Oprah Winfrey says no thanks to Sarah Palin -- for now

Oprah Winfrey has had Sen. Barack Obama on her talk show twice.

So why won't she invite Gov. Sarah Palin on?

After the Drudge Report ran an item about how Oprah didn't want to have Palin on, Oprah issued a statement to TMZ  explaining why she won't invite Palin until after the election.

"The item in today's Drudge Report is categorically untrue. There has been absolutely no discussion about having Sarah Palin on my show. At the beginning of this Presidential campaign when I decided that I was going to take my first public stance in support of a candidate, I made the decision not to use my show as a platform for any of the candidates. I agree that Sarah Palin would be a fantastic interview, and I would love to have her on after the campaign is over."

Obama was on her show in January 2005 and  October 2006 -- admittedly a long time before he announced his presidential run.

What do you think? Is Oprah -- who supports Obama -- being biased and unfair? And are you surprised? Should she have all the candidates on?

Frankly, I'd like to see Sarah Palin interviewed on Oprah.

It would do American voters a great service to be able to get to know Sarah a bit better. Beats the heck out of another lame Tom Cruise interview too.

Photos: WireImage

Comments

[Kate]

There are many journalists who actually specialize in NEWS who would LOVE to have Pailen on. Chris Mathews wants her on. Instead Pailen just wants to do celebrity interviews. She needs to talk policy.

[Gail Pensacola]

I think Oprah needs to get off her high horse and realize she is nothing special. She just doesnt want Palin on her show because she knows that it would help the Republican party, which would not be good for her bff Obama

[TarHeel]

Oprah can have whomever she wants on her show. What's the big deal?

[Teresa]

I agree Sarah should be treated fairly Oprah gave Obama his chance It is only right she give Sarah the same chance Her viewers have done well by her and now she needs ro play fair After the election is too late I love Oprah but I can easily live without watching her show

[44dakota]

It's Oprah's show...she can do as she pleases.
And she does very well.

[srrrjr]

Oprah certainly does not surprise me now since I realized that she is not a women fan like she has always claimed. I am done with Oprah.

[william]

yet, in real life, white women have made her who she is and black men aren't even good enough to marry.

that's rich.

[Carlos]

I'm not so sure how interesting Sarah Palin would be. It seems mediocrity is the current trend these days when it comes to high office. Whether it's the president or the Republican VP nominee, mediocrity is the common denominator. Whatever happened to getting the best and the brightest?

[Paul]

I does seem like there has been some favoritism, with a quote from Michelle discussing Sarah's family on Oprah's show recently. It would show that Oprah's heart is bigger than just politics and that she does want to serve a cause greater than herself!

[ppolos]

It's not biased or unfair. Oprah is not a journalist, she is a talk show host. Palin has a number of news media outlets to make a case for herself and/or McCain.

[RTT]

Who cares who Oprah has on her talk show? Oprah's show is entertainment. I don't get my political information (or any other information for that matter) from Oprah. Please don't post anything else as stupid as this again. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

[Keith-Harold]

Oprah has the right to interview whom ever she choses. It's Her show! Personally I would like to see an hour long interview with Kobe Bryant on the Oprah show but what does that mean? She's made it clear that she'll have no candidate on her show and she's explained why, so let it be.

Peace

[Keith-Harold]

Oprah has the right to interview whom ever she choses. It's Her show! Personally I would like to see an hour long interview with Kobe Bryant on the Oprah show but what does that mean? She's made it clear that she'll have no candidate on her show and she's explained why, so let it be.

Peace

[Nova yos Galan]

I support Oprah's stance on this one. If she's supporting Obama, she should stick with him. And not open this up any further as a celeb sensation.

[aarkblair]

Oprah will never admit it, but her support for Obama has everything to do with race-- "black power." She claims to be all about "women power," but her true colors showed when she refused to host Sarah Palin on her show. She's deathly afraid to give airtime to a rising star who might just secure McCain's ticket for the presidency.

[Lg]

Although I am not a fan of the Oprah Show... who cares? I think after the election is a good opportunity for the nation to digest this pick from Sen McCain. Palin is sort of "carpetbagger" ... now if McCain had presented the country with a better female running mate than country would have came first rather political strategy.

[tomk]

Oprah is a tad upscale for the Governor, but no worries, the Jerry Springer Show is perfect for the entire Palin klan. Don't forget to bring the feuding in-laws!

Or better yet—a stop by Maury Povich for one of his signature "Who Your Baby Daddy" paternity tests.

[sandy Wichman]

I am not elite. I am not rich. And I live in a (mostly Republican) small town.
And even though she is beautiful, gutsy and well-spoken, Sarah Palin doesn't speak for me or any mainstream American!

And you don't think white voters vote for whites because they are white. Get a grip on reality!

[brian]

wow i had no idea that so many people had oprah ESP. you know what she's thinking and why she's thinking it. wish i had those powers. because for a non-clairvoyant such as myself who watches the show occassionally, her response seems totally rational and believable. balanced air time is critical at this point in the election. and obama hasn't been on in almost 2 years. so unless you really have the ability to see inside her soul, i'd take her word for it.

[claus]

Oprah can talk with whomever she chooses. I'd love to see Chris Matthews ask Palin some questions.

[KJ]

I would like to see Palin interviewed by a REAL journalist, and I don't mean Barbara Walters.

[MALENA]

OPRAH, thank you for not giving Palin more coverage than she already had. She was unknown to many, now she is almost a heroine. What has she done? Whatever she has done, it has been inflated by the media. And, what she has never done, it has been created by the same media supported by the same group that has destroyed our nation. Again, thank you Oprah for being you. It is your program, and you have the right to present whoever you think is appropriate,

[Chicago48]

Do you really think Pallin would be an interesting woman to talk to? She's totally opposite what Oprah believes in from creationism to being anti-gay to killing animals. Not only that, do you think ELLEN would like to have her on? I just don't see that woman doing anything that's "celebrity" oriented like Regis, Oprah, etc. Right now she's holed up in Alaska getting fine tuned by the Bushies what to say and how to present herself to the public. When she re-appears she'll have a new hairdo, new clothes, and new glasses. A total makeover from her looks to her thinking.

[Fred]

Oprah is not a journalist.
She is a self serving eco maniac. It has taken a long time for me and others to finalize realize it. Any half way decent journalist would love to have this woman on her show. Any half way decent person who recongized and appreciated the people who helped make her wealthy would love to have this woman on her show. She had Obama on the show (twice?) when she was sexretly or maybe not so secretly hoping he would run for president. Does she think people are blind to this? This woman is ridiculous. She must play us for Kool Aid drinking fans. I for one, will no longer watch the shows. AND I think folks should boycott her sponsors. In the words of Rev. Wright...."Target. I say G D Target."
Oprah honey, read your Bible and get a therapist.

[Dan]

Oprah claims she doesn't want to use her show as a platform for any of the candidates but that is exactly what she did with Barack Obama. Sarah Palin is becoming a very popular figure and I believe Oprah is afraid Palin would hit another home run on her show and sway a great deal of her audience to the McCain/Palin ticket. Oprah used her show to introduce America to Barack Obama...in fairness she should do the same for Sarah Palin before the election. Oprah also had a political fundraiser for Obama earlier this year at her Montecito home near Santa Barbara, so her motive not to have Palin on before the election is obvious.