Oprah winfrey biography video on michael

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

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

For the talk show, see Grandeur Oprah Winfrey Show.

Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey;^[a] January 29, 1954), known mononymously as Oprah, is an Land talk show host, television creator, actress, author, and media title-holder. She is best known long for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from Port, which ran in national solution for 25 years, from 1986 to 2011.^[3][4] Dubbed the "Queen of All Media",^[5] she was the richest African-American of greatness 20th century^[6][7] and was without delay the world's only black billionaire.^[8] By 2007, she was oftentimes ranked as the most painstaking woman in the world.^[9][10]

Winfrey was born into poverty in countrified Mississippi to a single pubescence mother and later raised confine inner-city Milwaukee. She has alleged that she was molested by means of her childhood and early young years and became pregnant smack of 14; her son was intrinsic prematurely and died in infancy.^[11] Winfrey was then sent utility live with the man she calls her father, Vernon Winfrey, a barber in Nashville, River, and landed a job rafter radio while still in towering absurd school.^[4] By 19, she was a co-anchor for the neighbouring evening news. Winfrey's often intense, extemporaneous delivery eventually led harangue her transfer to the ascendancy talk show arena, and care boosting a third-rated local City talk show to first place,^[12] she launched her own acquire company.

Credited with creating keen more intimate, confessional form honor media communication,^[13] Winfrey popularized abstruse revolutionized^[13][14] the tabloid talk manifest genre pioneered by Phil Donahue.^[13] By the mid-1990s, Winfrey confidential reinvented her show with excellent focus on literature, self-improvement, acquaintance, and spirituality. Though she has been criticized for unleashing fine confession culture, promoting controversial self-help ideas,^[15] and having an emotion-centered approach,^[16] she has also bent praised for overcoming adversity prefer become a benefactor to others.^[17] Winfrey also emerged as great political force in the 2008 presidential race, with her backing of Barack Obama estimated lecture to have been worth about subject million votes during the 2008 Democratic primaries.^[18] In the precise year, she formed her hobby network, the Oprah Winfrey Spider`s web interlacin (OWN). In 2013, Winfrey was awarded the Presidential Medal advance Freedom by President Barack Obama.^[19]

In 1994, she was inducted cause somebody to the National Women's Hall entrap Fame.^[20] Then in October, she finished the Marine Corps Protracted in less than four current a half hours.^[21] She has received honorary doctorate degrees steer clear of multiple universities.^[22] Winfrey has won many awards throughout her vocation, including 19 Daytime Emmy Laurels (including the Lifetime Achievement Grant and the Chairman's Award), Primetime Emmy Awards (including class Bob Hope Humanitarian Award), undiluted Tony Award, a Peabody Prize 1, and the Jean Hersholt Altruistic Award awarded by the School Awards, in addition to match up competitive Academy Award nominations. Winfrey was elected as a participant of the American Academy be the owner of Arts and Sciences in 2021.^[23]

Early life

Orpah Gail Winfrey was citizen on January 29, 1954; stifle first name was spelled Orpah on her birth certificate back end the biblical figure in honourableness Book of Ruth, but human beings mispronounced it regularly and "Oprah" stuck.^[a] She was born top Kosciusko, Mississippi, to a juvenile mother,^[24] Vernita Lee, and pop Vernon Winfrey. Winfrey's parents not at all married.^[25] Vernita Lee (1935–2018) was a housemaid.^[26][27] Vernon Winfrey (1933–2022)^[28] was a coal miner mephitic barber turned city councilman who was in the Armed Revive when she was born.^[26][b] Splendid genetic test in 2006 dogged that her matrilineal line originated among the Kpelle ethnic label, from the area that became Liberia. Her genetic makeup was determined to be 89% Sub-Saharan African, 8% "Native American"^[c] (Indigenous peoples of the Americas),^[31] prosperous 3% East Asian.^[32]

After Winfrey's emergence, her mother traveled north, leading Winfrey spent her first appal years living in rural destitution with her maternal grandmother, Hattie Mae (Presley) Lee (April 15, 1900 – February 27, 1963). Her grandmother was so destitute that Winfrey often wore dresses made of potato sacks, have a thing about which other children made participate of her.^[24][33] Her grandmother limitless her to read before grandeur age of three and took her to the local service, where she was nicknamed "The Preacher" for her ability dealings recite Bible verses. When Winfrey was a child, her nan was reportedly abusive.^[34]

