Adele Tells Oprah She's ‘Divorcing Herself’ During Vulnerable Interview

Published Nov 15, 2021

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4:19am

It's finally here, folks!

When we discovered that Oprah Winfrey's latest exclusive interview would be with Adele, we knew it was going to be good. The highly-anticipated discussion was first announced back in October, with a press release that said, “The special will feature an exclusive interview with Adele by Oprah Winfrey from her rose garden, in Adele’s first televised wide-ranging conversation about her new album, the stories behind the songs, life after divorce, weight loss and raising her son.”

And it was certainly worth the wait. Adele opened up about a wide range of topics during their conversation, talking about everything from how she could deadlift 160 lbs. to the fact that she cried with her late father while listening to a song from her new album, 30.

But perhaps the most striking moment of all was when she told Oprah that she wouldn't describe 30 as a divorce album. Instead, she told Winfrey, “I think I'm divorcing myself on [the album]...I spent a lot of time on my own, really sitting in my feelings and not keeping myself busy.”

Adele explained, “I used to always—if a feeling came up, I would distract myself.” But ultimately, the singer changed her approach. “Whenever I noticed how I was feeling, I would sit down and I'd sit in it,” she said. “I stopped drinking, that's one great way of really getting to sort of know yourself is, just drinking water and being sober as anything.”

Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese/CBS

The singer added that this is the first time that she's felt very secure in herself. “It'll be interesting to see what my reaction is like in general to anything that hurts me now that I feel so secure in myself, and I'm talking outside of romance as well,” she said.

However when it comes to romance, Adele is approaching her relationship with boyfriend Rich Paul in a totally different way, too. She said this is her first relationship where she's “loved herself and been open to loving and being loved by someone else.”

And these were just a taste of the many vulnerable statements that Adele made while talking with Winfrey.

Besides these candid tidbits, the special also included Adele's first live performance in five years. She had teased the set by saying, “It will look, like, really elegant, and then I’ll tell a load of filthy jokes, like standup. So it’ll be real whiplash for [the audience].”

But the long-awaited performance was a knockout, including old hits like “Rolling in the Deep” and “Hello” mixed with new songs, like her current single, “Easy on Me,” and never-before-heard tracks like “I Drink Wine” and “Love Is a Game.” At one point, Adele even had a fan bring out his girlfriend for a surprise proposal.

All of this comes ahead of the release of her highly-anticipated fourth studio album, which drops this Friday. And after this 2-hour special, we couldn't be more hyped to hear it.

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Joel Calfee

Associate Editor, News and Entertainment

Joel is the former Associate Editor for News & Entertainment and has been reporting on all things pop culture for over 5 years. Before working at PureWow, he served as a Features Editor at ROCKET Magazine. When he's not dissecting the latest trends in entertainment (or guiding you on what to watch), he covers all the hottest red carpet looks and fashion movements. When he steps away from the keyboard, you can likely find him at an NYC concert, thrift store or LGBTQ+ bookstore happily perusing the shelves.

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