Morgan made a successful gambit in his relationship with American viewers by booking Winfrey as his first guest. Because if Oprah likes Morgan then everybody else in the US is probably going to like him too - and it was obvious that she was impressed.
But Morgan, who CNN is betting on to help turn around the network’s dismal viewer ratings, also used the interview to set himself up as Oprah’s first-among-rivals, waging his own bet with her in British pounds that he would interview rehabbed football player Michael Vick before she could. “I’ve dreamed of being your rival,” he said.
A charming Morgan, who interviewed Winfrey in a cozy sitting room set, referred to his guest as “the American Queen” and “America’s therapist” - not a dramatic departure from his predecessor’s non-confrontational style. By the hour-long show’s end, though, Morgan had demonstrated his skill as a master interviewer. Viewers probably came away with a clearer idea of what Winfrey is about than ever before.
Stating that she absolutely trusted only five or six people, two of whom were her best friend Gayle King and her companion Stedman Graham, Winfrey described herself as a woman who was a teacher at her “core” and not the marrying kind. Her relationship with Stedman was good without marriage, she explained, and would fall apart if they ever tied the knot.
With defiance in her voice, Winfrey said she would never discuss the lesbian rumours that had surfaced about her and King again - referring to a recent television interview with Barbara Walters. In another surprising answer, Winfrey, who became pregnant at age 14 and was sexually abused as a child, said that she has never had any type of psychotherapy.
Winfrey told Morgan that she knew exactly how much money she was worth but refused to confirm the $2.7 billion figure reported by Forbes magazine. She said she planned to leave all of her wealth to charity when she died.
When questioned about the performance of Barack Obama, Winfrey said she did not believe that Mr Obama has been disappointing as President and that he is entitled to a learning curve. Morgan alluded to Winfrey herself making a bid for the highest office but she dampened any expectations by saying that, despite her achievements, she wouldn’t know how to run a town, much less a nation.
Perhaps the most interesting part of the interview was hearing Winfrey’s own views on her phenomenal success. Describing herself as a former “negro” and crediting Civil Rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr. with being able to reach the summit, Winfrey described herself as the “love brand”.
She said having money was meaningless except in its ability to facilitate more opportunities to love people. She said she saw her work, which has now taken her to her own television network, called OWN, as an evolution of her mere messenger status in a mission to “evolve the consciousness of people everywhere”.
At the end of an absorbing, fast-paced hour, Morgan mischievously asked “How did I do?” “Surprised,” Oprah answered. “And that’s good.”
