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Oprah Winfrey will interview the president and first lady next month for a 60-minute primetime special, the talk show host announced Wednesday.

(CNN) - Oprah Winfrey will interview President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, next month for a 60-minute program to air before Christmas, the talk show host announced Wednesday.

"Christmas at the White House: An Oprah Primetime Special" will air at 10 p.m. December 13 on ABC, her Web site said.

"The intimate, informative and entertaining hour-long special will include a one-on-one conversation with the president, marking the first time Oprah has interviewed him since he took office, as well as an exclusive sit-down interview with the first couple," it said.

"The special will showcase behind-the-scenes preparations as the White House gets ready for the holiday season."

Winfrey, who supported Obama in his presidential bid and this month interviewed failed GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, recently said she will stop hosting her syndicated talk show in 2011 to focus on launching an Oprah Winfrey Network on cable television.

Updated: 6:02 p.m.

Palin talks about controversies and future with Oprah.

(CNN) – When Sarah Palin got a surprise phone call from the McCain campaign one August afternoon asking if she'd like to be on the Republican presidential ticket, the then-Alaska governor didn't doubt for a moment she was ready for the challenge.

"When I got the call, it was not such a shocking call to me," Palin told talk-show host Oprah Winfrey in a highly anticipated interview that aired Monday. "I felt quite confident in my abilities and my executive experience and I knew that this is an executive administrative job. I was happy to get in there and contribute."

Nor was Palin deterred by the fact she had five kids at home, including an infant with special needs.

"It never occurred to me that I couldn't do the job because of children," she said. "My children are my strength. ... They allow me to be grounded."

But what did shock Palin was just how much the campaign knew about her and her family before she even formally met with Sen. John McCain to discuss the job. Contrary to what was reported in the media, Palin said, she was extensively vetted and the campaign knew exactly "who they were getting."

Full story

Oprah and Palin are revealing some details of their big interview.

(CNN) - Sarah Palin enjoyed her highly-anticipated sit down with talk show host Oprah Winfrey so much that the two went "way over time," the former Alaska governor wrote on her Facebook Page.

But Palin gave few details of what the two discussed for more than hour, saying only that Winfrey was "very hospitable and gracious."

The former Republican vice presidential nominee also praised the show's studio audience, which she said was "full of warm, energized and (no doubt) curious viewers."

Meanwhile, Winfrey was a little more forthcoming with details of the interview, revealing in a Web video late Wednesday that the two "talked about everything."

"We talked about inside the campaign, what it felt like when she was first asked to be vice president. We talked about Bristol, the pregnancy. We talked about Trig, her baby. We talked about Levi Johnston. We talked about her marriage…there's nothing we didn't talk about."

The interview will air on Monday, a day before Palin's memoir "Going Rogue: An American Life" is released.

Follow Alex Mooney on Twitter @awmooneycnn

Palin will talk to Oprah Winfrey the day before her memoir hits bookstores.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Sarah Palin will sit down with Oprah Winfrey the day before her new memoir hits bookstores, Harpo announced Tuesday.

The former Alaska governor will make the appearance on Oprah on November 16 to talk about her highly anticipated tell-all, "Going Rogue: An American Life."

Palin has never before appeared on the popular daytime talk show. Last December, Winfrey said she had invited her on the show to discuss the election, but suggested at the time that Palin had instead chose other interviewers.

"I said I would be happy to talk to Sarah Palin when the election was over... I went and tried to talk to Sarah Palin and instead she talked to Greta [Van Susteren]. She talked to Matt [Lauer]. She talked to Larry [King]. But she didn't talk to me," Oprah told the show Extra last year.

(CNN) – Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards has long denied that he is the father of videographer Rielle Hunter's daughter - but outspoken wife Elizabeth Edwards says she isn't sure.

In an interview with talk show host Oprah Winfrey set to air Thursday, Elizabeth Edwards says doesn't "have any idea" if her husband, who has admitted having an affair with Hunter, is also the father of Hunter's child.

"The other woman has a baby," Winfrey said during the interview.

"That's what I understand," Edwards said, interrupting the media mogul.

"And there is great speculation that your husband, John Edwards, is the father of that baby," responded Winfrey.

"That's what I understand. I've seen a picture of the baby. I have no idea. It doesn't look like my children. But, I don't have any idea," said Edwards.

In "Resilence," a new book by Edwards due out later this month, she describes her visceral, physical reaction to her husband telling her about the affair in late 2006, soon after he announced his second presidential bid.

