They always say you should never talk about religion or politics at the dinner table, and it sounds like Shania Twain learned that lesson the hard way with Oprah Winfrey.
She recently joined the Table Manners podcast, hosted by Jennie and Lennie Ware, and talked about some of her favorite recipes, her Las Vegas Residency, riding horses in Hyde Park, as well as one of the most memorable dinners she’s ever had.
And apparently, it was at a restaurant with legendary talk show host Oprah, and Shania said they had some very real and pleasant conversations for the most part.
The only problem came when the topic of religion was brought up, as Shania said it all “went sour” at that point:
“I think one of my most memorable dinners was with Oprah Winfrey. We ate out… she’s such a smart lady, and it was just great to sit and have real talks, you know.
But as soon as we started talking about religion, it all went sour. She is quite religious, yeah.”
When one of the hosts asked Shania about her faith, she said that she is spiritual, though she doesn’t follow a specific religion or denomination.
She also added that there was no room for debate on that topic on Oprah’s side, who is pretty open about her raising in the Baptist church and the fact that she is a Christian.
However, Oprah also said in a 2015 interview with AARP that, although she prays every night, she doesn’t consider herself a “traditionalist,” since she doesn’t attend church every Sunday.
Shania continued, saying she is more of a “seeker” than anything else, and that Oprah really wasn’t having any sort of conversation or debate on the topic of religion:
“I’m not religious in the sense that I’m dedicated to a religion. You know, I’m much more of a spiritual person. I’m much more of an inner… I’m a seeker. I would say I’m a seeker.
So that was like, okay, I guess I’ve entered into… you know how everyone always says never talk about politics or religion?
It just wasn’t debatable. There was no room for debate.”
She added that she loves to debate, though there wasn’t much she could really say on this topic that Oprah would talk about in terms of a contrary opinion or differing view:
“And I like to debate, Canadians like to debate everything. So I’m like, oh okay, it’s time to change the subject.”
Probably for the best, and it sounds like the two are still friends and managed to find other topics of conversation to bond over aside from religion.
Though it does seem a little odd that Oprah, who became a billionaire by talking about everything under the sun on TV for decades, wouldn’t talk about her faith with Shania at a small (meaning just the two of them) dinner, but I digress.
Shania recently released her first single since 2017 “Waking Up Dreaming,” and says more new music is on the way, which is, quite literally, music to my ears.
She also recently talked to Bustle about some of her most iconic fashion looks from throughout the decades, which sounds like a way more fun conversation anyways…
If I ever had the chance to have a meal with the pop country queen, we’re talking 90’s country, winning Grammy’s, shitty ex-husbands, and all-cheetah print outfits. That’s my kinda dinner…
Here’s a little more about the podcast and some of the audio from the conversation:
