Oprah Winfrey Returns To '60 Minutes' After 31 Years, This Time As Special Contributor [Video]
ByComing in at the show's 50th season, Oprah Winfrey will be joining "60 Minutes" as a special contributor.
CBS News announced in a Tweet that starting this fall, Oprah would join "60 Minutes" as a special contributor to the oldest and most-watched newsmagazine on television, and welcomed her to the team. To this, Oprah says she has always been an admirer of "60 Minutes" since her days as a young reporter, adding she is excited and proud to join forces with the historic news program that represents the bastion of journalistic storytelling, according to USA Today.
JUST ANNOUNCED: Starting this fall, @Oprah will become a special contributor for @60Minutes. Welcome to the team! https://t.co/tYwGJP1vDH pic.twitter.com/o91ckUkKbu
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 31, 2017
In like vein, "60 Minutes" executive producer Jeff Fager Tweeted "There is only one Oprah Winfrey" and he says he is excited Oprah is on board with them at "60 Minutes."
Oprah Winfrey has a long-standing relationship with CBS. She has appeared as a guest in many of the network's programs in the past. Many may not have realized that her relationship with the network spans more than 30 years.
Oprah's most iconic first appearance is a sit-down interview with the late great Mike Wallace in "60 Minutes" back in Dec. 14, 1986. She was not a household name yet at that time, and it was Wallace himself who announced to the world, "Oprah has arrived," reported CBS News. Arrive she did, for after that interview, she exploded on national syndication and everyone knew who Oprah was.
Many are saying her entry into "60 Minutes" is a prelude to her bid for the presidency in 2020. However, Oprah, repeatedly have stated, "Not in this lifetime." Back in 1988, she interviewed Donald Trump when he was on her show as a guest, and it could not have been more prophetic. Watch the video below.
CBS, however, declined to comment and provide details on the extent of Oprah's contributor deal with the network. Her main outlet remains OWN, a cable channel she co-owns with Discovery Communications. Accordingly, her "60 Minutes" stint will draw in and reach more people with a single segment; the newsmagazine program reportedly draws in 10 million to 20 million viewers a week.
