After two and a half decades, daytime talk show host Oprah Winfrey has interviewed seemingly every intriguing figure on the planet.
But during NCTA’s annual Cable Show in Chicago, the queen of television said there are two people that she wishes she could have spoken with during her 25 year reign: O.J. Simpson and Susan Smith.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Winfrey told the Cable Show audience that she hopes to finally land interviews with both Simpson and Smith on her upcoming interview-only show, “Oprah’s Next Chapter,” which will air this January on her new network, OWN.
“I have a dream of O.J. Simpson confessing to me,” Winfrey said as the audience roared with approval.
The talk show icon said that before the interview, she would have to be sure that the former football star, (who was acquitted of his ex-wife Nicole’s murder in 1995,) would have to be emotionally prepared to make such a monumental confession on national television.
“I want the interview on the condition that you are ready, Mr. Simpson,” Winfrey said. “And I am going to make that happen, people.” (FESSING UP: Man admits to shooting Tupac)
Oprah’s second dream guest, Susan Smith, is the South Carolina woman who was sentenced to life in prison for murdering her two young children in 1995. Winfrey said she attempted to sit down with Smith on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in hopes of having her explain her thinking and her disturbing actions.
Both Smith and Simpson rejected Oprah’s previous invitations, but the talk show host is hopeful her new, more intimate, one-on-one program will be a more appealing platform to engage in such emotionally-charged interviews.
Thus far, OWN has not boasted ratings anywhere near the level of Winfrey’s massively popular syndicated talk show, but if the queen of television lands high-profile interviews like these, OWN’s rating woes will surely improve.