After a rousing speech at Monday's Golden Globe Awards calling for "a new day", speculation is mounting Oprah Winfrey will run for President.
- Golden Globes 2018 - full list of winners
- Golden Globes 2018 red carpet highlights: A red carpet flooded in black
- Oprah for President? She's thinking about it
- Oprah confesses her love for Aotearoa
As the first black woman to win the Cecil B DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award, Ms Winfrey's speech considered the personal and the political.
"It is not lost on me that at this moment, there are some little girls watching as I become the first black woman to be given this award."
Ms Winfrey's spoke about her mother, black actor Sidney Poitier, civil rights hero Recy Taylor, and the importance of hope. She thanked the press for their dedication to uncovering the truth.
She also touched on the #MeToo campaign, a coordinated response to recent sexual assault allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein and other members of Hollywood's elite.
"I want tonight to express gratitude to all the women who have endured years of abuse and assault because they, like my mother, had children to feed and bills to pay and dreams to pursue.
"I want all the girls watching here, now, to know that a new day is on the horizon! And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are right here in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say 'Me too' again."
Immediately after the speech, the hashtag #Oprah2020 began trending on Twitter, with many taking "a new day" as a signal towards a declaration for candidacy.
On Tuesday, two anonymous sources close to Ms Winfrey told CNN she is "actively thinking" about running for president.
This was backed up by her long term partner, Stedman Graham, who told the LA Times she would "absolutely do it."
However, Ms Winfrey is reported to have denied the rumour backstage following her speech, when asked by Bloomberg if she planned to run she responded "I don't, I don't."
This is not the first time she has shut down candidacy rumours. In October, she told CBS "there will be no running for office of any kind for me."
However, that hasn't stopped a rallying cry from her fans, with many celebrities and civilians calling on her to run.
"Switched back to the Golden Globes to watch Oprah get her award. Never let it be said that I don't respect the president of the United States," wrote author Joy Reid.
Comedian Sarah Silverman tweeted simply "Oprah/Michelle 2020".
Even Meryl Streep insisted Ms Winfrey "doesn't have a choice" but to run.
"She launched a rocket tonight. I want her to run for president. I don't think she had any intention [of declaring]. But now she doesn't have a choice," she told the Washington Post.
However, some have likened the call for Oprah to run to the similar demand placed upon Michelle Obama.
"Y'all want #Oprah2020 so bad? Prove it. Spend this year electing black women to office in 2018. Put in the work. Show some receipts. Then we can talk about the presidency in 2020. Deal?" April Reign, creator of the #OscarsSoWhite campaign, wrote on Twitter.
"Being a celebrity shouldn't be a prerequisite for running our country," wrote Ira Madison III for The Daily Beast.
"Yes, Oprah electrifies America but that is what we expect her to do as an artist. The idea that this vigor must translate into a political career seems as shortsighted as it does selfish. Does Oprah herself even want to run for president?"
This is a question she has answered many times before. Only time will tell whether she changes her mind.
Newshub.
