Winfrey, however has since issued a statement that:

"The item in today's Drudge Report is categorically untrue. There has been absolutely no discussion about having Sarah Palin on my show. 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. I agree that Sarah Palin would be a fantastic interview, and I would love to have her on after the campaign is over."

Oprah, who was ranked number one in Forbes Magazine's 'Most Powerful Celebrities' list in June this year, has been a long time admirer of Obama and has vocally supported his presidential bid from the outset. Furthermore, on a personal level, their friendship is said to have lasted years. Yet this support is believed to have cost the celebrity's daily television show, 'The Oprah Winfrey Show', a decline in ratings figures and popularity amongst its mainly female audience. Many were left wondering, after the announcement that Sarah Palin had been chosen as John McCain's running mate on August 29th, whether Winfrey would feature the first female, Republican vice presidential candidate on her show in a bid to recapture lost viewers. Today's Drudge Report, however, seemed to be suggesting that the decision was politically motivated, to deny Palin airtime, and that it was an expression of the host's Democratic leanings in the forthcoming presidential campaign.

Oprah, although making no secret of her support for Obama outside the show, has been adamant for some time that she was not about to let her talk show become associated with any candidate in particular. It would seem the decision is no more than an extension of this policy. However, the allegations over her refusal to allow Palin onto the show come at a time when there would no doubt be much for her and the vice presidential candidate to talk about, given the historical nature of her appointment, as well as this week's news of the pregnancy of pro-abstinence Palin's 17 year old daughter.