Today in news that is simply related to a business deal and is not necessarily indicative of anyone’s future plans, Oprah Winfrey has sold off some of her stake in the OWN network to Discovery Communications for $70 million, giving it majority control. That comes from the Los Angeles Times, which explains that OWN used to be a 50-50 joint venture between Winfrey and Discovery, but this deal brings its ownership to “nearly 75 percent.” Winfrey will still serve as OWN’s CEO, and she will “work exclusively” on basic cable for the network through 2025.
On the very small chance that this is indicative of someone’s future plans, Winfrey unloading a company that she once held a major stake in seems historically like the sort of thing people used to do before running for president. Earlier this year she indicated that she’s not wholly opposed to the idea, though her buddy Gayle King is very confident that Winfrey isn’t actually planning to ever run for that particular office.
Even if Winfrey doesn’t run, at least we’ll have a few other celebrities we can choose from now that Donald Trump (and everyone who voted for him) has made the presidency into a joke.