The O Interview: Gayle and Oprah, Uncensored

Lisa: People ache for connection.

Gayle: They do, they really do.

Lisa: They want someone who doesn't have an agenda, doesn't see you filtered through the prism of their own needs.

Oprah: Absolutely not. And so in a way, our friendship is better than a marriage or a sexual relationship. You know, there's no such thing as unconditional love in a marriage as far as I'm concerned, 'cause let me tell you, there are some conditions. [Laughter] So don't ask me to give you unconditional love, because there are certain things I won't tolerate. But in this friendship, there isn't an expectation because there isn't a model for something like this. There isn't a label, there isn't a definition of what this is supposed to be. It can be all that it can be, and it's extraordinary, in terms of the level I've been able to achieve, and to have Gayle by my side as happy as I am for those accomplishments.

Gayle: My God. Sometimes you don't even realize how big it is. You don't. Maybe I'll get some perspective years from now, when we're sitting on a porch somewhere looking back on it all.

Lisa: Do you ever think about who's going first?

Gayle: I think about when we get old, but I can't imagine life without Oprah. I really can't. I'll go first if I can be 90 and you can be 91.

Oprah: Something about this relationship feels otherworldly to me, like it was designed by a power and a hand greater than my own. Whatever this friendship is, it's been a very fun ride—and we've taken it together.