Oprah Winfrey speaks at an event in 2020.
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Steve Jennings/Getty Images
The NPR Network will be reporting live from Chicago throughout the week bringing you the latest on the Democratic National Convention.
Oprah Winfrey is slated to speak as a last minute addition to tonight’s DNC lineup as a sign of support to the Harris-Walz campaign, according to a source that spoke to NPR on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak about the surprise guest.
Winfrey has thrown her support behind Democratic leaders in the past. She supported former President Barack Obama during his 2008 presidential bid, leveraging the strong connection she has with her wide-reaching audience. Winfrey also supported former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2016 and President Biden in 2020, along with notably endorsing Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman over Dr. Mehmet Oz in the 2022 midterms.
In endorsing Biden and Harris in 2020, Winfrey emphasized Harris’ leadership as a woman and woman of color.
“I was thinking the other day, ‘I wish Maya [Angelou] were alive to see it,’” Winfrey said in an interview with People Magazine. “There’s no way to measure what the election of Kamala Harris means for all women, all colors, everywhere.”