The annual Harris Poll ranking America’s favorite television personalities has been released. Between December 7 and 14, 2,276 adults took part in an online survey that crowned Oprah Winfrey with the title she held in 1998, 2000, and 2002 – 2006. Here, your Top 10.
1. Oprah Winfrey (up from No. 4 last year)
2. Glenn Beck (enters the countdown with a bullet!)
3. Jay Leno (down from No. 1 last year; note: the poll was conducted before the late-night war at NBC, but after his primetime show bombed)
4. TIE: Ellen DeGeneres (down from No. 3 last year, and No. 1 in 2007)
4. TIE: Hugh Laurie (down from No. 2 last year)
6. Jon Stewart (held at No. 6 from last year)
7. Charlie Sheen (held at No. 7 from last year; note: the poll was conducted before his December arrest)
8. Mark Harmon (up from No. 9 last year)
9. David Letterman (down from No. 5 last year; note: the poll was conducted before he engaged in the late-night war, but after he admitted he’d had sex with female members of his staff)
10. Bill O’Reilly (returns to the countdown after being absent last year)
Names that dropped off this year’s list: Steve Carell (No. 8 last year) and Stephen Colbert (tied for No. 9 last year).
The Harris Poll also broke down the results by sex, generation, political slant, and geography: Favorite TV Personality Among:
Men: Jay Leno
Women: Oprah Winfrey
Echo Boomers (18-32): Conan O’Brien
Gen X (33-44): Oprah Winfrey
Baby Boomers (45-63): Oprah Winfrey
Matures (64+): Glenn Beck
Republicans: Glenn Beck
Democrats: Oprah Winfrey
Independents: Glenn Beck
Conservatives: Glenn Beck
Moderates: Oprah Winfrey
Liberals: Jon Stewart
Single women: Oprah Winfrey
Married women: Oprah Winfrey
East: Oprah Winfrey
Midwest: Glenn Beck
South: Oprah Winfrey
West: Hugh Laurie
I’ll let you all get political in the comments, if you so chose. Personally, I’m just loving that House‘s Hugh Laurie is No. 1 in the West and that America loves NCIS‘ Mark Harmon as much as I do. I should’ve named my ultra-smooth and comfortable gray Slanket Harmon. Damn it!
Photo credit: Adam Larkey/ABC
What a retarded poll… Like 2000 randoms are a good sampling of the television viewing public’s true taste. Ridiculous.
Actually 2000 people is a very large sample and creates a poll with a very small margin of error. It’s only ridiculous to you because you’re not intelligent enough to understand statistics.
Yeah for Mark Harmon! That Bing ad is covering up part of the article.
it’s gone
I hate that fraking Bing ad. That being said. Glenn Beck is #2. Seriously? What is the world coming to? That man is insane.
Go GLEN. If you ask me, he’s more insightful then Oprah and when Oprah leaves he will take her crown.
That’d be a terrifying thought.
Yes. Glenn will be the queen of Television then…LOL
Glenn Beck? Americans…Seriously??
Oprah’s actually extremely insightful. I was watching her the other day and was struck by profound she can be. She’s really far more complex than she lets on.
Glenn Beck?? God help us. The man and his show are terrifyingly absurd, and I’m no liberal.
You claim to not be a liberal but liberals were the only ones listed above that didn’t have Glenn Beck as #1. Then you must be an undecided.
Um… That poll didn’t include every human known to mankind. A majority of a small collection isn’t even close to being representative of everyone, or even that same majority in the actual population. Moron.
Actually a poll of 2000 people is extremely representative of Americans if its weighted according to census demographics. I’m very concerned that you don’t understand basic statistics.
YOU LIE!
Glam BeKKK is not the #1 amongst Democrats, MODERATES, besides Liberals.
He’s the #1 amongst independents, (and conservatives and repubs, whats the diff) which feeds my suspicion that Independents are mostly Repubes who are ashamed to admit that they are Repubes.
Also being #1 does not say much.
It could mean that he got 11% while all others got around 10 percent.
It does not have to mean that he got 80 or 90 percent of the vote or even 51%, not by a long shot.
Glen BeKKK is liar, a racist and a cheat, and he can’t even do a good job crying on TV.
And the number of people thinking they are repub or conservatives hoovers around 25%. A poll amongst just 500 people has a larger margin of error, usually 10%. Makes it even less valuable.
