UNITED STATES TELEVISION network NBC has apologised after it sent a tweet during the Golden Globes last night calling Oprah Winfrey “OUR future president”.
The network sent out the tweet following a joke by presenter, American comedian Seth Meyers.
Mayers referenced in his opening monologue comments he had made about current US president Donald Trump during the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.
He said that these jokes about Trump may have been what convinced him to run for president.
“So if that’s true, I just want to say: Oprah, you will never be president! You do not have what it takes!” Meyer said.
Following this, the NBC official Twitter account tweeted the following out to its 1.77 million followers, along with a gif image of Oprah:
Nothing but respect for OUR future president. #GoldenGlobes
The network received widespread criticism for the tweet on social media, with commentators saying it demonstrated a serious lack of impartiality.
The tweet in question has since been deleted.
In response to the criticism, NBC tweeted an apology today.
“Yesterday a tweet about the Golden Globes and Oprah Winfrey was sent by a third party agency for NBC Entertainment in real time during the broadcast,” the network said.
It is in reference to a joke made during the monologue and not meant to be a political statement. We have since removed the tweet.
Oprah presidency
Oprah Winfrey is a veteran talk show host and media mogul, with Forbes estimating her net worth at $2.8 billion.
She delivered a rousing speech last night after she received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment”, making it the first time a black woman had received the honour.
Her acceptance speech focussed on a hoping to start a “new day” in which women can speak out about sexual harassment without fear. This came following the sexual assault revelations about top Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein which shook the industry.
The speech prompted speculation that Oprah may be considering running for the presidency in 2020. She has ruled out in the past any hopes for running for president in 2020.
However, CNN reported today that two of her close friends said she was ”actively thinking” about throwing her hat in the ring.
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