Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane has said it would be “troublingly dystopian” to have Oprah Winfrey running for president against Donald Trump in the next US election.
Actress and talk show host Winfrey has been at the centre of speculation that she may seek the job following her rousing speech about equality at the Golden Globes on Sunday.
Mr Trump has also addressed the notion, saying he would “beat” her if she did run for office.
Referring to Mr Trump’s previous post as a host on TV series The Apprentice, MacFarlane tweeted: “Oprah is beyond doubt a magnificent orator. But the idea of a reality show star running against a talk show host is troublingly dystopian.
Oprah is beyond doubt a magnificent orator. But the idea of a reality show star running against a talk show host is troublingly dystopian. We don’t want to create a world where dedicated public service careers become undesirable and impractical in the face of raw celebrity.
— Seth MacFarlane (@SethMacFarlane) January 10, 2018
“We don’t want to create a world where dedicated public service careers become undesirable and impractical in the face of raw celebrity.”
MacFarlane then responded to a person who asked if Winfrey’s career in the spotlight should be on the list of “disqualifying jobs” for a politician.
He said: “I don’t think anyone is questioning the breadth of her accomplishments.
I don’t think anyone is questioning the breadth of her accomplishments. The observation is a more fundamental one: Will there still be room for the likes of Kamala Harris or Maggie Hassan in the political future we’re creating, or only Tom Hanks? https://t.co/na1fC0IkFZ
— Seth MacFarlane (@SethMacFarlane) January 10, 2018
“The observation is a more fundamental one: Will there still be room for the likes of Kamala Harris or Maggie Hassan in the political future we’re creating, or only Tom Hanks?”
Mr Trump declared on Tuesday that he thinks he could beat Winfrey in a race to the White House.
During a meeting, he said: “I’ll beat Oprah.”
But he added: “I don’t think she’s going to run.”
Winfrey, 63, made an impassioned call for “a brighter morning even in our darkest nights” at the awards ceremony, sparking calls from celebrities and members of the public for her to run for president.
As she became the first black woman to win the Cecil B. DeMille Award, she told the audience: “For too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dared to speak their truth to the power of those men, but their time is up.”
She added: “I want tonight to express gratitude to all the women who have endured years of abuse and assault because they, like my mother, had children to feed and bills to pay and dreams to pursue.”