Were You Silent or Were You Silenced?
Part of a series on Oprah's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Interview. [View Related Entries]
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About
"Were You Silent or Were You Silenced" is a memorable question asked by Oprah Winfrey during her interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Many online used a video clip of Winfrey asking the question as a reaction video, and on TikTok, many used the sound for a series of interview show parodies.
Origin
Usage of the moment began even before the interview aired on March 7th, 2021. On February 28th, 2021, CBS published a preview of the interview on YouTube, receiving more than 5 million views (shown below).
The following day, on March 1st, TikToker [1] @nath_singsuk posted the clip. Within three weeks, the video received more than 3.4 million views, 454,000 likes and 13,000 comments in less than two weeks (shown below).
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6934609148554251525
Spread
Twitter Usage
Following the interview's release, many online used the phrase and clip as a reaction video and a punchline to a series of jokes. On March 8th, 2021, Twitter user @theerkj tweeted the video with the caption, "were you silent or siLENcED *eyebrows*." The post received more than 4.7 million views, 27,000 likes and 3,400 retweets in less than one week (shown below).
were you silent or siLENcED eyebrows pic.twitter.com/bG4vX9asOy
— RK Jackson | Atlanta 🛸 (@theerkj) March 8, 2021
That day, Twitter user @tenilleclarke1 tweeted the video with the caption, "Me having an exclusive interview with the letter 'g' in lasagna." The tweet received more than 228,000 likes and 43,000 retweets in less than one week (shown below).
Me having an exclusive interview with the letter “g” in lasagna: pic.twitter.com/Vo5QI1ck9P
— Tenille. (@tenilleclarke1) March 8, 2021
TikTok Interview Parodies
On TikTok, many used the @nath_singsuk audio to produce a series of interview show parodies. For example, on March 9th, 2021, TikToker @yookos posted a parody with the caption, "Me interviewing Ferb. The post received more than 1.2 million views, 219,000 reactions and 2,100 comments in less than two days (shown below, left). TikTok @skinnty_ posted a parody interview with Ariel from the animated Disney film The Little Mermaid. The post received more than 805,000 views, 153,000 reactions and 1,800 comments in less than 24 hours (shown below, right).
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6937833938584898821
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6938108993986514182
Media Coverage
Several media outlets covered the meme and quote, including StayHipp,[2] People,[3] Grazia[4] and more.
Various Examples
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6937779250942479622
https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/6937773069469633798
Me interviewing the letter H in the word “hour” pic.twitter.com/iFRDFdiWSD
— Johnny Neff ❄️ (@JohnnyNeff) March 8, 2021
Search Interest
Not available.
External References
[1] TikTok – @nath_singsuk's Sound
[2] StayHipp – “WERE YOU SILENT OR WERE YOU SILENCED?” OPRAH MEMES & TIKTOKS
[3] People – Meghan Markle Tells Oprah Winfrey: I Was 'Silenced' and 'I Did Anything They Told Me to Do'
[4] Grazia – “WERE YOU SILENT OR WERE YOU SILENCED?” THE FIRST LOOK AT MEGHAN MARKLE AND PRINCE HARRY’S OPRAH INTERVIEW IS HERE
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