Oprah on Obama’s Election: ‘It Feels Like Hope Won’
Oprah Winfrey has long been Barack Obama’s No. 1 fan, so it’s no surprise she wasted little time in speaking out about the Democrat’s historic victory Tuesday night.
“It feels like hope won,” the TV icon told Britain’s BBC. “It feels like there’s a shift in consciousness. It feels like something really big and bold has happened here, like nothing ever in our lifetimes did we expect this to happen.”
The talk-show host was on hand in Chicago to watch Obama’s victory speech, along with Brad Pitt and Jesse Jackson.
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Courteney Cox and hubby David Arquette hosted a Barack Obama victory party Tuesday night at their Beverly Hills home, E! Online reports. Jennifer Aniston, Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher were reportedly among the guests.
Celebrities React
Other celebrities were also quick to sing the praises of the President-elect, who won a decisive victory over John McCain, becoming the first-ever African-American to claim the White House. Here’s a sampling:
• Actor George Clooney: “I congratulate President-elect Obama on his historic victory, and now it’s time to begin unifying the country so we can take on the extraordinary challenges that this generation faces.”
• Singer Usher: “This will go down in history, in black history, for all of the sacrifices that the great Joseph Lowery and Martin Luther King made, this actually pays off for their sacrifice. … I’m speechless. I don’t even know what to say.”
• Music mogul Diddy: “I felt like my vote was the vote that put him into office. … And that may not be true but that’s how much power it felt like I had.”
• Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz to PEOPLE: “My parents met working for [Obama's running mate on one of his early campaigns]. If it weren’t for Joe Biden, I would not exist as a human being. … I am proud to be a part of history in the making.”
• Former Secretary of State Colin Powell: “We’re very, very proud to have a new American President who also happens to be African-American … As I watched [the news anchors call the election] – pretty moving moment. Everybody cried … I am overjoyed.”
