TV icon Oprah Winfrey made a surprise appearance at the Democratic National Convention in her hometown of Chicago, urging Democrats and independent voters to “choose common sense over bullshit.”
“Let’s choose truth, let’s choose honor, let’s choose joy,” Winfrey told a crowd on Wednesday. “Because that’s what’s best about America.”
Winfrey, who has avoided the political spotlight in recent years, lent some of her star power to Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, on the third night of the four-day convention.
The 70-year-old's comments came ahead of Mr Walz's prime-time speech to formally accept the party's nomination for vice president.
Her endorsement of the duo has helped further energize the Democratic National Convention — which this week is already hosting other famous faces like rapper Lil Jon.
In keeping with party convention tradition, Republicans also packed their own gathering last month with stars. Musician Kid Rock and wrestler Hulk Hogan both attended.
In addition to delivering a message of unity, former talk show host Winfrey implicitly criticized her Republican rivals, former President Donald Trump and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance.
“Despite what some people may think, we are not that different from our neighbors,” Winfrey said. “When a house burns down, we don’t ask what race or religion the owner is, who their partner is or how they voted. No. We just try to do our best to save them.”
Referring to Mr. Vance, she added: “And if the place is owned by a cat lady who doesn’t have kids, well, we’ll try to get that cat out, too.”
The comments referred to a 2021 interview in which Mr. Vance referred to Democratic politicians as “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable in their own lives and the choices they’ve made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable too.”
The remarks, which went viral after Trump named the Ohio senator as his running mate, have been heavily criticized. Oprah has no children.
The billionaire media mogul has shied away from politics in recent years. In 2007, she endorsed then-Illinois senator Barack Obama for president. Winfrey, who considered Obama a friend as they shared the same political space in Chicago, hosted fundraisers and volunteered for his campaign in Iowa.
But on Wednesday night, Winfrey described herself as an independent, and urged other like-minded voters to support Democrats in November.
“You're looking at a registered independent who is proud to vote over and over again, because he's an American, and that's what Americans do,” she said.
Tracey Prince and Kathy Sykes jumped out of their seats when they saw Oprah, who was born in their home state of Mississippi, take the stage.
“We love Oprah so much. Everyone in Mississippi is so proud that she claims us,” Ms Sykes told BBC News.
She said Oprah's speech was a “powerful message” to independent voters in particular to vote for Ms Harris.
“You have given very good reasons for choosing common sense over nonsense,” Ms Sykes said from the conference room.
Wednesday night also saw several other celebrity appearances including Stevie Wonder, Mindy Kaling, and Kenan Thompson.
The Democratic Party is calling on its famous supporters to help draw attention to its convention, hoping their presence will attract voters' attention — and perhaps a vote for Ms. Harris in November.
Previous research on celebrity endorsements has suggested that big-name figures are able to generate publicity for a party, but it is unclear whether this translates into votes.
Studies have suggested that friends and family may have a greater influence on how a person votes — and in some circumstances, celebrities may even prevent voters from voting.
With additional reporting from Max Matza.
