During the first episode of “The Nancy O’Dell Channel” on Talkshoplive, Oprah Winfrey discussed her candid interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Winfrey expressed her surprise at Markle’s candor in the interview, saying she “went all the way there” on the subject of racism and didn’t hide her views on the royal family and British tabloids.
In March, the CBS primetime special “Oprah With Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special” aired. The couple spoke about their decision to move to the United States and the difficulties they had in England. The media maven clarified that the pair and her crew had to have a lot of faith in each other to ensure that nothing leaked before the show broadcast.
“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 gave the couple some interviewing advice and thanked them 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.
On April 22, Winfrey was the first guest on Talkshoplive, a new series from longtime TV host Nancy O’Dell and the livestream commerce company Talkshoplive. What Happened to You? : Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing are also explored by Winfrey. Dr. Bruce D. Perry, a renowned brain and trauma specialist who also appeared on the show with her, co-wrote the book with her.
