Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is beginning her book media barrage and her first stop is with one of President Obama’s staunchest supporters – Oprah Winfrey.
The interview, which has already happened, airs on Monday, but Oprah gave fans a little taste.
“Lots of her supporters didn’t think she should come here, but she did,” Oprah said in a video blog she Tweeted not long after conducting the interview. “And we talked about everything.”
Oprah’s friend Gayle King insisted it went well.
“Sarah is a pro. She’s a pro and so is Oprah,” Gayle told NBC’s WMAQ Chicago.
But audience members could feel the tension.
“Was Oprah tough?” WMAQ asked an audience member as she left the taping.
“She kept at her and kept at her and Sarah really couldn’t come up with anything other than… basically I kind of got the idea she wanted to relax,” the audience member said.
Another audience member who was asked the same question said Oprah was tough on the former Governor.
“She was and I was very, very happy to see that,” the audience member said.
The interview airs on Monday, a day before Palin’s book hits shelves. 1.5 million copies have been printed and Palin has received a $1.25 million advance.
Levi Johnston, the father of Bristol Palin’s baby, has been speaking out about the family for months. And Sarah addressed Levi in her interview with Oprah, a clip of which was made available on Thursday.
“One final question about Levi, will he be invited to Thanksgiving dinner?” Oprah asked.
“It’s lovely to think that he would consider such a thing,” Palin said. “He needs to know that he is loved and he has the most beautiful child and this can all work out for good, it really can.”
And following the interview, Palin herself posted some words on her Facebook account of how much she enjoyed the interview.
“Willow, Piper, and I are in Chicago and just wanted to let you know that I had a great conversation with Oprah today. We taped the show for Monday, November 16th, and enjoyed it so much that we went way over on time. The rest will air on Oprah.com. Oprah was very hospitable and gracious, and her audience was full of warm, energized and (no doubt) curious viewers,” she wrote.
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