Adele x Oprah: 5 things we learned from the ‘One Night Only’ interview

Adele joined Oprah for one of her first televised interviews in several years last night. Airing on CBS, the duo discussed everything from the singer’s divorce to her drinking, new relationship and how her son Angelo “saved [her] life”. 

Largely pre-recorded ahead of time, the two-hour special was interspersed with musical tidbits throughout – both old and new – and it was this that really won viewers over. Mostly unimpressed with the candid discussion between the two women, it lacked an equivalent to the Meghan Markle “were you silent or were you silenced” mic drop moment, and many deemed it a little disappointing as a result… despite it being full of Adele’s characteristic self-effacing wit and charm. “Much was sung, but little was said” as The Los Angeles Times put it. 

.@adele had us at hello! @lizzo what concert are we going to next?! ??? #AdeleOneNightOnly pic.twitter.com/uLBWHGclkw

— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) November 15, 2021

That said, the interview still provided plenty of fodder for conversation and below are some of the main takeaways. 

Adele is a great wing woman 

For many, she’s the queen of heartbreak but it turns out Adele is all about the love and she even helped one man propose to his unassuming girlfriend during the show. Telling the audience that she needed them to be “really bloody quiet”, Adele signalled for the lights to be turned down before adding, “If you make a noise, I’m going to kill you”.

New life goal: Get engaged in front of @adele. ? pic.twitter.com/ybfa922aHg

— CBS (@CBS) November 15, 2021

Cut to the couple in question being led onstage, a hilarious encounter between the two in which she sighed “I’ve been your girlfriend for so long” and a live performance of “Make You Feel My Love”. Now that’s a proposal story. 

Her son had never seen her perform before last night

Used to performing in front of thousands of people, one might assume that Adele never gets nervous. Such is not the case though and the singer admitted that she was even more nervous than usual for her One Night Only performance given that her son, Angelo, was in the audience. His first time to see his mum up on stage doing what she does best, Adele said that it was “the absolute honour of [her] life” to have him there. “You look so beautiful and so handsome”, she gushed. 

30 is her most personal album yet

Adele’s albums are known for the raw honesty, and 30 is by far her most personal yet.

Go easy on us, #ADELE is singing "Easy On Me" for the first time to a LIVE audience and we are not ok.

Anyone else sobbing? pic.twitter.com/uZfkDOTXpk

— CBS (@CBS) November 15, 2021

“There were moments when I was writing the record or I would listen back to something and be like, ‘That might be a bit too private, that might be a bit too about myself to put out,'” she told Winfrey. “But nothing is as scary as what I’ve been through over the last two, three years behind closed doors. So, I’m not frightened about what people may or might not know.”

She has a “complicated” relationship with alcohol 

Already speaking about her estranged father, who was an alcoholic, many times before, Adele told Oprah that she too has a “complicated” relationship with alcohol as a result. Deciding to stop drinking in the time after her divorce, the singer said that it was a great way for her to really get to know herself. “At first, I was probably keeping the alcohol industry alive,” she joked. “But you know, once I realised that I had a lot of work to do on myself, I stopped drinking and I started working out lots and stuff like that to keep me centred.”

The weight loss comments are taxing 

Adele’s appearance has long been a topic of conversation in the media but it’s something that she’s done feeling guilty about. Turning to exercise as a way to help her get a handle on her anxiety, the singer said that she felt really comfortable with her trainer which encouraged her to keep going. As for the constant analysis of how she looks? “I’m not shocked or even fazed by it because my body has been objectified my entire career,” she said. “I’m either too big or too small; I’m either hot or I’m not. But it’s not my job to validate how people feel about their bodies. I feel bad that it’s made anyone feel horrible about themselves – but that’s not my job. I’m trying to sort my own life out. I can’t add another worry.”

While no Irish release date for the singer’s Oprah interview has been given, we do have her upcoming album, 30, to look forward to which officially arrives later this week on November 19.