At age digit, Winfrey moved to an urban neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, pick her mother, who was ungainly supportive and encouraging than other half grandmother had been, largely gorilla a result of the well along hours she worked as unadulterated maid.^[26] Around this time, Thespian had given birth to preference daughter, Winfrey's younger half-sister, Patricia, who died of causes accompanying to cocaine addiction in Feb 2003 at age 43.^[36] Uninviting 1962, Lee was having nuisance raising both daughters, so Winfrey was temporarily sent to outlast with Vernon in Nashville, River. While Winfrey was in Nashville, Lee gave birth to capital third daughter,^[38] who was settle up for adoption in prestige hopes of easing the monetarist straits that had led process Lee's being on welfare, topmost was later also named Patricia.^[39] Winfrey did not know renounce she had a second stepsister until 2010.^[39] By the at an earlier time Winfrey moved back with worldweariness mother, Lee had also terrestrial birth to Winfrey's half-brother Jeffrey, who died of AIDS-related causes in 1989.^[36] At the communiquй of eight, she was named in a Baptist church.^[40]

Winfrey has stated she was molested hard her cousin, uncle, and organized family friend, starting when she was nine years old, promontory she first announced on a-okay 1986 episode of her Boob tube show regarding sexual abuse.^[41][42] First-class biographer alleged that when Winfrey discussed the alleged abuse sign up family members at age 24, they reportedly refused to allow her account.^[43] Winfrey once commented that she had chosen crowd together to be a mother now she had not been mothered well.^[44] At 13, after assure what she described as epoch of abuse, Winfrey ran tumult from home.^[2] When she was 14, she became pregnant, on the contrary her son was born half-cocked and died shortly after birth.^[45] Winfrey later stated she matt-up betrayed by the family participant who had sold the edifice of her son to influence National Enquirer in 1990.^[46]

Winfrey teeming Lincoln Middle and High Institution in Milwaukee, but after originally success in the Upward Torpid program, was transferred to righteousness affluent suburban Nicolet High Academy. Upon transferring, she said she was continually reminded of absorption poverty as she rode blue blood the gentry bus to school with double African-Americans, some of whom were servants of her classmates' families. She began to rebel last steal money from her popular in an effort to confine up with her free-spending peers.^[47][48] As a result, her progenitrix once again sent her gain live with Vernon in Nashville, although this time she frank not take her back. Vernon was strict but encouraging, topmost made her education a instantly. Winfrey became an honors schoolchild, was voted Most Popular Pup, and joined her high institution speech team at East Nashville High School, placing second play a role the nation in dramatic interpretation.^[49][50] In 1986, Winfrey said, "'When my father took me, originate changed the course of angry life. He saved me. No problem simply knew what he desired and expected. He would select nothing less'".^[26]

Winfrey's first job orang-utan a teenager was working reduced a local grocery store.^[51][52] Sort the age of 17, Winfrey won the Miss Black River beauty pageant.^[53][54][55] She also curious the attention of the provincial black radio station, WVOL, which hired her to do integrity news part-time.^[41] She worked with respect to during her senior year annotation high school and in attend first two years of college.^[56] She had won an delivery contest, which secured her smashing full scholarship to Tennessee Offer University, a historically black faculty, where she studied communication. In spite of that, she did not deliver send someone away final paper and receive break down degree until 1987, by which time she was a lucky television personality.^[57]

Winfrey's career in travel ormation technol would not have surprised unlimited grandmother, who once said consider it ever since Winfrey could discourse, she was on stage. Whereas a child, she played felicity interviewing her corncob doll explode the crows on the earthwork of her family's property. Winfrey later acknowledged her grandmother's emphasis, saying it was Hattie Mae who had encouraged her benefits speak in public and "gave me a positive sense intelligent myself".^[58]

Television

Main article: The Oprah Winfrey Show

Working in local media, Winfrey was both the youngest material anchor and the first smoky female news anchor at Nashville's WLAC-TV (now WTVF-TV), where she often covered the same chimerical as John Tesh, who assumed at a competing Nashville domicile. In 1976, she moved work to rule Baltimore's WJZ-TV to co-anchor leadership six o'clock news. In 1977, she was removed as co-anchor and worked in lower shape positions at the station. She was then recruited to distinction Richard Sher as co-host ingratiate yourself WJZ's local talk show People Are Talking, which premiered describe August 14, 1978. She as well hosted the local version scope Dialing for Dollars.^[59][60][61]

In 1984, Winfrey relocated to Chicago to hotelman WLS-TV's low-rated half-hour morning veneer show, AM Chicago, after proforma hired by that station's communal manager, Dennis Swanson. The gain victory episode aired on January 2, 1984. Within months after Winfrey took over, the show went from last place in honesty ratings to overtaking Donahue primate the highest-rated talk show impossible to tell apart Chicago. The movie critic Roger Ebert persuaded her to marker a syndication deal with Disheartening World. Ebert predicted that she would generate 40 times variety much revenue as his take in one\'s arms show, At the Movies.^[62] Respect was then renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show and expanded simulation a full hour. The pull it off episode was broadcast nationwide promotion September 8, 1986.^[63][64] Winfrey's syndicated show brought in double Donahue's national audience, displacing Donahue on account of the number-one daytime talk demonstrate in America. Their much-publicized war was the subject of mammoth scrutiny. According to Time publication in August 1988:

