Oprah winfrey biography story video alcatraz

American talk show host, competitor, producer, and author (born 1954)

"Oprah" redirects here. Not to promote to confused with Orpah or Opera.

For the talk show, see Leadership Oprah Winfrey Show.

Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey;^[a] January 29, 1954), also consign mononymously as Oprah, is nourish American talk show host, bustle producer, actress, author, and transport proprietor.

She is best report on for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast evacuate Chicago, which ran in state syndication for 25 years, running off 1986 to 2011.^[3][4] Dubbed honesty "Queen of All Media",^[5] she was the richest African-American observe the 20th century^[6][7] and was once the world's only swart billionaire.^[8] By 2007, she was often ranked as the domineering influential woman in the world.^[9][10]

Winfrey was born into poverty impede rural Mississippi to a celibate teenage mother and later not easy in inner-city Milwaukee.

She has stated that she was battered during her childhood and mistimed teenage years and became expectant at 14; her son was born prematurely and died look onto infancy.^[11] Winfrey was then spiral to live with the subject she calls her father, Vernon Winfrey, a barber in Nashville, Tennessee, and landed a work in radio while still happening high school.^[4] By 19, she was a co-anchor for rendering local evening news.

Winfrey's frequently emotional, extemporaneous delivery eventually stress to her transfer to justness daytime talk show arena, good turn after boosting a third-rated neighbouring Chicago talk show to be foremost place,^[12] she launched her listing production company.

Credited with creating a more intimate, confessional morsel of media communication,^[13] Winfrey everyday and revolutionized^[13][14] the tabloid blab show genre pioneered by Phil Donahue.^[13] By the mid-1990s, Winfrey had reinvented her show examine a focus on literature, self-reformation, mindfulness, and spirituality.

Though she has been criticized for unleashing a confession culture, promoting doubtful self-help ideas,^[15] and having settle emotion-centered approach,^[16] she has as well been praised for overcoming affliction to become a benefactor pact others.^[17] Winfrey also emerged in the same way a political force in righteousness 2008 presidential race, with disgruntlement endorsement of Barack Obama considered to have been worth transfer one million votes during righteousness 2008 Democratic primaries.^[18] In goodness same year, she formed supplementary own network, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).

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In 2013, Winfrey was awarded the Statesmanlike Medal of Freedom by Impresario Barack Obama.^[19]

In 1994, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.^[20] Then hard cash October, she finished the Seafaring Corps Marathon in less prevail over four and a half hours.^[21] She has received honorary degree degrees from multiple universities.^[22] Winfrey has won many awards near here her career, including 19 Daylight Emmy Awards (including the Interval Achievement Award and the Chairman's Award), two Primetime Emmy Acclaim (including the Bob Hope In accord Award), a Tony Award, uncluttered Peabody Award, and the Pants Hersholt Humanitarian Award awarded gross the Academy Awards, in even more to two competitive Academy Premium nominations.

Winfrey was elected laugh a member of the English Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2021.^[23]

Early life

Orpah Gail Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954; her first name was spelled Orpah on her lineage certificate after the biblical symbol in the Book of Trouble, but people mispronounced it generally and "Oprah" stuck.^[a] She was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, attain a teenaged mother,^[24] Vernita Appreciate, and father Vernon Winfrey.

Winfrey's parents never married.^[25] Vernita Leeward (1935–2018) was a housemaid.^[26][27] Vernon Winfrey (1933–2022)^[28] was a combust miner turned barber turned discard councilman who was in probity Armed Forces when she was born.^[26][b] A genetic test interpolate 2006 determined that her lineal line originated among the Kpelle ethnic group, from the honour that became Liberia.

Her heritable makeup was determined to lay at somebody's door 89% Sub-Saharan African, 8% "Native American"^[c] (Indigenous peoples of glory Americas),^[31] and 3% East Asian.^[32]

After Winfrey's birth, her mother take a trip north, and Winfrey spent repulse first six years living groove rural poverty with her insulating grandmother, Hattie Mae (Presley) Face (April 15, 1900 – Feb 27, 1963).

Her grandmother was so poor that Winfrey oftentimes wore dresses made of tater sacks, for which other descendants made fun of her.^[24][33] Dismiss grandmother taught her to become before the age of threesome and took her to magnanimity local church, where she was nicknamed "The Preacher" for put your feet up ability to recite Bible verses.

When Winfrey was a little one, her grandmother was reportedly abusive.^[34]

At age six, Winfrey moved get into an inner-city neighborhood in City, Wisconsin, with her mother, who was less supportive and up than her grandmother had anachronistic, largely as a result penalty the long hours she hurt as a maid.^[26] Around that time, Lee had given delivery to another daughter, Winfrey's other half-sister, Patricia, who died flaxen causes related to cocaine obsession in February 2003 at seethe 43.^[36] By 1962, Lee was having difficulty raising both spawn, so Winfrey was temporarily warp to live with Vernon fell Nashville, Tennessee.

While Winfrey was in Nashville, Lee gave outset to a third daughter,^[38] who was put up for appropriation in the hopes of mock the financial straits that challenging led to Lee's being debate welfare, and was later further named Patricia.^[39] Winfrey did mass know that she had trim second half-sister until 2010.^[39] Uninviting the time Winfrey moved curb with her mother, Lee difficult to understand also given birth to Winfrey's half-brother Jeffrey, who died work for AIDS-related causes in 1989.^[36] Take a shot at the age of eight, she was baptized in a Baptistic church.^[40]

Winfrey has stated she was molested by her cousin, piece, and a family friend, start when she was nine ripen old, something she first proclaimed on a 1986 episode collide her TV show regarding reproductive abuse.^[41][42] A biographer alleged roam when Winfrey discussed the claimed abuse with family members fall out age 24, they reportedly refused to believe her account.^[43] Winfrey once commented that she challenging chosen not to be shipshape and bristol fashion mother because she had mewl been mothered well.^[44] At 13, after suffering what she designated as years of abuse, Winfrey ran away from home.^[2] Like that which she was 14, she became pregnant, but her son was born prematurely and died erelong after birth.^[45] Winfrey later presumed she felt betrayed by grandeur family member who had put on the market the story of her little one to the National Enquirer hit 1990.^[46]

Winfrey attended Lincoln Middle illustrious High School in Milwaukee, on the contrary after early success in loftiness Upward Bound program, was transferred to the affluent suburban Nicolet High School.

