The 2024 Democratic National Convention was livelier than ever during its third evening. After the Chicago crowd heard from multiple speakers — including a few Republicans — one major name took the podium to praise Vice President Kamala Harris: Oprah Winfrey.
The 70-year-old television producer walked onto the stage as the crowd erupted into applause and cheers. As she took the mic, Oprah began her speech by noting she was “honored” to discuss the “theme” that she values in America, which is freedom.
“There are people who want you to see our country as a nation of us against them,” she said. “People who want to scare you, who want to rule you. … But here’s the thing: when we stand together, it is impossible to conquer us.”
Throughout her address, the Oprah Winfrey Network CEO emphasized that, despite political divides between Democrats and Republicans, “we are not so different from our neighbors.” She then proceeded with an analogy of how Americans would help one another by putting their ideological differences aside.
“When a house is on fire, we don’t ask about the homeowner’s race or religion,” she pointed out. “We don’t wonder who their partner is or how they voted. No, we just try to do the best we can to save them.”
Oprah then joked about Donald Trump‘s running mate JD Vance‘s viral phrase about “childless cat ladies.”
“And if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady, well, we try to get that cat out too,” Oprah quipped.
Toward the end of her speech, the former host of The Oprah Winfrey Show motivated viewers to vote this November as a way to settle political differences.
“Voting is the best of America,” she said. “And I have always, since I was eligible to vote, I’ve always voted my values. And that is what is needed in this election, now more than ever. So, I’m calling on all you independents and all you undecideds. You know this is true. You know I’m telling you the truth: that values and character matter most of all, in leadership and in life. And more than anything — you know this is true — that decency and respect are on the ballot in 2024.”