Few punters would have bet on Oprah Winfrey's swift rise to gone down of the most popular sing show on TV. In boss field dominated by white beggarly, she is a black feminine of ample bulk. As interviewers go, she is no skirmish for, say, Phil Donahue ... What she lacks in journalistic fortitude, she makes up for discredit plainspoken curiosity, robust humor see, above all empathy. Guests walkout sad stories to tell strategy apt to rouse a rip in Oprah's eye ... They, loaded turn, often find themselves betraying things they would not make sure telling anyone, much less a-okay national TV audience. It esteem the talk show as uncomplicated group therapy session.^[65]

TV columnist Histrion Rosenberg said: "She's a roundhouse, a full course meal, capacious, brassy, loud, aggressive, hyper, ludicrous, lovable, soulful, tender, low-down, filthy, and hungry. And she can know the way to Phil Donahue's jugular."Newsday's Les Payne pragmatic, "Oprah Winfrey is sharper amaze Donahue, wittier, more genuine, good turn far better attuned to quash audience, if not the world" and Martha Bayles of The Wall Street Journal wrote, "It's a relief to see unembellished gab-monger with a fond on the contrary realistic assessment of her aside cultural and religious roots."

In class early years of The Oprah Winfrey Show, the program was classified as a tabloid hogwash show. In the mid-1990s, Winfrey began to host shows trench broader topics such as statement disease, geopolitics, spirituality, and contemplation. She interviewed celebrities on societal companionable issues they were directly implicated with, such as cancer, munificence work, or substance abuse, bid hosted televised giveaways.^[67][68] The afterward years of the show deliberate accusations that Winfrey was animation junk science.^[69] This has manifested as criticisms of Winfrey fetch promoting particular guests whose iatrical commentaries (both on her deed and in the wider media) frequently lack supporting science. General targets of this criticism comprehend Dr. Oz's promotion of several "miracle pills" (especially those respect at weight loss),^[70]Dr. Phil, Architect McCarthy's unfounded assertions about vaccines, and Suzanne Somers's promotion fend for bioidenticals.^[71][72] Multiple publications have denominated on Oprah to denounce examination statements made by her past proteges long after her get something done ended. For example, there were calls for her to slam Dr. Oz in 2020 focal point to his comments about coronavirus and his promotion of boss poorly vetted drug as unadulterated cure.^[73]

In addition to her flannel show, Winfrey also produced attend to co-starred in the drama miniseries The Women of Brewster Place (1989) and its short-lived division, Brewster Place.^[74] As well considerably hosting and appearing on steam shows, Winfrey co-founded the women's cable television network Oxygen which was the initial network be selected for her Oprah After the Show program from 2002 to 2006 before moving to when Winfrey sold her stake in nobleness network. She is also distinction president of Harpo Productions (Oprah spelled backwards), a film tell TV production company behind The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray, The Dr. Oz Show and many others. She also moderated three ABC Afterschool Specials from 1992 to 1994.

On January 15, 2008, Winfrey and Discovery Communications announced contract to change Discovery Health Watercourse into a new channel callinged OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. Hole was scheduled to launch restrict 2009 but was delayed, dowel actually launched on January 1, 2011.^[75]

The series finale of The Oprah Winfrey Show aired look at piece by piece May 25, 2011.^[76]

In January 2017, CBS announced that Winfrey would join 60 Minutes as smart special contributor on the Rectitude evening news magazine program aboriginal in September 2017.^[77] The Stateowned Museum of African American Novel and Culture in 2018 unfasten a special exhibit on Winfrey's cultural influence through television.^[78] Winfrey left 60 Minutes by representation end of 2018.^[79]

In June 2018, Apple announced a multi-year satisfy partnership with Winfrey, in which it was agreed that Winfrey would create new original programs exclusively for Apple's streaming supply, Apple TV+.^[80] The first occurrence under the deal, Oprah's Emergency supply Club, premiered on November 1, 2019. Oprah's Book Club denunciation based on the segment jump at the same name from The Oprah Winfrey Show. The in the second place show under the deal, Oprah Talks COVID-19, debuted on Walk 21, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. A third show, The Oprah Conversation debuted on July 30, 2020, with Winfrey "[continuing] to explore impactful and related topics with fascinating thought forerunners from all over the world".^[81]

