Yes, you definitely heard Oprah’s voice in the latest episode of The Handmaid’s Tale
While watching the latest episode of The Handmaid’s Tale (Season 2, Episode 11, to be exact), you may have heard a familiar voice. If the soothing voiceover you heard at the beginning of the episode wasn’t immediately recognizable to you, we can confirm that voice belonged to future president Oprah.
The rest of this post contains massive spoilers for Episode 11, so if you didn’t watch the episode, approach with caution.
In the episode, titled “Holly,” June is deserted at a random house in the woods and attempts to escape in a car she finds in the garage. When she turns on the car, Oprah’s voice comes across the radio. Oprah’s “character” is that of a free American living in Canada who works for “Radio Free America.” Oprah gives the following monologue over the airwaves:
“Broadcasting from somewhere in the Great White North. And now this news. The American government in Anchorage today received promises of economic aid from India and China. In the United Kingdom, additional sanctions on Gilead were announced, as well as plans to raise the cap on American refugees relocating from Canada. Now a tune to remind everyone who’s listening, American patriot or Gilead traitor, we are still here. Stars and stripes forever baby.
Elisabeth Moss told The Hollywood Reporter in April 2018 that she freaked out when she learned Ms. Winfrey was a fan of the show. Once everyone learned about Oprah’s fandom, The Handmaid’s Tale creator and showrunner, Bruce Miller, reached out to her.
"We’d heard Oprah was a fan of the show, and had a story idea, and thought, wouldn’t it be wonderful if…So we asked and she said yes, and it was a lovely, easy process, Miller told Decider.com. “The radio segment she recorded was inspired by the free radio of the Allies from WW2. It was an absolute honor to have Oprah featured on the show, and especially thrilling as she was the one who presented us with the Emmy last year.
Our most pressing question about this voice cameo is whether Oprah is playing herself, or a character, in this dystopia? Meaning, does actual Oprah escape from Gilead in the world of The Handmaid’s Tale?
