Oprah 'Unleashed' After Her Candidate's Win

The Oprah Winfrey Effect

Oprah Winfrey, who introduced Barack Obama at a rally in New Hampshire, is now talking freely on her show about the man she endorsed for president off the air.

(Elise Amendola/AP Photo)

On Wednesday's show, Winfrey addressed viewers like wendykwrit. "For those of you who have been loyal viewers who voted differently than I and 52 percent of the country did, I respect your choice and understand how you might be feeling disappointed today just as I might be," she said. "If this was not the outcome, I would be doing this show from Northwestern Hospital [in Chicago] with a drip today."

"But my deepest hope is in the days and weeks ahead, we will come together with the same renewed spirit that we took to the polls because we need each other now more than ever," Winfrey continued.

Winfrey, accompanied by her partner Stedman Graham, joined the thousands of people massed on Grant Park in Chicago to celebrate Obama's win. She described it as "the most electrifying and emotional night I have ever experienced."

Earlier on Tuesday, Winfrey told Robin Roberts from "Good Morning America" that she had no regrets about throwing her weight behind Obama.

"I told everybody who knew me if he ever ran, I would put everything I had at stake to support him because there's a wonderful Bible passage that says 'What does it do to gain the world and lose your soul?'" she said. "And I knew that in this moment in time, in my lifetime, I would have lost a piece of my soul had I not stood up for him. So I'm happy I happen to be on the right side of history. But if this had not turned out the way we all wanted it to, it was still the right thing for me to do in the moment I did it."

Asked by Roberts if she can take credit for helping him win, Winfrey was quick to reply, "I'm certainly not responsible."

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A December ABC/Washington Post poll backed up Winfrey's assertion. Only 8 percent of Democrats said they were persuaded by her Obama endorsement, 82 percent said it wouldn't matter either way and 10 percent said her recommendation had turned them off Obama.

Winfrey also shared with Roberts her experience of voting early last week. Winfrey struck up a conversation with some women at a drug rehab center across from her polling place. "It was great," she said, "great because for many of them it was the first time voting and they were proud, proud to be there. And I thought, 'Listen, we'll take the drug addicts' vote.'"

Here's what some other celebrities had to say about President-elect Obama:
Tina Fey

Tina Fey, who brought some of the highest ratings to "Saturday Night Live" with her Sarah Palin impersonations, talked about the experience on Thursday's Oprah Winfrey Show.

"I'm really happy I did it," she said. "It was a wonderful chance to go home again and be with my friends at Saturday Night Live."

But, now that the election is over, so are Fey's days playing Palin. Fey told Oprah: "I think I'm going to pack up my wig."

Beyonce

Singer Beyonce vowed the day after Obama's victory to be at his service.

"I'm there. I can't wait. I feel like all of us, we're ready to do whatever we have to do," she told the Associated Press. "Whatever they want -- if they need me to volunteer, they need me to sing, I'm there, and I'm ready. I've never been so patriotic!"

After going with hubby Jay-Z, Diddy, Mary J. Blige and others to states like Pennsylvania, Florida and Ohio just before the election, Beyonce watched the returns Tuesday night with family and friends in her home.

"I fell asleep crying and smiling at the same time," she laughed. "I woke up with mascara running and a smile on my face!"