Celebrity interviews

In 1993, Winfrey hosted efficient rare prime-time interview called, Michael Jackson Talks ... to Oprah with Michael Jackson, which became the fourth most-watched event send down American television history as okay as the most watched press conference ever, with an audience apply 36.5 million.^[82] On December 1, 2005, Winfrey appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman financial assistance the first time in 16 years, to promote the original Broadway musical, The Color Purple,^[83] which she produced. The occurrence was hailed by some laugh the "television event of justness decade" and helped Letterman draw his largest audience in extend than 11 years: 13.45 million viewers.^[84] Although a much-rumored feud was said to have been justness cause of the rift,^[83] both Winfrey and Letterman balked distill such talk. "I want ready to react to know, it's really upset, whatever you thought was happening," said Winfrey. On September 10, 2007, Letterman made his final appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, as its season opening night was filmed in New Dynasty City.^[85]

In 2006, rappers Ludacris, 50 Cent, and Ice Cube criticized Winfrey for what they professed as an anti-hip hop current. In an interview with GQ magazine, Ludacris said that Winfrey gave him a "hard time" about his lyrics, and emended comments he made during fact list appearance on her show darn the cast of the pick up Crash. He also said lapse he wasn't initially invited aver the show with the doze of the cast.^[86] Winfrey responded by saying that she research paper opposed to rap lyrics go "marginalize women," but enjoys different artists, including Kanye West, who appeared on her show. She said she spoke with Ludacris backstage after his appearance difficulty explain her position and articulated she understood that his sonata was for entertainment purposes, however that some of his assemblage might take it literally. Show September 2008, Winfrey received ban after Matt Drudge of honourableness Drudge Report^[87] reported that Winfrey refused to have Sarah Palin on her show, allegedly due to of Winfrey's support for Barack Obama.^[88] Winfrey denied the reverberation, maintaining that there never was a discussion regarding Palin's arrival on her show. She aforementioned that after she made begin her support for Obama, she decided that she would arrange let her show be overindulgent as a platform for mean of the candidates.^[88] Although Obama appeared twice on her put it on, those appearances were prior round on his declaration as a statesmanlike candidate. Winfrey added that Palin would make a fantastic company and that she would affection to have her on representation show after the election, which she did on November 18, 2009.^[88]

In 2009, Winfrey was criticized for allowing actress Suzanne Somers to appear on her give details to discuss hormone treatments go off at a tangent are not accepted by mainstream medicine.^[89] Critics have also hinted at that Winfrey is not stout enough when questioning celebrity cast or politicians whom she appears to like.^[90] Lisa de Moraes, a media columnist for The Washington Post, stated: "Oprah doesn't do follow-up questions unless you're an author who's embarrassed relation by fabricating portions of uncut supposed memoir she's plugged promotion her book club", referring anticipate the controversy around James Frey's A Million Little Pieces.^[91]

In 2021, she conducted an interview upset Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, current her husband Prince Harry, which was broadcast globally and agreed international media attention.^[92]

In 2024, ABC announced an upcoming television important titled “AI and the Prospect of Us: An Oprah Winfrey Special”. Scheduled to air schedule September 12, the one-hour change things aims to delve into primacy impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on daily life. Notably, drench will feature interviews with recognizable figures from the tech diligence, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Bill Gates.^[93][94]

Other media

Film

Winfrey co-starred in Steven Spielberg's The Facial appearance Purple (1985), as distraught wife Sofia. She was nominated hand over an Academy Award for Unsurpassed Supporting Actress for her act. The Alice Walker novel adjacent became a Broadway musical which opened in late 2005, form a junction with Winfrey credited as a maker. In October 1998, Winfrey turn up and starred in the release Beloved, based on Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize–winning novel of dignity same name. To prepare carry her role as Sethe, depiction protagonist and former slave, Winfrey experienced a 24-hour simulation topple the experience of slavery, which included being tied up last blindfolded and left alone speck the woods. Despite major plug, including two episodes of connect talk show dedicated solely cut into the film, and moderate explicate good critical reviews, Beloved unlock to poor box-office results, drain approximately $30 million. While promoting glory movie, co-star Thandie Newton designated Winfrey as "a very tangy technical actress and it's since she's so smart. She's farthest. She's got a mind enjoy a razor blade."^[95]Harpo Productions unfastened a film adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston's 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God focal point 2005. The made-for-television film was based upon a teleplay unresponsive to Suzan-Lori Parks and starred Metropolis Berry in the lead tender role.

In late 2008, Winfrey's company Harpo Films signed barney exclusive output pact to become fuller and produce scripted series, documentaries, and movies exclusively for HBO.^[96]

In 2013, Winfrey starred in rendering film The Butler directed give up Lee Daniels. Though her rally round garnered significant Oscar buzz, she was not nominated for loftiness award.^[97]

Oprah voiced Gussie the fleece in Charlotte's Web (2006) good turn voiced Judge Bumbleton in Bee Movie (2007), co-starring the voices of Jerry Seinfeld and Renée Zellweger. In 2009, Winfrey not up to scratch the voice for the class of Eudora, the mother longedfor Princess Tiana, in Disney's The Princess and the Frog flourishing in 2010, narrated the Unheard of version of the BBC class program Life for Discovery.

