If you’re going to replace one of the most famous TV interviewers on the planet — that would be Larry King — you’d have to have nerves of steel to begin by interviewing the most famous interviewer on the planet — that would be Oprah Winfrey.
And that’s what “America’s Got Talent” judge Piers Morgan did last night on his new show, “Piers Morgan Tonight.”
Oprah is not only the biggest “get” in showbiz but also famously famous for not really telling us anything about herself — while seeming to be an open book about herself. It’s a neat trick she’s been getting away with for years.
I mean, seriously. Morgan’s got bigger Golden Globes than Ricky Gervais for starting out with someone who does so well what he wants to do that she practically elected an American president singlehandedly.
So — to paraphrase Piers’ own question to Oprah at the end of the hour-long premiere — how’d he do?
He did surprisingly, charmingly well — after a slow and shaky start that was full of “you’re good,” “no you’re good” flattery that was as unnecessary as Larry King’s microphone from 1955.
It took the better part of the hour however, for Oprah to come sort of clean. No, there wasn’t all that much you haven’t heard before (and strangely, nearly every sentence began with “Gayle”).
She told him straight out that she wasn’t going to address the straight/gay question again, nor would she discuss much about her unmarried relationship with Stedman Graham, telling him, “You’re wasting your time with the Stedman thing. It’s such an old story.”
He asked her if she’d ever had her heart broken, and she said that yes, twice, and that in fact she’d kept the old love letters from the guy who got away and is probably now kicking himself so hard, he’s got a bruised behind.
The show caught fire, however, when Piers asked Oprah about the child she lost when she was a 14-year-old kid with no prospects.
Her answer was as frank as it was shocking. She said that when the baby died — it never came home from the hospital — she felt that she was given a second chance to make something of her life.
Then the bombshell: She said the baby was someone “for whom I had no connection whatsoever.” And losing it? “I felt nothing but relief.” I’d never heard a woman say that before. Ever.
Bull’s-eye, Piers.
I suspect Oprah’s loyal following may be taken aback that the self-professed messenger of love and hope could sound so cold about a baby who didn’t live to even come home.
Hey , I even choked on my tea. And I’m about as jaded as they come.
The woman who is famous for not really letting us know the private side not just showed it, but turned it inside out.
It was a good start, but the big question remains — does America really want an hourlong, one-on-one every night?
Is anyone still interested in a pure interview show? We’ve gotten used to talk TV being hand-to-hand combat, do soul-to-soul confessionals seem too old school?
Stay tuned.
Or not.