Some are saying that former President Barack Obama made a last-minute change to his list of must-watch movies because of Oprah Winfrey's influence, the Atlanta Black Star reported. The former president-turned-film executive added a 2023 adaptation of "The Color Purple" at the eleventh hour.
For several years running, Obama has released a list of his favorite works of that year, including movies, books, and music. This year's list was published on Dec. 27 with an accompanying social media post.
"Earlier this year, writers and actors went on strike to advocate for better working conditions and protections. It led to important changes that will transform the industry for the better," Obama posted to Instagram, pandering to those who went on strike in Hollywood.
"Here are some films that reflect their hard work over the last year — including some like Rustin, American Symphony, and Leave the World Behind that we were proud to release through @HigherGroundMedia. What films did I miss?" he continued, plugging his production company.
In a follow-up edit to the post, Obama corrected the record and added one glaring omission. "*Update: I just saw The Color Purple and loved it," he added to the post of the Christmas Day release.
"I'm adding it to this list as one of my favorite movies of the year," Obama wrote. The former president was mocked on social media for what seemed like a scared response to Oprah's influence behind the scenes.
Mara Webster, who is host, co-founder, and head of programming for In Creative Company, trolled Obama with a gif from "Scream" with a frightened Drew Barrymore holding a telephone. "Barack Obama when Oprah called him five minutes after his favourite movies of the year list released," Webster captioned it.
"Someone just got a phone call from Oprah," Kevin Fallon from the Daily Beast wrote as he shared the list and the update. These posts may have been meant in jest, but Oprah had a great deal to do with Obama's successful 2008 White House bid.
Of course, there's a chance Obama's revision could be based on merit. "The Color Purple" received a Critics Choice nomination for Best Picture even though it was just released.
The film, which is a 2023 adaptation of the Broadway musical, will surely show in the upcoming Oscars as well. Still, it's no secret that Oprah is a powerful figure and may have been displeased by the oversight.
The OWN network founder endorsed Obama for president in 2007 while she was at the height of her fame, CBS News reported. When it came to anything Oprah endorsed, it seemed she had the golden touch with her book club, her magazine, her network, and her "favorite things" products.
That apparently extended to politicians as well. A study designed by then-graduate students Tim Moore and Craig Garthwaite found that Oprah added around 1,015,559 votes for Obama.
Whether Oprah reached out to Obama or not in this instance, that kind of help is not something a person forgets easily. Perhaps Obama finds the new film enrapturing, but it stands to reason that he'd sing Oprah's praises no matter what.
For some reason, Obama has remained a cultural figure to the leftists who propped him up while he was in office. Now, the world is subjected to his self-serving lists that may or may not be influenced by the people who helped him become that important.