Why in God’s name is Oprah Winfrey so prevalent? She is a typical touchy-feely liberal with no substance. Everything can be fixed with a good self-esteem and a positive outlook on life. Everyone is a victim of something, and no one has to take personal responsibility for their actions, unless it’s a man who fathers babies out of wedlock. Women get a free pass from Oprah. I am so glad Glen Beck is up there, and sorry to see Steve Carell gone. I’m amazed that people like Charlie Sheen. He really can’t act, and as a person, the guy is a major washout. His TV show is crass, vulgar and not funny at all unless you have a junior high mentality.
lmao @ Oprah not having substance and being “glad Glen Beck is up there.” Glen Beck wouldn’t know substance if it walked across the screen during one gold informercials.
Every liberal I know, including myself, cannot ABIDE Oprah Winfrey with her adoration of soft science, pandering bad literature and celebrity culture. YUCK.
Well Lilly every liberal you know is a moron because Oprah gave us Dr. Oz who is a huge proponent of hard science and one of the best heart surgerons in America. He even operated on Bill Clinton’s heart. And what bad literature does Oprah push? Her book club includes the likes of Toni Morrison, Cormac McCarthy and Tolstoy. She’s done more to bring literature to the masses than anything since the printing press.
Do people really go around polling “every liberal they know?” Amazing. I’m liberal, and really like Oprah for all the good she has done in the world. I am not overly fond of her penchant for some of the soft science stuff out there….but she has also given us Dr. Oz and many other scientifically-relevant stories. By the way, people CAN like someone without supporting every tiny little part of their lives or personalities.
Every liberal you know …. yah, hey pssst: those John McCain supporters? NOT REALLY liberals!
Glen BeKKK is a lying racist, who fakes his crying. People that prefer him … well, you know.
Hey, it’s that Middle America showing up well again
What a strange list.
Orca’s America’s most overrated television personality, not the favorite.
I personally love Oprah and I’m over here in LDN. Also love Hugh Laurie – anyone remember him as the Gentleman On Plane from ‘The One With Ross’ Wedding’ In Friends?
Back before he became the stuff of legend…/
Imma let you finish but Laurie was already a legend before “coming to America”. I gotta agree with you though; he stole the show from Jennifer Aniston on that one: “By the way, it seems perfectly clear that you “weurre” on a break” LOL
The only people who take these polls are people well over the age of 50 and are home all day.
I know, I used to work at a call center.
Jerry, most likely you got fired from your job at a call center due to lack of basic knowledge. The article clearly shows a breakdown in the age category, (18-32)(33-44) etc. This poll obviously consists of people under the age of 50 and your statement is completely false.
Oprah Winfrey, Glenn Beck and Jay Leno. That is a sad sad commentary right there.
Maybe sad, but I doubt all three are liked by the same person.
That makes it sadder. That even when you spread it around, we come up with three really pathetic individuals.
What? When was this poll even ever publisized? And where? I would not have voted for any of the personalities that made the top 10. But then again…I’m much younger than 50.
The poll included all age demographics.
I don’t know that much about Glenn Beck but he comes across as nuts in every clip I’ve seen him in.
Thats the problem, most people have developed opinions of Glenn Beck (and other conservative’s on TV) based only on clips that are usually taken out of context. I don’t think its best to judge anyone (on either side) based on clips someone else pulls out. Watch a few episodes of the show, and then decide..
I’ve seen him on his old show that used to appear on headline news, and I disliked him then. He didn’t come off as crazy, but he was a very rude man, that never let his guests get any words into the conversation, unless they were saying things that he agreed with.
Pray tell, what would be the context of:
====
“Obama has “over and over again” exposed himself as “a guy who has a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture. I don’t know what it is…”
===
????
Is that acceptable because BeKKK doesn’t like the Presidents Policies?
Or because the President want to make health care available for middle class America once again?
Or because the President wants to tax rich millionaires and rich corporations just a teeny bit more.
Taxes mean we share the burden. If you don’t wanna share, leave the country, go to Russia where you don’t pay taxes, just bribes and protection money.
I have watched and he is totally nuts. But what’s scarier is that there is a whole section of the population out there who takes every word of his as fact, not opinion.
His show is an opinion show BUT he backs everything he does on facts. You do not watch him enough or you’d know that.
Really? He backs everything he does on facts? If his regular viewers really believe that, I’m terrified.
Glen beKKK is a big liar. He makes a lot of money by lying, millions upon millions. Some advertisers may walk, but not the majority by a long shot. And the closeted racists, the so-called independents who hate everything, will continue to buy his books, making him even richer.
He has NO decency.
I love me some Hugh Laurie glad The nation agrees!
Oprah is now in control of the polls? Not a surprise.
While I really can’t give too much weight to any poll that puts that d-bag at #2, I am LOVING Mark Harmon on the list. Mandi, I vote for a re-name of the slanket