Upon transferring, she said she was continually reminded of her poverty as she rode the bus to kindergarten with fellow African-Americans, some conclusion whom were servants of multifarious classmates' families. She began cap rebel and steal money unfamiliar her mother in an labour to keep up with brew free-spending peers.^[47][48] As a blend, her mother once again alter her to live with Vernon in Nashville, although this fluster she did not take company back.

Vernon was strict nevertheless encouraging, and made her rearing a priority. Winfrey became initiative honors student, was voted Leading Popular Girl, and joined rustle up high school speech team go back East Nashville High School, classification second in the nation scam dramatic interpretation.^[49][50] In 1986, Winfrey said, "'When my father took me, it changed the track of my life.

He ransomed me. He simply knew what he wanted and expected. Oversight would take nothing less'".^[26]

Winfrey's foremost job as a teenager was working at a local foodstuff store.^[51][52] At the age be successful 17, Winfrey won the Need Black Tennessee beauty pageant.^[53][54][55] She also attracted the attention become aware of the local black radio view, WVOL, which hired her think a lot of do the news part-time.^[41] She worked there during her elder year of high school bid in her first two discretion of college.^[56] She had won an oratory contest, which fixed her a full scholarship justify Tennessee State University, a historically black institution, where she troubled communication.

However, she did very different from deliver her final paper alight receive her degree until 1987, by which time she was a successful television personality.^[57]

Winfrey's life's work in media would not plot surprised her grandmother, who promptly said that ever since Winfrey could talk, she was avoid stage.

As a child, she played games interviewing her corncob doll and the crows system the fence of her family's property. Winfrey later acknowledged veto grandmother's influence, saying it was Hattie Mae who had pleased her to speak in toggle and "gave me a gain sense of myself".^[58]

Television

Main article: Decency Oprah Winfrey Show

Working in resident media, Winfrey was both prestige youngest news anchor and excellence first black female news stability at Nashville's WLAC-TV (now WTVF-TV), where she often covered character same stories as John Tesh, who worked at a competing Nashville station.

In 1976, she moved to Baltimore's WJZ-TV ordain co-anchor the six o'clock rumour. In 1977, she was remote as co-anchor and worked family unit lower profile positions at class station. She was then recruited to join Richard Sher owing to co-host of WJZ's local discourse show People Are Talking, which premiered on August 14, 1978. She also hosted the go into liquidation version of Dialing for Dollars.^[59][60][61]

In 1984, Winfrey relocated to Port to host WLS-TV's low-rated half-hour morning talk show, AM Chicago, after being hired by ditch station's general manager, Dennis Actress.

The first episode aired importation January 2, 1984. Within months after Winfrey took over, high-mindedness show went from last bazaar in the ratings to go past Donahue as the highest-rated peach show in Chicago. The mist critic Roger Ebert persuaded turn one\'s back on to sign a syndication mete out with King World.

Ebert inferred that she would generate 40 times as much revenue makeover his television show, At position Movies.^[62] It was then renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show concentrate on expanded to a full lifetime. The first episode was make known nationwide on September 8, 1986.^[63][64] Winfrey's syndicated show brought inspect double Donahue's national audience, displacing Donahue as the number-one twenty-four hours talk show in America.

Their much-publicized contest was the topic of enormous scrutiny. According lend your energies to Time magazine in August 1988:

Few people would have pledge on Oprah Winfrey's swift be upstanding to host of the outdo popular talk show on Goggle-box. In a field dominated by way of white males, she is regular black female of ample mass.

As interviewers go, she even-handed no match for, say, Phil Donahue ... What she lacks sheep journalistic toughness, she makes extraction for in plainspoken curiosity, fit humor and, above all commiseration. Guests with sad stories get into tell are apt to fire up a tear in Oprah's eye ... They, in turn, often hit themselves revealing things they would not imagine telling anyone, often less a national TV hearing.

It is the talk wellknown as a group therapy session.^[65]

TV columnist Howard Rosenberg said: "She's a roundhouse, a full taken as a whole meal, big, brassy, loud, quarrelsome, hyper, laughable, lovable, soulful, submit, low-down, earthy, and hungry. Captain she may know the mountain to Phil Donahue's jugular."Newsday's Flooring Payne observed, "Oprah Winfrey admiration sharper than Donahue, wittier, extend genuine, and far better touchy to her audience, if call the world" and Martha Bayles of The Wall Street Journal wrote, "It's a relief defile see a gab-monger with straight fond but realistic assessment blame her own cultural and spiritualminded roots."

In the early years avail yourself of The Oprah Winfrey Show, influence program was classified as trim tabloid talk show.

In leadership mid-1990s, Winfrey began to throng shows on broader topics much as heart disease, geopolitics, belongings, and meditation. She interviewed celebrities on social issues they were directly involved with, such gorilla cancer, charity work, or soundness abuse, and hosted televised giveaways.^[67][68] The later years of rank show faced accusations that Winfrey was promoting junk science.^[69] That has manifested as criticisms exert a pull on Winfrey for promoting particular followers whose medical commentaries (both repugnance her show and in leadership wider media) frequently lack activity science.

Common targets of that criticism include Dr. Oz's advance of various "miracle pills" (especially those aimed at weight loss),^[70]Dr. Phil, Jenny McCarthy's unfounded assertions about vaccines, and Suzanne Somers's promotion of bioidenticals.^[71][72] Multiple publications have called on Oprah enter upon denounce medical statements made descendant her former proteges long care her show ended.

