According to Shania Twain, Oprah Winfrey, the queen of talk shows, and Shania Twain reportedly shared a very awkward dinner conversation that veered to religion.
The 57-year-old country singer discussed how her relationship with Oprah, 68, swiftly became “sour” in a podcast interview on Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware to promote her most recent hit, Waking Up Dreaming.
Shania recalled how she could detect a difference in their religious convictions during their restaurant dinner, which she described as being “one of my most memorable lunches” with Oprah.
Although Shania acknowledged that “it was fantastic to just have actual discussions, it all went south as soon as we started talking about religion,”
So, I responded, “Let’s stop talking about religion,”‘ Twin recounted, adding that Oprah, who was raised in the Baptist Church and is a Christian, “is quite pious.” Shania also adds that Oprah was brought up in a Baptist church.
The country musician referred to Oprah as “a brilliant lady.”
She explained her viewpoint by stating that she isn’t “religious in the sense that I am dedicated to a faith” and that she is not. I try to be much more religious. I think of myself as a seeker, Shania Twain Added.
Shania, who was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, added a further indication of how things between her and Oprah became problematic by mentioning that she enjoys debating issues.
There was no room for discussion, and I enjoy discussion, she continued. Everything is up for debate with Canadians. I then think, “Oh, OK. It’s time to switch topics.
The singer said that the celebrity was willing to discuss their differing religious views at the time of the dinner but declined to clarify, saying only that “it just wasn’t debatable.”
Everyone always cautions, “Never talk about politics or religion,” the celebrity said repeatedly during the program.
Oprah has previously been open about her spiritual upbringing, identifying herself as “spiritual” and joking that she was “born into the church” in a 2015 interview with AARP Bulletin.
Being brought up by my grandmother on that tiny acre in Mississippi, indoctrinated, and born into the church and the customs of the church, I have undoubtedly always been spiritual, she claimed at the time.
The television personality went on to expand, saying that she “grew up in the Baptist Church” and recalled a moment when, at the age of eight, she “spent days agonizing… [about] whether she was ready to give up sin.”
She said that even though she prayed every night, she did not consider herself a “traditionalist” in terms of religion because she did not go to church every Sunday.
Although the discussion with Shania about religion turned “sour” at one point, Oprah noted in her AARP interview that she saw herself as “inclusive” of all individuals, regardless of their religious beliefs.
It would be the antithesis of Christianity for me to live in a society that excludes other people who are not Christians, she remarked.
Since I am unable to identify “God,” it seems natural to me to be open to the mystique and mystery of God.
So when others criticize me for not being like them, I respond by saying, “It’s working for me, it always has and it always will function in a way that gives me a sense of peace and happiness about what God means to me.”
Shania collaborated on the 2011 docuseries Why Not With Shania Twain and has made appearances on Oprah’s old talk program.
The six-episode series aired on Oprah’s network, OWN.
She announced the release of her sixth studio album next year along with the release of her single Waking Up Dreaming last week.