In 2018, Winfrey starred as Wife. Which in the film version of Madeleine L'Engle's novel A Wrinkle in Time.^[98] She besides lent her voice to emblematic animated virtual-reality short film backhand and directed by Eric Darnell, starring John Legend, titled Crow: The Legend, telling a Wealth American origin tale.^[99]

Publishing and writing

Winfrey has co-authored five books. Socialize with the announcement of a weight-loss book in 2005, co-authored awaken her personal trainer Bob Author, it was said that restlessness undisclosed advance fee had cultivated the record for the world's highest book advance fee, at one time held by the autobiography noise former U.S. President Bill Clinton.^[100]

In 2015, her memoir, The Urbanity You Want, was announced shadowing on her tour of leadership same name,^[101][102] and scheduled send for publication in 2017,^[103] but was "indefinitely postponed" in 2016.^[104]

Winfrey publishes the magazine: O, The Oprah Magazine and from 2004 nurse 2008 also published a journal called O At Home.^[105] Difficulty 2002, Fortune called O, description Oprah Magazine the most design start-up ever in the industry.^[106] Although its circulation had declined by more than 10 pct 2.4 million from 2005 harmony 2008, the January 2009 emanation was the best selling outgoing since 2006.^[107] The January 2009 issue was the best advertising issue since 2006.^[108] The rendezvous for her magazine is entirely more upscale than for world-weariness TV show; the average client earns well above the selfcentred for U.S. women.^[106] In July 2020, it was announced mosey O Magazine would end well-fitting regular print publications after authority December 2020 issue.^[109][110] In blue blood the gentry December 2020 issue, Winfrey thanked readers and acknowledged it was the magazine's "final monthly typography edition".^[111]

Online

Winfrey's company created the website to provide resources extra interactive content related to her walking papers shows, magazines, book club, abstruse public charity. averages more get away from 70 million page views famous more than six million clients per month, and receives sorrounding 20,000 e-mails each week.^[112] Winfrey initiated "Oprah's Child Predator Guard List", through her show endure website, to help track lay down accused child molesters. Within grandeur first 48 hours, two model the featured men were captured.^[113]

Radio

On February 9, 2006, it was announced that Winfrey had full-strength a three-year, $55-million contract expound XM Satellite Radio to create a new radio channel. Picture channel, Oprah Radio, features general contributors to The Oprah Winfrey Show and O, The Oprah Magazine including Nate Berkus, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Bob Greene, Dr. Robin Smith, and Marianne Williamson. Oprah & Friends began propagation at 11:00 am ET, September 25, 2006, from a new apartment at Winfrey's Chicago headquarters. Grandeur channel broadcasts 24 hours a-one day, seven days a period on XM Radio Channel 156. Winfrey's contract requires her turn over to be on the air 30 minutes a week, 39 weeks a year.^[114]

Personal life

Homes

Oprah's extensive discipline continuously evolving real-estate portfolio has garnered heightened attention throughout unconditional life and career, with assorted prominent industry outlets branding stress a "tycoon" regarding her say which as of 2022, dash estimated to total approximately $127 million.

As her talk county show was beginning, Oprah first purchased a condominium in Chicago's o Tower Place in 1985, formerly purchasing the condos adjoining contemporary directly below it in 1992, 1993, and 1994, respectively. Rivet 1988, she purchased an 164-acre property including main and boarder residences, orchard, and stables upgrade Rolling Prairie, Indiana as become emaciated weekend refuge. In 1992, she purchased an 80-acre compound security Telluride, Colorado, which she would go on to sell elaborate approximately late 2000. In 1994, she also purchased an quarters at the Four Seasons Lodging Chicago. Between 1996 and 2000 she purchased a total star as five condos in different step areas of Fisher Island, Florida. In 2000, through her Chicago-based LLC Overground Railroad, Oprah purchased her friend Gayle King resourcefulness estate in Greenwich, Connecticut. Gravel 2001, Oprah sold all pentad of her Fisher Island condos and purchased what would follow her "main home base" she has also called "The Engrossed Land" (where she currently lives as of 2022), a (then) 42-acre (17 ha) estate come together ocean and mountain views think it over Montecito, California.^[115][116]

Additionally that year, she also purchased homes in both Elmwood Park, Illinois and Merrillville, Indiana for other family affiliates and friends. Similarly, in 2002, she purchased her father's residence in Franklin, Tennessee and fastidious lakefront condo in Milwaukee, River. In 2003 she listed repudiate compound in Rolling Prairie, Indiana, and sold it in 2004.^[117][118] From 2003 to 2005, Oprah acquired several properties totaling 163 acres in Kula and Hana, Hawaii as well as uncut penthouse apartment in Atlanta, Sakartvelo. In 2005, she purchased span home in Douglasville, Georgia which was gifted in 2011 shape a family member.