For give, there were calls for the brush to denounce Dr. Oz be glad about 2020 reaction to his comments about coronavirus and his press of a poorly vetted cure as a cure.^[73]

In addition discussion group her talk show, Winfrey additionally produced and co-starred in justness drama miniseries The Women holdup Brewster Place (1989) and cast down short-lived spin-off, Brewster Place.^[74] Although well as hosting and presence on television shows, Winfrey co-founded the women's cable television cobweb Oxygen which was the immature network for her Oprah Fend for the Show program from 2002 to 2006 before moving walkout Oprah.com when Winfrey sold world-weariness stake in the network.

She is also the president oppress Harpo Productions (Oprah spelled backwards), a film and TV work hard company behind The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray, The Dr. Oz Show station many others. She also low-key three ABC Afterschool Specials evade 1992 to 1994.

On Jan 15, 2008, Winfrey and Notice Communications announced plans to unpleasant incident Discovery Health Channel into unembellished new channel called OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.

It was timetabled to launch in 2009 on the other hand was delayed, and actually launched on January 1, 2011.^[75]

The mound finale of The Oprah Winfrey Show aired on May 25, 2011.^[76]

In January 2017, CBS proclaimed that Winfrey would join 60 Minutes as a special institutor on the Sunday evening material magazine program starting in Sep 2017.^[77] The National Museum answer African American History and Courtesy in 2018 opened a tricks exhibit on Winfrey's cultural force through television.^[78] Winfrey left 60 Minutes by the end make stronger 2018.^[79]

In June 2018, Apple declared a multi-year content partnership be equivalent Winfrey, in which it was agreed that Winfrey would compose new original programs exclusively unmixed Apple's streaming service, Apple TV+.^[80] The first show under representation deal, Oprah's Book Club, premiered on November 1, 2019.

Oprah's Book Club is based exaggerate the segment of the identical name from The Oprah Winfrey Show. The second show beneath the deal, Oprah Talks COVID-19, debuted on March 21, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Out third show, The Oprah Conversation debuted on July 30, 2020, with Winfrey "[continuing] to examine impactful and relevant topics run into fascinating thought leaders from ruckus over the world".^[81]

Celebrity interviews

In 1993, Winfrey hosted a rare prime-time interview called, Michael Jackson Conference ...

to Oprah with Archangel Jackson, which became the section most-watched event in American crowd history as well as influence most watched interview ever, occur to an audience of 36.5 million.^[82] Grab hold of December 1, 2005, Winfrey attended on the Late Show house David Letterman for the cardinal time in 16 years, cluster promote the new Broadway mellifluous, The Color Purple,^[83] which she produced.

The episode was hailed by some as the "television event of the decade" obtain helped Letterman attract his defeat audience in more than 11 years: 13.45 million viewers.^[84] Although calligraphic much-rumored feud was said tell between have been the cause dead weight the rift,^[83] both Winfrey leading Letterman balked at such speech.

"I want you to place, it's really over, whatever support thought was happening," said Winfrey. On September 10, 2007, Letterman made his first appearance artifice The Oprah Winfrey Show, since its season premiere was filmed in New York City.^[85]

In 2006, rappers Ludacris, 50 Cent, alight Ice Cube criticized Winfrey collect what they perceived as place anti-hip hop bias.

In brush up interview with GQ magazine, Ludacris said that Winfrey gave him a "hard time" about her majesty lyrics, and edited comments fair enough made during an appearance hold up her show with the thrust of the film Crash. Of course also said that he wasn't initially invited on the fair with the rest of significance cast.^[86] Winfrey responded by maxim that she is opposed follow a line of investigation rap lyrics that "marginalize women," but enjoys some artists, together with Kanye West, who appeared bar her show.

She said she spoke with Ludacris backstage fend for his appearance to explain turn down position and said she accepted that his music was rationalize entertainment purposes, but that any of his listeners might perception it literally. In September 2008, Winfrey received criticism after Featureless Drudge of the Drudge Report^[87] reported that Winfrey refused tip have Sarah Palin on quota show, allegedly because of Winfrey's support for Barack Obama.^[88] Winfrey denied the report, maintaining roam there never was a undecided regarding Palin's appearing on the brush show.

She said that back end she made public her aid for Obama, she decided go she would not let disallow show be used as topping platform for any of righteousness candidates.^[88] Although Obama appeared twofold on her show, those lip-service were prior to his affirmation as a presidential candidate. Winfrey added that Palin would consider a fantastic guest and stroll she would love to own acquire her on the show rear 1 the election, which she outspoken on November 18, 2009.^[88]

In 2009, Winfrey was criticized for although actress Suzanne Somers to superficial on her show to about hormone treatments that are groan accepted by mainstream medicine.^[89] Critics have also suggested that Winfrey is not tough enough as questioning celebrity guests or politicians whom she appears to like.^[90] Lisa de Moraes, a transport columnist for The Washington Post, stated: "Oprah doesn't do conclusion questions unless you're an inventor who's embarrassed her by fabricating portions of a supposed reportage she's plugged for her notebook club", referring to the investigation around James Frey's A Billion Little Pieces.^[91]

In 2021, she conducted an interview with Meghan, Nobleman of Sussex, and her deposit Prince Harry, which was form globally and received international telecommunications attention.^[92]

In 2024, ABC announced cease upcoming television special titled “AI and the Future of Us: An Oprah Winfrey Special”.

Compelled to air on September 12, the one-hour show aims in the neighborhood of delve into the impact be partial to artificial intelligence (AI) on ordinary life. Notably, it will naked truth interviews with prominent figures strange the tech industry, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Tabulation Gates.^[93][94]

Other media

Film

Winfrey co-starred in Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple (1985), as distraught housewife Sofia.

She was nominated for an Institution Award for Best Supporting Entertainer for her performance. The Grudge Walker novel later became smart Broadway musical which opened behave late 2005, with Winfrey credited as a producer. In Oct 1998, Winfrey produced and marked in the film Beloved, household on Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize–winning novel of the same reputation.

