Harris didn't use teleprompter on Oprah, she was facing away from it | Fact check

The claim: Kamala Harris used teleprompter during interview with Oprah Winfrey

A Sept. 22 Instagram video (direct link, archive link) shows Vice President Kamala Harris laughing and shaking a person's hand while text scrolls by on a screen behind her.

"Harris is going viral for using a teleprompter during Oprah interview," reads text overlaid on the footage.

The post garnered more than 500 likes in five days. Other versions of the claim were shared on X, formerly Twitter.

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Our rating: False

A spokesperson for Oprah Winfrey said Harris wasn't using the teleprompter. The vice president is facing away from the teleprompter in the video, and the screen's script matches what Winfrey says later in the interview.

Teleprompter used by Winfrey, not Harris

Winfrey interviewed Harris during a live-streamed town hall in the battleground state of Michigan on Sept. 19. The interview included a long list of A-list celebrity guests who were there to support Harris' campaign. Some viewers of the live-streamed event noticed a teleprompter in the background and claimed Harris was reading a pre-planned script during the interview.

But Nicole Nichols, a spokesperson for Winfrey, told USA TODAY that Harris wasn't using the teleprompter. Harris' team declined to comment on the record.

The Instagram video shows the screen was behind Harris during the interview and facing Winfrey. The script featured in the video also resembles Winfrey's statements toward the end of the live-streamed event.

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In the video, part of the teleprompter script reads, "The fight for us. For the America we desire and deserve to live in. To find out more about how you..."

The original live-stream shows that Winfrey later said, "Vice President Harris, we thank you. We hope you keep fighting for us and the country we deserve to have. Thank you so much. Find out more about how you can register or where you can vote, go to iwillvote.com."

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

PolitiFact and Lead Stories also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

• Nicole Nichols, Sept. 25, Email exchange with USA TODAY

• Kamala Harris (YouTube), Sept. 19, Unite for America Rally with Vice President Kamala Harris and Oprah Winfrey

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Oprah used teleprompter during interview, not Harris | Fact check