"After I cried and screamed, I went to the bathroom and threw up," Edwards writes in her forthcoming book.

Related on TIME.com: How I survived John's affair

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The new cover of O magazine features both Winfrey and Obama.

(CNN) – First lady Michelle Obama told Oprah Winfrey that the weekend after Inauguration was like a “huge, very complicated wedding,” in an interview for “O” magazine set to hit newsstands on March 17.

“Well, we still had family here, so it was almost like a wedding. A huge, very complicated wedding. The last visitors didn't leave until Sunday,” the first lady told Winfrey. “And then the first Monday was kind of weird. You know: Now we live here, and Barack is getting up and going to work, and it's just us. This is our home now.”

She also told Winfrey that she felt very “privileged” to live in the White House and that she wants her “kids to be treated like children, not little princesses.”

Oprah endorsed President Obama during the Democratic primary season, and traveled with both Obamas on the campaign trail. The cover of O featuring Michelle Obama is the first Winfrey has shared with someone else.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said Monday that he considered Oprah Winfrey to replace President Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate.

(CNN) - Surprised to hear Illinois might have had a Senator Oprah? So was Winfrey herself.

The talk show host said Monday she’d had no clue Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich had considered tapping her for the state’s open Senate slot before he confirmed the news in a Monday morning TV interview.

Watch: Ill. governor on considering Winfrey

"If I had been watching [the ABC interview], as I watch from the treadmill, I probably would have fallen off the treadmill," Winfrey told friend Gayle King in a radio interview after hearing the news.

Blagojevich admitted Monday he once considered asking the media mogul to fill the senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama, before deciding to appoint former state attorney general Roland Burris.

“She seemed to be someone who had helped Barack Obama in a significant way to become President,” he told ABC, adding that Winfrey “had a much broader bully pulpit than a lot of senators."

The embattled governor - currently facing impeachment proceedings for allegedly plotting to sell the vacant position to the highest bidder - will take calls from viewers tonight on CNN’s Larry King Live at 9 pm ET.

Related: Blagojevich takes his case to TV

Oprah says she wants Palin on her show.

(CNN) – Did Sarah Palin snub Oprah Winfrey?

That's what the most popular daytime talk show host and fervent Barack Obama supporter appeared to suggest in a recent interview with the entertainment show Extra.

"I said I would be happy to talk to Sarah Palin when the election was over... I went and tried to talk to Sarah Palin and instead she talked to Greta [Van Susteren]. She talked to Matt [Lauer]. She talked to Larry [King]. But she didn't talk to me.”

Winfrey’s comments came in response to rumors she refused to invite the former vice presidential candidate on her popular daytime show.

Earlier this week, the talk show host announced she will tape her inauguration week show in the nation’s capital, and has rented the Kennedy Center’s lush Opera House – which seats roughly 2,300 — to serve as her studio.

“There are not even words to talk about what this night means,” Oprah said of Obama's inauguration. “Everybody keeps using the word historic — there’s never been a night like this on the planet earth… Nothing can compare to this.”

Oprah hit the trail for Obama during the primary season.

(CNN) – Oprah Winfrey is heading to Washington.

The talk show host told Access Hollywood Tuesday night that she will tape her inauguration week shows in the nation’s capital, and has rented the Kennedy Center’s lush Opera House – which seats roughly 2,300 - to serve as her studio for the week.

"I'm going to break that right here; that's where I'm going to be," she said. "See you there . . . that's the place to be."

Winfrey, who fundraised for Obama, appeared with him in several key primary states, including Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. She was also on hand for his acceptance speech at the Democratic convention in Denver, and his victory speech in Chicago last month.

“There are not even words to talk about what this night means,” Oprah told Access Hollywood that night. “Everybody keeps using the word historic — there’s never been a night like this on the planet earth… Nothing can compare to this.”

Oprah Winfrey campaigned for Obama in February.

(CNN)-The Florida Federation of Republican Women made the decision to boycott the Oprah Winfrey Show Saturday, after the media mogul refused to have Gov. Sarah Palin as a guest on her show until after the election wraps up.

"Women in Florida helped build Oprah into the icon she is today," Linda Ivell, President of the FFRW said in a statement. "We are deeply disappointed in Ms. Winfrey's decision to sit out the greatest political moment in the history of women since suffrage."

The talk show host denied accusations Friday, that she was even considering the vice presidential nominee as a guest.