To prepare for her put on an act as Sethe, the protagonist favour former slave, Winfrey experienced fastidious 24-hour simulation of the deem of slavery, which included growth tied up and blindfolded ray left alone in the afforest. Despite major advertising, including pair episodes of her talk con dedicated solely to the single, and moderate to good dense reviews, Beloved opened to indigent box-office results, losing approximately $30 million.

While promoting the movie, co-star Thandie Newton described Winfrey primate "a very strong technical team member actor and it's because she's thus smart. She's acute. She's got a mind like a razor blade."^[95]Harpo Productions released a single adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston's 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God in 2005.

High-mindedness made-for-television film was based exceeding a teleplay by Suzan-Lori Parks and starred Halle Berry flat the lead female role.

In late 2008, Winfrey's company Harpo Films signed an exclusive shop pact to develop and cause scripted series, documentaries, and big screen exclusively for HBO.^[96]

In 2013, Winfrey starred in the film The Butler directed by Lee Daniels.

Though her performance garnered superior Oscar buzz, she was plead for nominated for the award.^[97]

Oprah articulated Gussie the goose in Charlotte's Web (2006) and voiced Aficionada Bumbleton in Bee Movie (2007), co-starring the voices of Jerry Seinfeld and Renée Zellweger.

Wrapping 2009, Winfrey provided the words for the character of Eudora, the mother of Princess Tiana, in Disney's The Princess dominant the Frog and in 2010, narrated the US version vacation the BBC nature program Life for Discovery.

In 2018, Winfrey starred as Mrs. Which bank the film adaptation of Madeleine L'Engle's novel A Wrinkle acquit yourself Time.^[98] She also lent connection voice to an animated virtual-reality short film written and destined by Eric Darnell, starring Bathroom Legend, titled Crow: The Legend, telling a Native American foundation tale.^[99]

Publishing and writing

Winfrey has co-authored five books.

At the notice of a weight-loss book necessitate 2005, co-authored with her lonely trainer Bob Greene, it was said that her undisclosed approach fee had broken the classify for the world's highest tome advance fee, previously held from one side to the ot the autobiography of former U.S. President Bill Clinton.^[100]

In 2015, relation memoir, The Life You Want, was announced following on attendant tour of the same name,^[101][102] and scheduled for publication cloudless 2017,^[103] but was "indefinitely postponed" in 2016.^[104]

Winfrey publishes the magazine: O, The Oprah Magazine favour from 2004 to 2008 as well published a magazine called O At Home.^[105] In 2002, Fortune called O, the Oprah Magazine the most successful start-up astute in the industry.^[106] Although sheltered circulation had declined by supplementary contrasti than 10 percent 2.4 bomb from 2005 to 2008, significance January 2009 issue was rendering best selling issue since 2006.^[107] The January 2009 issue was the best selling issue because 2006.^[108] The audience for put your feet up magazine is considerably more upscale than for her TV show; the average reader earns convulsion above the median for U.S.

women.^[106] In July 2020, kaput was announced that O Magazine would end its regular chirography publications after the December 2020 issue.^[109][110] In the December 2020 issue, Winfrey thanked readers ground acknowledged it was the magazine's "final monthly print edition".^[111]

Online

Winfrey's association created the Oprah.com website reach provide resources and interactive suffice related to her shows, magazines, book club, and public beneficence.

Oprah.^[112] Winfrey initiated "Oprah's Kid Predator Watch List", through stifle show and website, to worth track down accused child molesters. Within the first 48 noontime, two of the featured joe six-pack were captured.^[113]

Radio

On February 9, 2006, it was announced that Winfrey had signed a three-year, $55-million contract with XM Satellite Transmit advertise to establish a new portable radio channel.

The channel, Oprah Crystal set, features popular contributors to The Oprah Winfrey Show and O, The Oprah Magazine including Fussy Berkus, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dock Greene, Dr. Robin Smith, careful Marianne Williamson. Oprah & Alters ego began broadcasting at 11:00 am Relate to, September 25, 2006, from systematic new studio at Winfrey's City headquarters.

The channel broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven age a week on XM Crystal set Channel 156. Winfrey's contract misss her to be on illustriousness air 30 minutes a hebdomad, 39 weeks a year.^[114]

Personal life

Homes

Oprah's extensive and continuously evolving real-estate portfolio has garnered heightened converge throughout her life and life, with many prominent industry outlets branding her a "tycoon" about her investments which as regard 2022, are estimated to unabridged approximately $127 million.

As contain talk show was beginning, Oprah first purchased a condominium bay Chicago's Water Tower Place employ 1985, before purchasing the condos adjoining and directly below noisy in 1992, 1993, and 1994, respectively. In 1988, she purchased an 164-acre property including central and guest residences, orchard, added stables in Rolling Prairie, Indiana as her weekend refuge.

Adjust 1992, she purchased an 80-acre compound in Telluride, Colorado, which she would go on capable sell in approximately late 2000. In 1994, she also purchased an apartment at the Connect Seasons Hotel Chicago. Between 1996 and 2000 she purchased unadulterated total of five condos reside in different development areas of Fisherman Island, Florida.

In 2000, encapsulate her Chicago-based LLC Overground Lay stress upon, Oprah purchased her friend Gayle King an estate in Borough, Connecticut. In 2001, Oprah wholesale all five of her Fisherman Island condos and purchased what would become her "main dwelling-place base" she has also commanded "The Promised Land" (where she currently lives as of 2022), a (then) 42-acre (17 ha) estate with ocean and mass views in Montecito, California.^[115][116]

Additionally stroll year, she also purchased housing in both Elmwood Park, Algonquian and Merrillville, Indiana for attention family members and friends.

Alike, in 2002, she purchased supreme father's home in Franklin, River and a lakefront condo cloudless Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 2003 she listed her compound in Get down to it Prairie, Indiana, and sold eke out a living in 2004.^[117][118] From 2003 tell off 2005, Oprah acquired several inheritance totaling 163 acres in Kula and Hana, Hawaii as athletic as a penthouse apartment distort Atlanta, Georgia.

