Oprah Made a Young Fan’s Dreams Come True at the Color Purple Premiere

Oprah is well-known for making dreams come true. And for the red carpet premiere of The Color Purple, she did just that for a serious fan. Eight-year-old Rosie McKee went viral a couple months ago for recreating the dinner scene from 1985’s The Color Purple—all by herself. That’s a scene even seasoned actors struggled with, according to Oprah herself.

But Rosie literally played all the parts—Celie, Sofia, Squeak, Harpo, Shug Avery, Mister—flawlessly. Of course, when the video caught Oprah’s attention, she had to get involved. “Brava! Bravo! Brava Brava!” she wrote, adding that she wanted Rosie to join her at The Color Purple’s premiere. “You MUST come as my guest!” Blitz Bazawule, the director of The Color Purple, also chimed in, writing, “I look forward to working with you someday!” Watch Rosie’s original reenactment video here.

Then Oprah truly made good on that promise. First, Oprah surprised Rosie, on video, to share that she was officially inviting Rosie to walk the carpet at the premiere for The Color Purple in December. When Rosie and her mom, Kenya White, joined a video call to talk about Rosie’s love for The Color Purple, they had no idea Oprah would be making an appearance.

Rosie and Kenya joined the call with one of Oprah Daily’s video producers, who started by casually chatting with them about why Rosie loves The Color Purple so much. As they’re talking, our producer asks if either Rosie or Kenya has heard from Oprah since her original Instagram comment. They say no, but that it hasn’t bothered them. “We know that Oprah’s true to her word,” Kenya says. “We’re not worried about that.”

And with that, Oprah joined the call. “Oprah’s true to her word,” she called out by way of greeting. Rosie and Kenya’s reactions are priceless. “I saw you, Miss Rosie, and all of your wonderful portrayals,” Oprah begins. “The whole dinner table scene, which is the hardest scene in the movie to do.... When I did it years ago, it took us three days to do that scene—and you nailed it!”

Fast forward a few weeks, and Rosie joined Oprah on the carpet for The Color Purple’s premiere. It was a magical evening for all (see some of the wonderful photos here)—but Rosie’s giant smile outshined everything. She clearly had the time of her life when meeting Oprah and Danielle Brooks, but Rosie’s reaction to meeting Halle Bailey—her personal icon—is worthy of happy tears. Watch it here. And you can’t miss Rosie’s perfect (customized) jacket, either, which she modeled on her Instagram.

Watch Oprah’s surprise video with Rosie below, and get your ticket for The Color Purple here.

Cassie Hurwitz

Associate Editor

Cassie Hurwitz (she/her) is an associate editor at Oprah Daily, where she covers everything from culture to entertainment to lifestyle. She can typically be found in the middle of multiple books and TV shows all at once. Previously, Cassie worked at Parents, Rachael Ray In Season, and Reveal. Her love language is pizza (New York slices, Chicago deep dish, and otherwise).