Oprah Reveals She Turned Down Offer to Moderate 2020 Debate: ‘So Happy I’m Not in Any of It’

Oprah Winfrey revealed on CBS This Morning that she was asked to moderate a presidential debate but turned it down, saying she is glad to be out of the fray.

“When I’m watching the debates–I was actually also asked to to moderate one of the debates. And I didn’t even want to do that. [CBS This Morning host] Gayle [King] was like, ‘You should.’ When I’m watching the debates, I’m so happy I’m not in any of it,” she said. She did not specify which network asked her to moderate.

Winfrey was mainly on CBS Monday morning to reveal and talk about her book club pick: The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates, who was also on to promote his novel.

Anchor Tony Dokoupil asked if Winfrey actually considered running for president, something that was a topic of discussion in media after she gave a moving speech at the Golden Globes in 2018.

“No, I didn’t,” she said. “I never seriously considered it. Because it’s the kind of thing I think you feel in your gut, your soul, your being. You know if that is the thing you’re supposed to do in your life.”

Gayle King noted “you said if you were running, you would only focus on what you would do for the country as opposed to all the negativity.”

“Certainly this happened in the previous election,” Winfrey

said. “You know, there’s a law, a natural law that says what you give your attention to expands. So you should not talk about the other guy because you only empower your opponents when you talk about them. You should talk about what you are going to do.”

Watch above, via CBS News.