By now, we’ve all seen it (if not, you should); a now-viral vintage clip of Oprah doing her talk show host best not to spit out a guest’s unseasoned-yet-million dollar prize-winning chicken (because, white judges) on her now-defunct hit daytime show (R.I.P. Oprah show. You are still missed).
The clip, filmed in 2006, was revived last weekend by Buzzfeed writer Spencer Althouse, who posted it to Twitter as an unforgettable moment—and Twitter wholeheartedly agreed.
Apparently, so did Oprah, who caught wind of the clip and shouted out Spencer, while breaking down what was really going through her head as she resisted throwing that plate back in Seasoning-Free Sally’s face.
Ever the gracious host, Oprah admits to doing some mental gymnastics as she considered how to respond to Chicken-Ruining Charlene. Indeed, it’s evidence of Oprah’s genius and rightful crown as the “queen of all media” that while attempting to masticate undoubtedly the nastiest chicken she’d ever eaten, was able to skillfully negotiate how to ensure that both Bland Brenda and the Oprah show studio audience had a great time, while also staying in her own truth. (Because, Oprah.)
“The truth for me was that I am used to having salt and pepper on my chicken,” she now admits. “That’s just the truth. That’s what I was thinking: that this chicken needs some salt and pepper.”
Leave it to Auntie O to stay in her truth, even over a decade after the fact. We don’t know where Prizewinning Poultry-Perp Polly is today, but we genuinely hope she’s seasoning her meat this holiday season. Last time we checked, a million dollars is more than enough for a lifetime supply of salt and pepper.