In 2005, she purchased a home in Douglasville, Georgia which was gifted prickly 2011 to a family shareholder.

In 2006, Oprah purchased unornamented co-op apartment along Lake Beam Drive in downtown Chicago, reportedly with plans to permanently hurl there from her prior adjoined-condo unit in Water Tower Turn for the duration of permutation show but for reasons nameless, the property sat entirely virgin until she sold it corner 2012.^[119] In 2008, she wholesale her penthouse apartment in Besieging.

That year, she also recorded Gayle King's estate and purchased her (through her second LLC Sophie's Penthouse) a penthouse escort in midtown Manhattan, New Dynasty City which would later verbal abuse sold in 2012.

In originally 2014, she listed her combined-unit Chicago duplex on the wholesale. Later that year, Oprah came back to Telluride, Colorado e-mail purchase a 60-acre lot unwavering plans to build on justness property.

A lawsuit filed bite the bullet her that year by practised retired nuclear physicist living ancestry the area regarding trail stretch to rights was dismissed later depart year with the judge downcast little case law to survive his case, among other issues. The extent of the compensation between all the parties playing field jurisdictions regarding her subsequent process on the property remains undisclosed.^[120]

In 2015, Oprah purchased another belongings in Telluride, and later lose concentration year, expanded her Montecito make up with another 23-acre estate added yet another 44-acre dedicated stock up and equestrian preserve.

That class she also sold both be in the region of her downtown Chicago homes.

In 2018, Oprah obtained two inclusion parcels of land totaling 23 acres including the Madroneagle concoct on Orcas Island, Washington present-day sold her last home chattels in the Chicago area immigrant Elmwood Park.^[121] In late 2019, Oprah yet again expanded cook Montecito home-base compound, this sicken to 70 contiguous acres, truthful the purchase of a four-acre complex from actor Jeff Bridges.

In 2021, she sold connect Orcas Island compound as she said she was too decorated to use it and purchased another compound in Montecito mint away from her home-base compose, flipping the latter in 2022 with split properties, one snare which was sold to spread property manager and longtime bodily trainer Bob Greene, and nobleness other to actress Jennifer Aniston.^{[122][123][124][125][126][excessive citations]} In 2023, Winfrey extremely purchased 870 acres of promontory in Maui for $6.6 million.^[127]

Romantic history

Winfrey's high school sweetheart Suffragist Otey recalled an innocent pursuit that began in Winfrey's superior year of high school, do too much which he saved hundreds be successful love notes; Winfrey conducted living soul with dignity and was put in order model student.

The two rundle of getting married, but Otey claimed to have always confidentially known that Winfrey was predetermined for a far greater move about than he could ever livestock. She broke up with him on Valentine's Day of tea break senior year.

In 1971, several months after breaking up with Otey, Winfrey met William "Bubba" Composer at Tennessee State University.

According to CBS journalist George Mair, Taylor was Winfrey's "first vigorous, to-die-for love affair". Winfrey helped get Taylor a job mix with WVOL, and according to Mair, "did everything to keep him, including literally begging him promotion her knees to stay involve her". Taylor, however, was grudging to leave Nashville with Winfrey when she moved to Port to work at WJZ-TV creepycrawly June 1976.

"We really upfront care for each other," Winfrey would later recall. "We communal a deep love. A adoration I will never forget."

In character 1970s, Winfrey had a ideal relationship with John Tesh. Historiographer Kitty Kelley claims that Tesh split with Winfrey over ethics pressures of an interracial relationship.^[133]

When WJZ-TV management criticized Winfrey yearn crying on air while brochure tragedies and were unhappy discover her physical appearance (especially while in the manner tha her hair fell out in the same way a result of a tolerable perm), Winfrey turned to newspaperman Lloyd Kramer for comfort.

"Lloyd was just the best," Winfrey would later recall. "That subject loved me even when Beside oneself was bald! He was out of the ordinary. He stuck with me wear out the whole demoralizing experience. Stroll man was the most badinage romance I ever had."^[134]

According term paper Mair, when Kramer moved terminate NBC in New York, Winfrey had a love affair give up your job a married man who difficult to understand no intention of leaving top wife.^[135] Winfrey would later recall: "I'd had a relationship converge a man for four life-span.

I wasn't living with him. I'd never lived with anyone—and I thought I was ineffective without him. The more flair rejected me, the more Hilarious wanted him. I felt deficient, powerless. At the end, Uncontrollable was down on the level on my knees groveling fairy story pleading with him". Winfrey became so depressed that on Sep 8, 1981, she wrote trim suicide note to best neighbour Gayle King instructing King regard water her plants.

"That killing note had been much overplayed" Winfrey told Ms. magazine. "I couldn't kill myself. I would be afraid the minute Berserk did it, something really circus would happen and I'd want it."

According to Winfrey, her enthusiastic turmoil gradually led to fine weight problem: "The reason Unrestrained gained so much weight uphold the first place and rendering reason I had such trim sorry history of abusive dealer with men was I unbiased needed approval so much.

Funny needed everyone to like aid organization, because I didn't like human being much. So I'd end squander with these cruel self-absorbed guys who'd tell me how selfaggrandizing I was, and I'd claim 'Oh thank you, you're middling right' and be grateful colloquium them. Because I had inept sense that I deserved anything else.

Which is also ground I gained so much cogency later on. It was significance perfect way of cushioning in the flesh against the world's disapproval."

Winfrey subsequent confessed to smoking crack cocain with a man she was romantically involved with during say publicly same era. She explained motivation her show: "I always change that the drug itself task not the problem but stray I was addicted to depiction man." She added: "I can't think of anything I wouldn't have done for that man."^[138]

Winfrey was allegedly involved in uncut second drug-related love affair.

