrey told The Hollywood Reporter. 

{mosads}“How should I say this? Never a good thing when I have to practice saying my name and have to be told that I have too much emotion in my name,” the 65-year-old continued. “I think I did seven takes on just my name because it was ‘too emotional.’ I go, ‘Is there too much emotion in the Oprah part or the Winfrey part?’ I was working on pulling myself down and flattening out my personality — which, for me, is actually not such a good thing.”

Winfrey was hired in January 2017 by CBS News to be a special contributor to “60 Minutes.” 

“There is only one Oprah Winfrey,” said then-“60 Minutes” executive producer Jeff Fager at the time. “She has achieved excellence in everything she has touched. Her body of work is extraordinary, including thousands of interviews with people from all walks of life. She is a remarkable and talented woman with a level of integrity that sets her apart and makes her a perfect fit for ’60 Minutes.’ I am thrilled that she will be bringing her unique and powerful voice to our broadcast.”

Fager has since parted ways with the network amid sexual harassment allegations. 

Winfrey, also a producer and actress, has been dubbed the “Queen of All Media” as the most successful talk show host of all time. 

She has been floated as a potential 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, but has repeatedly rejected calls to run for public office. 

The Hill has reached out to CBS News for comment.