Oprah Winfrey gives away a car (again) on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’
It’s been two years since Oprah Winfrey ended her 25-year reign as the queen of daytime TV, but there are some habits she still hasn’t been able to break.
During a visit to “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Wednesday night to plug her new movie, “Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” the media titan couldn’t quite resist the urge to give away a free car.
There she was, chatting amiably about her co-star, Forest Whitaker, when all of a sudden it came over her.
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“I just got the feeling again. You know, that feeling,” she said, sounding slightly anxious.
“Should we stop?” Kimmel asked, feigning concern.
But it was too late: Winfrey, seized with the feverish need to give away something for free, beckoned a young woman named Britney from the audience and shrieked “You, you get a car! You get a car!” as confetti rained down from the ceiling.
And just like that, the lucky winner was escorted by Kimmel’s sidekick, Guillermo, outside to Hollywood Boulevard, where a shiny new Ford Fusion Energi Hybrid awaited her.
“Every once in a while, Jimmy, it just happens, especially when I skip lunch,” explained Winfrey, who later tweeted, “THAT was fun. I don’t know what came over me.”
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Of course, it was all a play on one of the most indelible moments in the history of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” – namely, its season premiere in 2004, when Winfrey gave away a free car to every member of her studio audience and instantly turned “You get a car!” into a national catchphrase.
Winfrey will pay a visit to “The View” Friday. Maybe she’ll outdo herself by giving away a trip to Australia?
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