"At the beginning of this presidential campaign when I decided that I was going to take my first public stance in support of a candidate, I made the decision not to use my show as a plat for any of the candidates," Winfrey wrote in a statement, responding to a story from The Drudge report claiming her staff was "sharply divided" on whether they should book the Alaska Governor.

Winfrey agreed Palin would be a "fantastic interview," but wouldn't invite her on until after the November elections.

The Florida Federation of Republican Women, the "largest political organization in Florida," celebrating the groups 58 year anniversary is also encouraging members to cancel subscriptions to O Magazine, Ivell said.

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Winfrey campaigned with Sen. Obama and his wife, Michelle, in New Hampshire late last year.

(CNN) – Talk show host Oprah Winfrey is denying a report of division within her staff over booking Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin as a guest.

“The item in today’s Drudge Report is categorically untrue,” Winfrey wrote in a statement issued Friday. “There has been absolutely no discussion about having Sarah Palin on my show.”

Citing sources that had spoken to the news Web site, a story posted Friday morning on The Drudge Report said “Oprah's staff is sharply divided on the merits of booking Sarah Palin.” “One executive close to Winfrey is warning any Palin ban could ignite a dramatic backlash!,” the story also says.

But Winfrey, a longtime and outspoken supporter of Sen. Barack Obama, is flat-out denying the report. “At the beginning of this presidential campaign when I decided that I was going to take my first public stance in support of a candidate, I made the decision not to use my show as a platform for any of the candidates,” Winfrey wrote in the statement. “I agree that Sarah Palin would be a fantastic interview, and I would love to have her on after the campaign is over.”

In addition to holding a fundraiser for Obama, the media mogul has appeared on the campaign trail for the Illinois senator and she attended the recent Democratic convention where Obama became the first African-American to be named the presidential nominee of a major political party. “It filled us with a sense of hope and possibility that, you know, I never even, sort of, been able tap into,” Winfrey said about the convention. “It was beyond anything I’d ever experienced. It really was. It was a transcendent moment.”

Oprah hit the trail for Obama during the primary season.

(CNN) - Oprah Winfrey will be on hand when Barack Obama accepts the Democratic nomination in Denver – but the talk show host, who was a key presence at rallies for the Illinois senator during the primary season, won’t take the stage, a representative from her production company told CNN Wednesday.

The spokeswoman also denied rumors Winfrey was planning to spend thousands renting a home in Denver during the convention.

In June, shortly after Obama effectively clinched the Democratic nomination, Winfrey – who appeared with him in several key early-voting states, including Iowa, New Hampshire and California – said she was "euphoric” over his victory.

“I've been doing the happy dance all day,” she said in a statement then. “I'm so proud of Barack and Michelle and what this means for all of us, the new possibilities for our country.”

She added that she’d be happy to hit the trail again on his behalf: “And if he wants me to, I'm ready to go door to door."

Oprah hit the trail for Obama during the primary season.

(CNN) - Oprah Winfrey is ecstatic over Barack Obama’s apparent victory in this year’s Democratic presidential race.

"I'm euphoric, I've been doing the happy dance all day,” she said in a statement released Wednesday I'm so proud of Barack and Michelle and what this means for all of us, the new possibilities for our country.”

The talk show host, who campaigned for Obama in several key early primary states, added: “And if he wants me to, I'm ready to go door to door."

Oprah last campaigned for Obama in early December.

(CNN) - Talk-show host Oprah Winfrey is set to headline a Barack Obama event in Los Angeles Sunday, two days before Democrats in California and 21 other states head to the polls.

The event will mark Winfrey's return to the campaign trail two months after the media mogul stumped for the Illinois senator in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, drawing record-breaking crowds and heavy media coverage.

Obama's wife Michelle and Caroline Kennedy will also attend the event, though the Illinois senator himself is scheduled to be in Delaware that day.

– CNN's Chris Welch contributed to this report

Clinton and Bush are statistically tied as the nation's most admired man.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Looks like all of Bill Clinton's time on the campaign trail this year for his wife Hillary may be paying off in the polls for more than one member of the family.

Sitting presidents usually top Gallup's list of the country's most admired man, and this year is no exception: President Bush leads, as the choice of 10 percent of those polled. But in this survey, he's in a statistical tie with former President Bill Clinton, at 8 percent. In the last survey, there was an 8-point margin of separation, with Bush leading 13 to 5 percent, and a 17-point difference in a 2004 poll. (Full poll results [PDF])

Former Vice President Al Gore, who won several high-profile awards in 2007 for his work to raise awareness about climate change, also shot up in the poll - now in third place with 6 percent - 5 percentage points higher than last year.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama nudges out the Rev. Billy Graham and Nelson Mandela for fourth place with 5 percent. Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, and Rudy Giuliani also make the list - all at 1 percent.