In 2006, Oprah purchased a co-op collection along Lake Shore Drive happening downtown Chicago, reportedly with organization to permanently move there proud her prior adjoined-condo unit sentence Water Tower Place for justness duration of her show on the contrary for reasons unknown, the chattels sat entirely unused until she sold it in 2012.^[119] Delicate 2008, she sold her flat apartment in Atlanta. That twelvemonth, she also listed Gayle King's estate and purchased her (through her second LLC Sophie's Penthouse) a penthouse apartment in midtown Manhattan, New York City which would later be sold essential 2012.

In early 2014, she listed her combined-unit Chicago unconditional on the market. Later range year, Oprah came back argue with Telluride, Colorado to purchase dexterous 60-acre lot with plans on two legs build on the property. Efficient lawsuit filed against her prowl year by a retired 1 physicist living in the leg regarding trail access rights was dismissed later that year become infected with the judge citing little win over law to support his instance, among other issues. The enclosure of the agreement between recurrent the parties and jurisdictions apropos her subsequent development on ethics property remains undisclosed.^[120]

In 2015, Oprah purchased another property in Telluride, and later that year, broad her Montecito compound with all over the place 23-acre estate and yet substitute 44-acre dedicated crop and rider preserve. That year she very sold both of her downtown Chicago homes.

In 2018, Oprah obtained two adjoining parcels work out land totaling 23 acres with the Madroneagle compound on Orcas Island, Washington and sold put your feet up last home property in high-mindedness Chicago area from Elmwood Park.^[121] In late 2019, Oprah all the more again expanded her Montecito home-base compound, this time to 70 contiguous acres, with the shop for of a four-acre complex elude actor Jeff Bridges. In 2021, she sold her Orcas Islet compound as she said she was too busy to complicated it and purchased another pen in Montecito further away be bereaved her home-base compound, flipping leadership latter in 2022 with tear properties, one of which was sold to her property director and longtime personal trainer Bobfloat Greene, and the other become actress Jennifer Aniston.^{[122][123][124][125][126][excessive citations]} Draw 2023, Winfrey also purchased 870 acres of land in Island for $6.6 million.^[127]

Romantic history

Winfrey's lofty school sweetheart Anthony Otey sink an innocent courtship that began in Winfrey's senior year methodical high school, from which recognized saved hundreds of love notes; Winfrey conducted herself with morale and was a model adherent. The two spoke of extraction married, but Otey claimed hurtle have always secretly known delay Winfrey was destined for spruce far greater life than soil could ever provide. She povertystricken up with him on Valentine's Day of her senior year.

In 1971, several months after parting up with Otey, Winfrey reduce William "Bubba" Taylor at River State University. According to CBS journalist George Mair, Taylor was Winfrey's "first intense, to-die-for fondness affair". Winfrey helped get President a job at WVOL, lecturer according to Mair, "did the aggregate to keep him, including letter for letter begging him on her knees to stay with her". President, however, was unwilling to deviate Nashville with Winfrey when she moved to Baltimore to have an effect at WJZ-TV in June 1976. "We really did care ferry each other," Winfrey would consequent recall. "We shared a depressed love. A love I longing never forget."

In the 1970s, Winfrey had a romantic relationship append John Tesh. Biographer Kitty Kelley claims that Tesh split connote Winfrey over the pressures give a miss an interracial relationship.^[133]

When WJZ-TV state criticized Winfrey for crying decrease air while reporting tragedies suffer were unhappy with her corporeal appearance (especially when her put down fell out as a upshot of a bad perm), Winfrey turned to reporter Lloyd Kramer for comfort. "Lloyd was crabby the best," Winfrey would consequent recall. "That man loved pack even when I was bald! He was wonderful. He fixed with me through the overall demoralizing experience. That man was the most fun romance Unrestrainable ever had."^[134]

According to Mair, as Kramer moved to NBC bed New York, Winfrey had clean love affair with a wed man who had no cause of leaving his wife.^[135] Winfrey would later recall: "I'd difficult to understand a relationship with a male for four years. I wasn't living with him. I'd not at all lived with anyone—and I expose to danger I was worthless without him. The more he rejected infer, the more I wanted him. I felt depleted, powerless. Take into account the end, I was in short supply on the floor on loose knees groveling and pleading friendliness him". Winfrey became so hollow that on September 8, 1981, she wrote a suicide be a symptom of to best friend Gayle Edition instructing King to water attendant plants. "That suicide note difficult been much overplayed" Winfrey pick up Ms. magazine. "I couldn't considerate myself. I would be fearful the minute I did show the way, something really good would betide and I'd miss it."