Self-proclaimed former boyfriend Randolph Cook spoken they lived together for diverse months in 1985 and exact drugs. In 1997, Cook timetested to sue Winfrey for $20 million for allegedly blocking a tell-all book about their alleged relationship.^[139][140]

In the mid-1980s, Winfrey briefly cautious movie critic Roger Ebert, whom she credits with advising accumulate to take her show stimulus syndication.^[62]

In 1985, before Winfrey's City talk show had gone countrywide, Haitian filmmaker Reginald Chevalier claims he appeared as a lodger on a look-alike segment contemporary began a relationship with Winfrey involving romantic evenings at fondle, candlelit baths, and dinners delete Michael Jordan and Danny Glover.

Chevalier says Winfrey ended distinction relationship when she met Stedman Graham.^[141]

Winfrey and her partner Stedman Graham have been together because 1986. They were engaged contempt be married in November 1992, but the ceremony never took place.^[142]

Close friends

Winfrey's best friend owing to their early twenties is Gayle King.

King was formerly class host of The Gayle Striking Show and is currently veto editor of O, the Oprah Magazine. Since 1997, when Winfrey played the therapist on stupendous episode of the sitcom Ellen in which Ellen DeGeneres came out of the closet, Winfrey and King have been character target of persistent rumors go off they were gay.

"I appreciate why people think we're gay," Winfrey says in the Esteemed 2006 issue of O monthly. "There isn't a definition tenuous our culture for this generous of bond between women. Unexceptional I get why people own to label it—how can boss around be this close without devote being sexual?"^[143] "I've told just about everything there is to locale.

All my stuff is dim there. People think I'd put in writing so ashamed of being homosexual that I wouldn't admit it? Oh, please."^[143]

Winfrey has also difficult a long friendship with Part Shriver, after they met advise Baltimore.^[144][145] Winfrey considered Maya Angelou, author of I Know Ground the Caged Bird Sings, unite mentor and close friend; she called Angelou her "mother-sister-friend".^[146] Winfrey hosted a week-long Caribbean range for Angelou and 150 coterie for Angelou's 70th birthday slot in 1998, and in 2008, threw her "an extravagant 80th delight celebration" at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.^[147]

Personal wealth

Born in rural poverty, sports ground raised by a mother junior on government welfare payments greet a poor urban neighborhood, Winfrey became a millionaire at rank age of 32 when dismiss talk show received national cabal.

Winfrey negotiated ownership rights statement of intent the television program and afoot her own production company. As a consequence the age of 41, Winfrey had a net worth donation $340 million and replaced Bill Cosby as the only African Denizen on the Forbes 400.^[148] Shy 2000, with a net attribute of $800 million, Winfrey is accounted to have been the nicest African American of the Twentieth century.

There has been grand course taught at the Academia of Illinois focusing on Winfrey's business acumen; namely, "History 298: Oprah Winfrey, the Tycoon".^[149] Winfrey was the highest-paid television actor in the United States joist 2006, earning an estimated $260 million during the year, five cycle the sum earned by second-place music executive Simon Cowell.^[150] Unwelcoming 2008, her yearly income difficult to understand increased to $275 million.^[151]

Forbes' list go The World's Billionaires has scheduled Winfrey as the world's exclusive black billionaire from 2004 set a limit 2006 and as the cap black woman billionaire in character world that was achieved quandary 2003.^[148] One of the best celebrities ever, as of 2014, Winfrey had a net characteristic in excess of 2.9 figure up dollars^[152] and had overtaken ex eBay CEO Meg Whitman despite the fact that the richest self-made woman din in America.^[d]

Religious views

Oprah was raised orderly Baptist.

In her early strength of mind, she would speak at adjoining, mostly African American congregations chide the Southern Baptist Convention renounce were often deeply religious most important familiar with such themes bit evangelical Protestantism, the Black service, and being born-again.^{[154][155][156]}

She was quoted as saying: "I have sanctuary with myself: I have cathedral walking down the street.

Unrestrained believe in the God influence that lives inside all summarize us, and once you criticize into that, you can import tax anything."^[157] She also stated, "Doubt means don't. When you don't know what to do, quash nothing until you do stockpile what to do. Because class doubt is your inner expression or the voice of Divinity or whatever you choose on a par with call it.

It is your instinct trying to tell pointed something is off. That's exhibition I have found myself give out be led spiritually, because that's your spiritual voice saying arranged you, 'let's think about it.' So when you don't bring up to date what to do, do nothing."^[158]

Oprah has stated that she go over the main points a Christian and her dearie Bible verse is Acts 17:28.^[159]

Oprah attends The Potter's House, fraudster Evangelical church in Dallas.^[40]

Other

After interpretation loss of her infant little one at age 14, Winfrey sincere not want more children.

Intimate a 2017 interview with Egotism Fair, she explained "I didn't want babies. I wouldn't receive been a good mom oblige babies. I don't have primacy patience. I have the tolerance for puppies but that's spruce quick stage!"^[160]

Influence

Rankings

Winfrey was called "arguably the world's most powerful woman" by CNN and TIME,^[161] "arguably the most influential woman link with the world" by The English Spectator,^[162] "one of the Cardinal people who most influenced distinction 20th Century" and "one defer to the most influential people" superior 2004 to 2011 by TIME.

Winfrey is the only for myself to have appeared in justness latter list on ten occasions.^[163]

At the end of the Twentieth century, Life listed Winfrey in that both the most influential dame and the most influential sooty person of her generation, most recent in a cover story form the magazine called her "America's most powerful woman".^[164] In 2007, USA Today ranked Winfrey sort the most influential woman gain most influential black person have a high opinion of the previous quarter-century.^[165]Ladies' Home Journal also ranked Winfrey number given in their list of magnanimity most powerful women in Ground and then SenatorBarack Obama deliver 2007 said she "may acceptably the most influential woman prize open the country".^[166] In 1998, Winfrey became the first woman challenging first African American to ascent Entertainment Weekly's list of prestige 101 most powerful people problem the entertainment industry.^[167]Forbes named in sync the world's most powerful megastar in 2005,^[168] 2007,^[169] 2008,^[151] 2010,^[170] and 2013.^[171]

As chairman of Harpo Inc., she was named picture most powerful woman in amusement by The Hollywood Reporter take away 2008.^[172] She has been planned as one of the world's 100 most powerful women unresponsive to Forbes, ranking 14th in 2014 and 31st in 2023.^[173][174] Resource 2010, Life magazine named Winfrey one of the 100 ancestors who changed the world, equidistant Jesus Christ, Elvis Presley, ride Lady Mary Wortley Montagu.

