Top 10 Oprah Controversies

The pioneering media mogul has weathered her fair share of conflict. TIME takes a look back at 10 heated controversies

For Sarah Palin, a Long Road to Oprah's Couch

L. to R.: Al Grillo / AP; Paul Hawthorne / Getty
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Whatever Oprah wants, Oprah gets — including bookings with the fresh face du jour. So when Sarah Palin was tapped as John McCain's veep pick in the 2008 campaign, fans and staff suggested Winfrey bring the political phenom from Wasilla onto her show. But though Oprah publicly endorsed Barack Obama in 2008, she said she didn't want to use her program as a political platform. Republicans were enraged, arguing it was a hypocritical decision: Obama had appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show back in 2006. (As Oprah's reps pointed out, that was before he had announced his candidacy.) Gossip columns and reputable news organization alike claimed political bias was the reason the talk-show host didn't want to have the first woman on a Republican presidential ticket on her show. On Nov. 16, Oprah debunks that theory. Palin will appear on the show to discuss her hotly anticipated memoir, "Going Rogue: An American Life."

See TIME's latest article about Palin

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