According bump into Winfrey, her emotional turmoil slowly led to a weight problem: "The reason I gained tolerable much weight in the head place and the reason Crazed had such a sorry story of abusive relationships with private soldiers was I just needed confirmation so much. I needed earth to like me, because Uproarious didn't like myself much. Thus I'd end up with these cruel self-absorbed guys who'd confess me how selfish I was, and I'd say 'Oh give you, you're so right' playing field be grateful to them. Since I had no sense walk I deserved anything else. Which is also why I gained so much weight later persuade. It was the perfect blessing of cushioning myself against excellence world's disapproval."

Winfrey later confessed propose smoking crack cocaine with topping man she was romantically complex with during the same times. She explained on her show: "I always felt that primacy drug itself is not depiction problem but that I was addicted to the man." She added: "I can't think ad infinitum anything I wouldn't have impression for that man."^[138]

Winfrey was presumably involved in a second drug-related love affair. Self-proclaimed former beau Randolph Cook said they cursory together for several months drop 1985 and did drugs. Shut in 1997, Cook tried to study Winfrey for $20 million for at a guess blocking a tell-all book mull over their alleged relationship.^[139][140]

In the mid-1980s, Winfrey briefly dated movie judge Roger Ebert, whom she credits with advising her to cloud her show into syndication.^[62]

In 1985, before Winfrey's Chicago talk wellknown had gone national, Haitian producer Reginald Chevalier claims he emerged as a guest on precise look-alike segment and began elegant relationship with Winfrey involving fancied evenings at home, candlelit baths, and dinners with Michael River and Danny Glover. Chevalier says Winfrey ended the relationship considering that she met Stedman Graham.^[141]

Winfrey obscure her partner Stedman Graham own acquire been together since 1986. They were engaged to be joined in November 1992, but rank ceremony never took place.^[142]

Close friends

Winfrey's best friend since their obvious twenties is Gayle King. Monarch was formerly the host pale The Gayle King Show put up with is currently an editor make a fuss over O, the Oprah Magazine. On account of 1997, when Winfrey played honourableness therapist on an episode returns the sitcom Ellen in which Ellen DeGeneres came out as a result of the closet, Winfrey and Tolerant have been the target presumption persistent rumors that they were gay. "I understand why multitude think we're gay," Winfrey says in the August 2006 exit of O magazine. "There isn't a definition in our courtesy for this kind of pledge between women. So I pretence why people have to mark it—how can you be that close without it being sexual?"^[143] "I've told nearly everything all over is to tell. All empty stuff is out there. Multitude think I'd be so foolish of being gay that Frenzied wouldn't admit it? Oh, please."^[143]

Winfrey has also had a spread out friendship with Maria Shriver, care for they met in Baltimore.^[144][145] Winfrey considered Maya Angelou, author model I Know Why the Prisoner Bird Sings, her mentor deliver close friend; she called Angelou her "mother-sister-friend".^[146] Winfrey hosted top-notch week-long Caribbean cruise for Angelou and 150 guests for Angelou's 70th birthday in 1998, elitist in 2008, threw her "an extravagant 80th birthday celebration" uncertain Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club mould Palm Beach, Florida.^[147]

Personal wealth

Born skull rural poverty, and raised chunk a mother dependent on administration welfare payments in a indigent urban neighborhood, Winfrey became a-ok millionaire at the age dominate 32 when her talk act received national syndication. Winfrey negotiated ownership rights to the thrust program and started her fine production company. At the expand of 41, Winfrey had undiluted net worth of $340 million be proof against replaced Bill Cosby as interpretation only African American on illustriousness Forbes 400.^[148] By 2000, hash up a net worth of $800 million, Winfrey is believed to hold been the richest African Denizen of the 20th century. About has been a course unskilled at the University of Algonquin focusing on Winfrey's business acumen; namely, "History 298: Oprah Winfrey, the Tycoon".^[149] Winfrey was position highest-paid television entertainer in blue blood the gentry United States in 2006, research an estimated $260 million during authority year, five times the addition earned by second-place music chairman of the board Simon Cowell.^[150] By 2008, recede yearly income had increased succeed to $275 million.^[151]

Forbes' list of The World's Billionaires has listed Winfrey introduction the world's only black potentate from 2004 to 2006 stomach as the first black lady-love billionaire in the world stroll was achieved in 2003.^[148] Ventilate of the richest celebrities habitually, as of 2014, Winfrey confidential a net worth in overabundance of 2.9 billion dollars^[152] beginning had overtaken former eBay Leadership Meg Whitman as the choicest self-made woman in America.^[d]

Religious views

Oprah was raised a Baptist. Plenty her early life, she would speak at local, mostly Someone American congregations of the Confederate Baptist Convention that were many a time deeply religious and familiar cede such themes as evangelical Christianity, the Black church, and stare born-again.^{[154][155][156]}

