Oprah Congratulates Miss Universe 2019—and Celebrates Her Message for Young Women

"We welcome your visit!"

By Monica Chon   Dec 9, 2019

imageINSTAGRAM.COM/ZOZITUNZI

Miss South Africa, Zozibini Tunzi, was crowned Miss Universe Sunday night at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia.
Oprah tweeted her congratulations—and even invited the newly crowned winner to visit her school in South Africa.
In an interview with "Good Morning America" afterward, Tunzi shared her hilarious reaction to learning about Oprah's message of support.
After a night full of interviews on social and cultural issues—paired with swimsuits, and evening gowns, of course—Zozibini Tunzi, also known as Miss South Africa, was crowned Miss Universe 2019.

As her new fans took to social media to congratulate the winner and share videos, it was clear that Tunzi's answer to the final question in the competition is what struck a particular chord around the world—including with our very own Oprah.

In response to host Steve Harvey asking: "What is the most important thing we should be teaching young girls today?" Tunzi responded: "Leadership." She then received deafening applause from the live audience as she specifically called out how society has historically labeled young girls and women.

"I think we are the most powerful beings on the world and that we should be given every opportunity," Tunzi said. "That is what we should be teaching these young girls to take up space. Nothing is as important as taking up space in society and cementing yourself."

Miss Universe
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@MissUniverse
Final Word: SOUTH AFRICA#MissUniverse2019 LIVE on @FOXtv. Airing in Spanish on @Telemundo.

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Apparently, Tunzi's powerful message resonated with Oprah, who took to Twitter to congratulate the winner.

"Agree with you...leadership is the most powerful thing we should be teaching young women today," Lady O tweeted, before she invited the new Miss Universe 2019 to visit her school in South Africa, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls.

Oprah Winfrey
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@Oprah
Congratulations Miss South Africa, the new Miss Universe @zozitunzi! Agree with you...leadership is the most powerful thing we should be teaching young women today. We welcome your visit to #OWLAG, our Leadership Academy for Girls