Harris joins Oprah at star-studded campaign event in battleground state

The big picture: Dozens of grassroots groups took part in the event, including Win With Black Women, White Dudes for Harris and Cat Ladies For Kamala. It attracted several hundred audience members as it streamed across platforms including YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

• The event was reminiscent of Winfrey's long-running daytime talk show, as she hyped up the in-studio crowd and those watching online, whose faces were displayed on screens behind the audience.
• Winfrey pointed out an array of celebrities, including Chris Rock, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep.

Between the lines: Harris has given few interviews and press conferences since becoming the Democratic presidential candidate after President Biden dropped out of the 2024 race, leaving little time for off-the-cuff remarks.

• But there were glimmers of this during Harris' interview with Winfrey, such as when she noted that she's a gun owner while at the same time advocating for gun safety legislation, such as banning assault weapons.

Context: "If somebody breaks in my house, they're getting shot," she said, laughing. "I probably should not have said that," adding that her staff "will deal with that later."

Zoom in: Winfrey mixed up interviews with Harris, celebrities, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and people who were not famous but who had been affected by topics, such as gun safety and reproductive rights.

• Among those Winfrey interviewed during the live stream was the mother of Amber Thurman, 28, whose death has been linked to Georgia's abortion ban.
• Hadley Duvall, who was raped and impregnated by her stepfather at 12-years-old and who appears in a Harris campaign ad that takes aim at Trump for abortion access restrictions, received a standing ovation ahead of her onstage interview.

Go deeper: These celebrities have endorsed either Harris or Trump for president

Editor's note: This article has been updated with further context.