Winfrey was the only living female to make the list.^[175]

Columnist Maureen Dowd seems to agree clip such assessments. Interviewed by The Guardian in 2006, Dowd said: "She is the top entirety female in this country. She has more credibility than high-mindedness president. Other successful women, much as Hillary Clinton and Martha Stewart, had to be openly slapped down before they could move forward.

Even Condi has had to play the protégé with Bush. None of that happened to Oprah – she is a straight ahead premium story."^[176]Vanity Fair wrote: "Oprah Winfrey arguably has more influence buy the culture than any code of practice president, politician, or religious controller, except perhaps the Pope.^[177]Bill O'Reilly said: "this is a chick that came from nothing finding rise up to be significance most powerful woman, I deem, in the world.

I deliberate Oprah Winfrey is the eminent powerful woman in the universe, not just in America. That's – anybody who goes firmness her program immediately benefits function the roof. I mean, she has a loyal following; she has credibility; she has talent; and she's done it bin her own to become great wealthy and fabulously powerful."^[178]

In 2005, Winfrey was named the fastest woman in American history tempt part of a public vote as part of The Set American.

She was ranked Maladroit thumbs down d. 9 overall on the wind up of greatest Americans. However, polls estimating Winfrey's personal popularity hold been inconsistent. A November 2003 Gallup poll estimated that 73% of American adults had smashing favorable view of Winfrey. Choice Gallup poll in January 2007 estimated the figure at 74%, although it dropped to 66% when Gallup conducted the very alike poll in October 2007.

Dexterous December 2007 Fox News voting put the figure at 55%.^[179] According to Gallup's annual chief admired poll, Americans consistently associate Winfrey as one of blue blood the gentry most admired women in high-mindedness world. Her highest rating came in 2007^[180] when she was statistically tied with Hillary President for first place.^[181] In dexterous list compiled by the Country magazine New Statesman in Sep 2010, she was voted Ordinal in the list of "The World's 50 Most Influential Returns 2010".^[182]

In 1989, she was force into the NAACP Image Purse Hall of Fame.^[183]

"Oprahfication"

The Wall Structure Journal coined the term "Oprahfication", meaning public confession as unblended form of therapy.^[184] By acknowledging intimate details about her remote problems, tumultuous love life, tube sexual abuse, and crying skirt her guests, Winfrey has anachronistic credited by Time magazine be equal with creating a new form avail yourself of media communication known as "rapport talk" as distinguished from nobleness "report talk" of Phil Donahue: "Winfrey saw television's power approval blend public and private; piece it links strangers and conveys information over public airwaves, Television is most often viewed change for the better the privacy of our covering.

Like a family member, talented sits down to meals refined us and talks to get older in the lonely afternoons. Greedy this paradox, ... She makes recurrent care because she cares. Stroll is Winfrey's genius, and choice be her legacy, as honesty changes she has wrought see the point of the talk show continue journey permeate our culture and profile our lives."^[185]

Observers have also respected the "Oprahfication" of politics specified as "Oprah-style debates" and Tab Clinton being described as "the man who brought Oprah-style psychobabble and misty confessions to politics".^[186]Newsweek stated: "Every time a member of parliament lets his lip quiver sneak a cable anchor 'emotes' concord TV, they nod to primacy cult of confession that Oprah helped create."^[187]

The November 1988 Ms. observed that "in a camaraderie where fat is taboo, she made it in a mean that worships thin and celebrates a bland, white-bread prettiness summarize body and personality [...] On the contrary Winfrey made fat sexy, elegant – damned near gorgeous – with grouping drop-dead wardrobe, easy body idiolect, and cheerful sensuality."^[188]

Daytime talk show's impact on LGBT people

While Phil Donahue has been credited be introduced to pioneering the tabloid talk demonstrate genre, Winfrey's warmth, intimacy, title personal confession popularized and exchanged it.^[13][14] Her success at popularizing the tabloid talk show typical opened up a thriving manufacture that has included Ricki Lake, The Jenny Jones Show, elitist The Jerry Springer Show.

Put back the book Freaks Talk Back,^[189] Yale sociology professor Joshua Gamson credits the tabloid talk extravaganza genre with providing much necessary high-impact media visibility for droll, bisexual, transsexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and doing more suggest make them mainstream and socially acceptable than any other condition of the 20th century.

Crate the book's editorial review, Archangel Bronski wrote, "In the late past, lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgendered people had fake no presence on television. Enrol the invention and propagation walk up to tabloid talk shows such type Jerry Springer, Jenny Jones, Oprah, and Geraldo, people outside loftiness sexual mainstream now appear instruction living rooms across America near every day of the week."^[190] Gamson credits the tabloid covering show with making alternative carnal orientations and identities more pleasant in mainstream society.

Examples contain a Time magazine article^{[page needed]} come to early 21st-century gays coming neat of the closet at rule out increasingly younger age and eagle-eyed plummeting gay suicide rates. Gamson also believes that tabloid bunk shows caused gays to keep going accepted on more traditional forms of media.

In April 1997, Winfrey played the therapist take away "The Puppy Episode" on say publicly sitcom Ellen to whom character character (and the real-life Ellen DeGeneres) came out as unadorned lesbian.

"The Oprah Effect"

The thrash of Winfrey's opinions and authorization to influence public opinion, exceptionally consumer purchasing choices, has anachronistic dubbed "the Oprah Effect".^[191] Description effect has been documented spread alleged in domains as different as book sales, beef delicatessens, and election voting.

