Oprah Winfrey brought the crowd at the Golden Globes to their feet after delivering a rousing acceptance speech that touched on the sexual misconduct reckoning in Hollywood, her impressive career, and her recognition of Recy Taylor, a black woman who was raped in Alabama in 1944 by six white men, but did not receive justice. The star was being honored with the Cecil B. DeMille award, which was presented to her by Reese Witherspoon, her co-star in the upcoming Disney film A Wrinkle in Time.
Winfrey began her speech by remembering the time she saw Sidney Poitier win an Oscar in 1964. “Up to the stage came the most elegant man I had ever seen,” she said. “I had never seen a black man being celebrated like that . . . I tried many, many times to explain what a moment like that means to a little girl, a kid watching from the cheap seats, as my mom came through the door bone-tired from cleaning other people’s houses.”
She then brought the moment full circle. “It’s not lost on me that at this moment, there are some little girls watching as I become the first black woman to be given the same award.”
Winfrey went on to thank the friends and collaborators who have impacted and influenced her, including Quincy Jones, Gayle King, and Stedman Graham. She also touted the importance of a free press that is currently “under siege,” echoing last year’s winner, Meryl Streep, who dedicated the majority of her speech to elegantly slamming Donald Trump (without ever saying his name).
Winfrey then began speaking about the current reckoning sweeping through Hollywood, celebrating the #MeToo movement. “I want tonight to express gratitude to all the women who have endured years of abuse and assault, because they, like my mother, had children to feed and bills to pay and dreams to pursue,” she said.
This year’s Golden Globes has been an unusual one, thanks to the ongoing conversation about sexual abuse towards women in the film industry and beyond. In response to that, nearly all of the night’s attendees wore black to the ceremony, while many actresses—including Witherspoon, Emma Stone, Meryl Streep, and more—brought activists as their dates to the ceremony, such as Tarana Burke, the founder of the #MeToo movement, tennis icon Billie Jean King, and Ai-jen Poo, the executive director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. Winfrey made sure to fully nod to the inspiring tone of the night, devoting much of her speech to Recy Taylor—who died just 10 days ago, but has been acknowledged by Hollywood recently thanks to a new documentary about her attack titled The Rape of Recy Taylor. “The men who tried to destroy her were never prosecuted,” Winfrey explained—but she added that she hopes Taylor died with an understanding about the newly galvanized front against sexual predators. “Their time is up,” Winfrey said, earning a standing ovation.
In her introduction, Witherspoon praised Winfrey for being an inspiring force, waxing on about how the duo spent endless hours together getting their complicated makeup done for the upcoming film A Wrinkle in Time. “If you can find a way to be stuck in a small space with Oprah for four hours, do it,” Witherspoon joked. “I learned everything from how to make the best English muffin to what it’s like being the only woman at a huge company.”
She also, of course, praised the star’s immaculate hugs. “Oprah’s hugs could end wars, solve world peace . . . it’s that good,” Witherspoon gushed. “When she hugs you, it’s the greatest thing ever. Just ask Gayle [King], she’ll agree.”
Here is Winfrey’s full speech below: