Our first guest took her place in history last week.
Take a look at her.
When day comes, we ask ourselves,
where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
There's a light at the end--
Sometimes it's hard to put a moment, like the one we
as a country are in right now, to words.
But today, an extraordinary 22-year-old poet did just that.
We've learned that quiet isn't always peace.
And the norms and notions of what just is,
isn't always justice.
It was the moment at the inauguration that made
people listen and take notice.
Amanda Gorman.
The youngest inaugural poet in American history.
We, the successors of a country and a time,
where a skinny black girl descended from slaves,
and raised by a single mother, can
dream of becoming president, only
to find herself reciting for one.
Her performance left many blown away.
There's an energy that was coming off of her.
It was breathtaking.
Drawing raves from-- well the count is endless.
Gorman's poem, a lasting message to us all.
For there was always light, if only
we're brave enough to see it, if only
we're brave enough to be it.
From Los Angeles, California, please welcome Amanda Gorman.
[APPLAUSE]
I stand up for you.
You're amazing Amanda.
Thank you so much for being here.
I'm excited to meet you.
Thank you so much.
And also, happy birthday!
Thanks so much, Amanda.
Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
When did you find out that you were going
to write the inaugural poem?
I found out on December 30th.
I basically had a Zoom call with the presidential inaugural
committee.
And they offered me the role of being inaugural poet.
And I screamed, and I danced in my socks,
and it was just an amazing night.
It's dangerous to dance in your socks because they're slippery.
Be very careful when you dance in your socks.
[LAUGHING] Now, and what was it like getting ready,
because things kept happening?
Like I mean, first of all, that's
an extraordinary amount of pressure or stress
if you would let it be that.
But it seemed like you embraced it and just owned
it, which was incredible.
But what was it like getting ready?
Thank you.
Well, I was stressed.
Very much so.
And I think there's not only the writing and the construction
of the poem.
For me, the kind of performance and spoken word element of it
is just as important.
So I really wanted to practice that.
But whenever I wanted to, there was
an interview, or my mom knocking on my door, bless her heart.
And I kind of had to be like, Mom maybe
stay in your hotel room for like an hour.
I need to practice this.
So I didn't really get to practice it
as much as I would have liked to before I did it.
So I'm really glad that I was still able to kind of stick
the landing.
Wow.
You did stick the landing.
I mean to not be able to practice it,
you'd be worried about obviously messing up words,
or just I mean you had the whole world watching you,
and you just were so calm and eloquent.
And just it was--
I didn't know you, but I was so proud
because I can imagine what that moment was.
When you arrived at the podium, there
was a-- you smiled for a minute.
What was that moment?
What were you smiling about?
Well, there's this beautiful moment
where I step up to the podium, and it's
in this incredible location where I can see the Washington
Monument.
I can also see the Lincoln Memorial
all in my line of vision, and just
feeling part of that history as the descendant of a slave.
And I also smile because when I got up to the podium,
I heard people below, which you can't really see,
clapping for me.
And it was just this really surprising moment
that, wow, people are really excited to hear what
I have to say, to hear poetry.
What an opportunity for our country and the world.
And so I kind of giggle to myself, and then got going.
Yeah.
I mean, you were, like I said, you were so beautiful.
And of course people were excited.
But you know, there's a big heavy hitter
list on that stage.
You had Jennifer Lopez.
You had Lady Gaga.
You had Garth Brooks.
And you were you were seated next to Jennifer right?
Right.
Yeah.
And my mom kind of leaned in, and she was like that's, A-Rod.
And I was like, do you want to get a photo?
She said, already done.
Already did it.
And it was funny because I was there.
And I remember Michelle Obama like being close.
And she kind of kept yelling at Barack,
like stop hugging people.
Like stop getting close to people.
And then when I was done, she kind of like
pushed him out the way, and gave me just the biggest
warmest Michelle Obama hug.
Had you met them before?
Had you met Michelle and Barack?
I had met Michelle a few times before.
Not Barack.
And whenever I meet Michelle, I hope
that she forgets meeting me, because I just want a do over.
I just want a clean slate.
Like I just want to do it right this time.
But she always remembers, and she's always great.
And when I hug her, I'm so short,
my forehead is like in her belly button.
Yeah.
No, she's awesome.
You can always-- she's so down to Earth as you know.
You can be yourself around her.
And there's no do overs I'm sure.
In the moment, when you finish your poem,
it's called The Hill We Climb, did you
realize you were making history, and you
would have such an impact across the world?
I understood in some capacity that I was making history
as the youngest inaugural poet.
I didn't know really what that history
would look like or the impact it would have.
I just remember finishing, going back to my holding room,
and just swiping up my Instagram.
I wonder what people are saying.
And just my apps, my phone not functioning.
My phone was basically a brick.
Like all the apps that I typically use had crashed.
I couldn't look at my photos, anything like that.
And I hadn't expected that.
I thought, oh maybe I'll get a few thousand more followers.
To get millions and millions of followers in under 48 hours
I was just--
I think that was the moment when I went, wow.
This has really touched people in a way
that I did not predict.
Yeah.
You certainly did.
You in so-- not just the words, not just what you wrote,
which was beautiful, but just you.
There's just an essence about you, a beauty that comes out.
We're a few years away, but I want
to talk about your upcoming presidential campaign
when we come back.
We'll be back.
Hi.
I'm Andy.
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