Hillary Clinton tops Gallup's most admired woman list, with 18 percent. But popular talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who has campaigned for Obama, Clinton's chief rival, is statistically tied with the New York Democrat at 16 percent. Both have gained in this year's poll: Clinton was at 13 percent in 2006 while Winfrey was at 9 percent.

The poll surveyed 1,011 Americans December 14-16, and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

– CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

Oprah and Obama were greeted by record crowds on the campaign trail last weekend.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Oprah Winfrey's recent campaign swing with Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama was greeted with wild cheers and record-breaking crowds.

But some of the talk show host's fans aren't happy she's become politically outspoken, and many are sounding off on Oprah's Web site.

"Oprah," says one, "count me as tuned out for now." Another writes, "It's a real turn off for a lot of your fans." And yet another says "She has crossed a line and lost my trust completely."

But, what's especially interesting about reading Oprah's Web site is why some of those fans seem to be upset: the way she stumped for Obama, they say, seemed to pit white against black.

"I've been inspired to believe that a new vision is possible for America,"
Oprah said while on the stump with Obama in South Carolina. "Dr. King dreamed the dream, we get to vote that dream into reality."

Back on Oprah's Web site, one commenter wrote, "Winfrey has artfully begun her stump speeches alongside Obama with a negative racial tone."

And another commenter wrote, "Don't pit blacks against whites."

Interviewed on ABC's Good Morning America Wednesday, Winfrey rejected the notion she is supporting Obama merely because he is black.

"I get a little..I guess the word is 'offended,'" Winfrey said. "To think that I would be supporting someone just because of their skin would mean we haven't moved far from Dr. King's speech in 1963, where he said we should be judged by the content of our character not the color of their skin."

In another interview, Winfrey told CNN that she weighed carefully whether she should get involved in politics, wondering whether she would "lose viewers as a result."

"I made the decision that I have the right to do it as an American citizen," she said.

Related video: Oprah hits 3 states for Obama

Related video: Oprah's S.C. Obama pitch

Related video: Obama: 'We're doing it'

Related video: Jeanne Moos: Obama-Oprah soul

– CNN's Carol Costello

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Now you can take the Best Political Team with you on your iPod.

In the latest Best Political Podcast, Bill Schneider reports on new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll numbers that show Mike Huckabee in a virtual tie with Rudy Giuliani, Candy Crowley takes a look back at the "Oprah-bama" barnstorm through three early primary states, and Ed Henry has a report on the White House's reaction to the CIA tapes controversy.

Plus, everybody has to start somewhere. Wolf Blitzer tells you what some of the presidential candidates said about their worst jobs.

Click here to subscribe to The Best Political Podcast

Watch Candy Crowley's report about Oprah Winfrey's first foray into politics.

(CNN) - Talk show host Oprah Winfrey ventured into presidential politics over the weekend. The media mogul made campaign stops in three key early primary states and rallied crowds on behalf of Sen. Barack Obama who is in a tight race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Watch Candy Crowley's report about Winfrey's 'Oprah-bama' tour.

Related video: Jeanne Moos on Obama-Oprah soul

Watch Suzanne Malveaux's report about "Oprahlooza."

(CNN) - In a close race for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sens. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, and Hillary Clinton, D-New York, are both seeking the support of female voters.

Suzanne Malveaux reports from Columbia, South Carolina about talk show host Oprah Winfrey's possible influence on these key voters - who are also the core of the media mogul's loyal viewership.

Watch the entire 20 minute introduction by Winfrey to a crowd of 29,000 in South Carolina.

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (CNN) – The crowd traveled here from across South Carolina to see Oprah Winfrey speak, but the biggest applause line at Sunday's rally came straight from Barack Obama's stump speech: "The name George W. Bush will not be on the ballot" next year, he said to a huge roar from the audience.

"I'm sick of politics as usual," Winfrey told the crowd of 29,000 voters and 350 credentialed journalists at Williams-Brice Stadium, after an introduction from Obama's wife Michelle. "We need politicians who know how to tell the truth. But more importantly we need politicians who know how to be the truth."

Her speech, light on policy and heavy on the Illinois senator's message of change, was similar to the remarks she gave in Iowa on Saturday. But if the balmy weather and the football stadium weren't sign enough, it was clear from their speeches that they were in a different part of the country.

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