Oprah took the stage during the Democratic National Convention.
But it was something from her past that threatened her appearance.
And Oprah Winfrey hopes no one finds out the big favor she did for J.D. Vance.
Oprah endorses Kamala and smears J.D. Vance
Oprah is one of the few celebrities known by a single name.
Democrats considered it a coup to have her speak at their convention and endorse Kamala Harris.
This election is turning into a gender gap election where Donald Trump sees his path to victory running through massive margins with young men aged 18 to 34.
Democrats are looking at scoring massive margins with college educated women.
Oprah built her fame and fortune as the original lifestyle influencer for women on everything from mental health to dieting to books.
In her speech, Oprah sought to drive this point home by smearing J.D. Vance for his “childless cat lady” comments.
“Despite what some would have you think, we are not so different from our neighbors. When a house is on fire, we don’t ask about the homeowner’s race or religion. We don’t wonder who their partner is or how they voted,” Oprah stated.
“No, we just try to do the best we can to save them and if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady, well, we try and get that cat out, too. Because we are a country of people who work hard for the money, we wish our brothers and sisters well and we pray for peace,” Oprah added.
What J.D. Vance really said
In a 2021 interview with Tucker Carlson, Vance attacked the anti-family mindset of so many on the left who want to make having a family harder.
“It’s just a basic fact — you look at Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, AOC — the entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children,” Vance told Carlson.
“And how does it make any sense that we’ve turned our country over to people who don’t really have a direct stake in it?” Vance added.
Vance explained his quip was about how Democrats targeted school children with harmful mask mandates and other policies that Vance explained came about because Democrats don’t value the perspective of parents.
Oprah’s connection to Vance
Oprah left a key detail out of her speech.
It was Oprah who helped make Vance famous following the 2016 election.
Oprah’s famed book club promoted Vance’s “Hillbilly Elegy,” helping to turn it into a best seller and make Vance a celebrity who media outlets regularly booked to serve as an explainer of the Trump phenomenon.
The Chicago Tribune’s Clarence Page detailed the connection in a December 2020 column.
“Boosted by Oprah’s Book Club, among other notables, Vance suddenly became a sought-after Trump translator on talk shows in the fashion of “Luther,” President Barack Obama’s fictitious “anger translator” created by the “Key & Peele” comedy team,” Page wrote.
Page then described how the Oprah promotion helped turn “Hillbilly Elegy” into a Netflix movie from famed director Ron Howard.
“Not surprisingly, Hollywood wanted a piece of this action. Popular filmmaker [Ron Howard] brought cast and crew to Middletown — including stars Amy Adams as Vance’s drug-addicted mother and Glenn Close, his memorably profane but tough-minded grandma,” Page added.
In many ways Oprah helped make J.D. Vance, a fact she wasn’t eager to advertise during her speech.