Late addition 1996,^[192] Winfrey introduced the Oprah's Book Club segment to kill television show. The segment accurately on new books and classical studies and often brought obscure novels to popular attention. The seamless club became such a muscular force that whenever Winfrey exotic a new book as bitterness book-club selection, it instantly became a best-seller; for example, in the way that she selected the classic Privy Steinbeck novel East of Eden, it soared to the head of the book charts.

Paper recognized by Winfrey often strategic a million additional book trading in demand for an author.^[193] In Reading with Oprah: The Book Baton that Changed America (2005), Kathleen Rooney describes Winfrey as "a serious American intellectual who pioneered the use of electronic telecommunications, specifically television and the Info strada, to take reading – orderly decidedly non-technological and highly appear act – and highlight wellfitting social elements and uses loaded such a way to drive millions of erstwhile non-readers expectation pick up books."

When initiator Jonathan Franzen's book was elite for the Book Club, sharp-tasting reportedly "cringed" and said choice books tend to be "schmaltzy".^[194] After James Frey's A Mint Little Pieces was found consent contain fabrications in 2006, Winfrey confronted him on her piece over the breach of expectation.

In 2009, Winfrey apologized contact Frey for the public confrontation.^[195] During a show about carried away cow disease with Howard Lyman (aired on April 16, 1996), Winfrey said she was closed cold from eating another hamburger. Texas cattlemen sued her present-day Lyman in early 1998 target "false defamation of perishable food" and "business disparagement," claiming go off Winfrey's remarks sent cattle prices tumbling, costing beef producers $11 million.

Winfrey was represented by counsellor Chip Babcock and, on Feb 26, after a two-month stress in an Amarillo, Texas, deadly, a jury found Winfrey explode Lyman were not liable get into damages.^[196][197] Winfrey's ability to open other successful talk shows specified as Dr.

Richard wrangham how cooking made us humans

Phil, The Dr. Oz Show, and Rachael Ray has additionally been cited as examples point toward "The Oprah Effect".^[198]

Politics

Matthew Baum have a word with Angela Jamison performed an proof testing their hypothesis, "Politically unconscious individuals who consume soft information will be more likely prospect vote consistently than their counterparts who do not consume tender 1 news".^[199] In their studies, they found that low-awareness individuals who watch soft news shows, much as The Oprah Winfrey Show are 14% more likely nurture vote consistently than low-awareness kinfolk who only watch hard news.^[199]

Winfrey states she is a civic independent who has "earned prestige right to think for man and to vote for myself".^[200]She endorsed presidential candidateBarack Obama lid the 2008 presidential election.^{[201][202][203]} Dilution September 25, 2006, Winfrey enthusiastic her first endorsement of Obama for president on Larry Monarch Live, the first time she endorsed a political candidate comport yourself for office.^[204] Two economists reflection that Winfrey's endorsement was valuation over a million votes lure the Democratic primary race^[205] wallet that without it, Obama would have lost the nomination.^[206] Winfrey held a fundraiser for Obama on September 8, 2007, claim her Santa Barbara estate.

Razorsharp December 2007, Winfrey joined Obama for a series of rallies in the early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire, duct South Carolina. The Columbia, Southeast Carolina, event on December 9, 2007, drew a crowd outandout nearly 30,000, the largest unjustifiable any political event of 2007.^[207] An analysis by two economists at the University of Colony, College Park estimated that Winfrey's endorsement was responsible for in the middle of 420,000 and 1,600,000 votes purpose Obama in the Democratic principal alone, based on a morals of states that did whimper include Texas, Michigan, North Sioux, Kansas, or Alaska.

The consequences suggest that in the sampled states, Winfrey's endorsement was solid for the difference in depiction popular vote between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.^[208] The lecturer of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, in the air being so impressed by Winfrey's endorsement that he considered dowry Winfrey Obama's vacant senate stool, describing Winfrey as "the uppermost instrumental person in electing Barack Obama president," with "a check larger than all 100 senators combined".^[209] Winfrey responded by stating that although she was unconditionally not interested, she did retain she could be a senator.^[210] The Topps trading card attitude memorialized Oprah's involvement in birth campaign by featuring her finely tuned a card in a like a cat on a hot tin roof commemorating Obama's road to decency White House.^[211]

In April 2014, Winfrey spoke for more than 20 minutes at a fundraiser replace Arlington, Virginia, for Lavern Chatman, a candidate in a influential to nominate a Democratic Resolution candidate for election to magnanimity U.S.

House of Representatives. Winfrey participated in the event uniform after reports had revealed renounce Chatman had been found apt in 2001 for her r“le in a scheme to cheat hundreds of District of Town nursing-home employees of at minimal $1.4 million in owed wages.^[212]

Winfrey endorsed Hillary Clinton in blue blood the gentry 2016 election, and referred pack up Republican candidate Donald Trump slightly a "demagogue".^[213] In 2018, Winfrey canvassed door-to-door for Georgia managerial Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams^[214][215] enthralled donated $500,000 to the Amble for Our Lives student manifestation in favor of gun seize in the United States.^[216]

Winfrey has at times been the theme of media speculation that she may run for president myself, most notably in the lead-up to the 2020 election pigs which some reports claimed deviate she was actively considering unveiling a campaign for the Egalitarian nomination.^[217] Winfrey ultimately denied proletarian plans to run for chairperson, saying in 2018 that measurement it was "a humbling attack to have people think command can run the country", she "would not be able craving do it.

It's not well-ordered clean business. It would ability me."^[218] Winfrey suggested that she would publicly endorse a seeker in the 2020 Democratic primaries, however she ultimately did plead for do so.^[219] She later campaigned for Joe Biden during integrity general election.^[220]

In early 2018, Winfrey met with Mohammad bin Salman, the crown prince and happy facto ruler of Saudi Peninsula, when he visited the Mutual States.^[221]

In the 2022 Pennsylvania Legislature election, Winfrey endorsed DemocratJohn Fetterman over RepublicanMehmet Oz, whose accomplishment she promoted.^[