The 74th-annual Emmy Awards may have come and gone. Still, the thought of being seen at the yearly ceremony that honors the best in American prime-time television programming is still lingering on the mind of legendary television host Oprah Winfrey, who recently admitted to missing her former talk show after her latest project, “Queen Sugar,” failed to be recognized by the organization. 

The admission came during a recent interview with Variety — alongside show creator and director Ava DuVernay — about the drama series, which is in its seventh and final season. Winfrey shared that she really wanted to be recognized by the Emmys.

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 28: Oprah Winfrey (C) accepts an award onstage during Variety’s Power of Women presented by Lifetime at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on September 28, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Variety via Getty Images)

“But I’m not gonna lie to you. I really wanted an award,” Winfrey said, before DeVernay interjected with, “She wanted one more than I wanted one.” The longtime host clarified, stating, “I didn’t want it for myself. I wanted that entire team to receive the recognition that they deserve.”

She continued, “This is the time I miss ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ because I would’ve had them on every week. Everybody would’ve known about ‘Queen Sugar.’ ” The show has yet to earn a nomination since its first episode aired in September 2016. 

Later in the interview, the pair was playfully asked “Which show would win an Emmy if they ruled the world?” to which an emotional Winfrey responded, with her voice cracking, “Don’t get me to cry. I mean, it’s not even about winning the Emmy; it’s about ‘Queen Sugar’ being recognized for the great work that it is — about it receiving some kind of recognition by people who understand what we did with this show.”

“Queen Sugar” followed the lives of three siblings: Nova, Charley and Ralph Angel Bordelon, in rural Louisiana, played by Rutina Wesley, Dawn-Lyen Gardner and Kofi Siriboe, respectively, who must deal with the aftermath of their father’s sudden death and decide the fate of his 800-acre sugarcane farm.

This doesn’t make for the first time Winfrey has expressed missing her show. In 2019, the actress told Vanity Fair, “I would love to make that happen,” about a potential reboot. “Let me tell you. But maybe not every day. For 25 years, it was perfect.”

She added, “The only time I missed it was during the election or when something really big happens in the news,” she said. “I think, ‘Oh, gee, I wish I had a show.’ ”