Oprah Winfrey recently discussed her revealing interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry during the first episode of “The Nancy O’Dell Channel” on Talkshoplive. Winfrey revealed that she was surprised Markle was so candid and “went all the way there” on the topic of racism in the interview and didn’t mask her opinions about the royal family and the British tabloids.
“Oprah With Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special” aired in March. The couple discussed their move to the United States and the problems they faced in England. The media maven explained that it took a lot of trust from the couple and her crew to make sure nothing leaked before the show aired.
“I was surprised. What? You’re going there? You’re going all the way there? I had no idea that it would have the reverberating impact that it has had and continues to have. 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,” Winfrey told O’Dell.
The OWN founder and executive also explained that she usually meets with her subjects prior to interviewing them but Megan and Harry were an exception.
“I didn’t see Meghan and Harry before but I did text them and say, ‘Intention is very important to me. Tell me what your intention is so that we can be aligned in our goal.’ Our shared intention was the truth,” stated Oprah. “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.”
Winfrey also shared a few interviewing tips and thanked the couple for not holding back. “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, was because they answered the way they did,” the media mogul commented.
Winfrey was the first guest on the new series from longtime TV host Nancy O’Dell and the livestream commerce company Talkshoplive which debuted on April 22. Winfrey also discussed her forthcoming book, What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing. She co-wrote the book with renowned brain and trauma expert Dr. Bruce D. Perry, who also appeared on the program with her.