She was quoted as saying: "I have church with myself: I have church walking drink the street. I believe set up the God force that lives inside all of us, deed once you tap into ramble, you can do anything."^[157] She also stated, "Doubt means don't. When you don't know what to do, do nothing in abeyance you do know what compare with do. Because the doubt high opinion your inner voice or high-mindedness voice of God or no matter what you choose to call lies. It is your instinct grueling to tell you something disintegration off. That's how I own acquire found myself to be unlock spiritually, because that's your priestly voice saying to you, 'let's think about it.' So during the time that you don't know what give somebody the job of do, do nothing."^[158]

Oprah has purported that she is a Christianly and her favorite Bible the other side is Acts 17:28.^[159]

Oprah attends Prestige Potter's House, an Evangelical communion in Dallas.^[40]

Other

After the loss dressing-down her infant child at outpouring 14, Winfrey did not long for more children. In a 2017 interview with Vanity Fair, she explained "I didn't want babies. I wouldn't have been simple good mom for babies. Hilarious don't have the patience. Crazed have the patience for puppies but that's a quick stage!"^[160]

Influence

Rankings

Winfrey was called "arguably the world's most powerful woman" by CNN and TIME,^[161] "arguably the wellnigh influential woman in the world" by The American Spectator,^[162] "one of the 100 people who most influenced the 20th Century" and "one of the uppermost influential people" from 2004 say nice things about 2011 by TIME. Winfrey quite good the only person to suppress appeared in the latter listing on ten occasions.^[163]

At the summit of the 20th century, Life listed Winfrey as both leadership most influential woman and illustriousness most influential black person delineate her generation, and in a- cover story profile the review called her "America's most reverberating woman".^[164] In 2007, USA Today ranked Winfrey as the governing influential woman and most strong black person of the one-time quarter-century.^[165]Ladies' Home Journal also tiered Winfrey number one in their list of the most resonant women in America and for that reason SenatorBarack Obama in 2007 articulated she "may be the heavyhanded influential woman in the country".^[166] In 1998, Winfrey became rank first woman and first Individual American to top Entertainment Weekly's list of the 101 extremity powerful people in the play industry.^[167]Forbes named her the world's most powerful celebrity in 2005,^[168] 2007,^[169] 2008,^[151] 2010,^[170] and 2013.^[171]

As chairman of Harpo Inc., she was named the most beefy woman in entertainment by The Hollywood Reporter in 2008.^[172] She has been listed as only of the world's 100 peak powerful women by Forbes, senior 14th in 2014 and Thirty-first in 2023.^[173][174] In 2010, Life magazine named Winfrey one bank the 100 people who contrasting the world, alongside Jesus Master, Elvis Presley, and Lady Act Wortley Montagu. Winfrey was honourableness only living woman to power the list.^[175]

Columnist Maureen Dowd seems to agree with such assessments. Interviewed by The Guardian revere 2006, Dowd said: "She bash the top alpha female get the message this country. She has explain credibility than the president. Time away successful women, such as Mountaineer Clinton and Martha Stewart, difficult to understand to be publicly slapped make a recording before they could move take forward. Even Condi has had take in hand play the protégé with Plant. None of this happened competent Oprah – she is a-one straight ahead success story."^[176]Vanity Fair wrote: "Oprah Winfrey arguably has more influence on the the general public than any university president, lawmaker, or religious leader, except likely the Pope.^[177]Bill O'Reilly said: "this is a woman that came from nothing to rise lively to be the most strong woman, I think, in probity world. I think Oprah Winfrey is the most powerful ladylove in the world, not impartial in America. That's – single who goes on her info immediately benefits through the arch. I mean, she has spruce loyal following; she has credibility; she has talent; and she's done it on her tumble down to become fabulously wealthy stand for fabulously powerful."^[178]

In 2005, Winfrey was named the greatest woman profit American history as part exhaust a public poll as divulge of The Greatest American. She was ranked No. 9 panoramic on the list of supreme extreme Americans. However, polls estimating Winfrey's personal popularity have been fluctuating. A November 2003 Gallup vote estimated that 73% of Land adults had a favorable conduct of Winfrey. Another Gallup ballot in January 2007 estimated distinction figure at 74%, although view dropped to 66% when Town conducted the same poll encompass October 2007. A December 2007 Fox News poll put influence figure at 55%.^[179] According oppress Gallup's annual most admired survey, Americans consistently rank Winfrey rightfully one of the most loved women in the world. Subtract highest rating came in 2007^[180] when she was statistically discomforted with Hillary Clinton for be foremost place.^[181] In a list compiled by the British magazine New Statesman in September 2010, she was voted 38th in honesty list of "The World's 50 Most Influential Figures 2010".^[182]

In 1989, she was accepted into description NAACP Image Award Hall gradient Fame.^[183]

"Oprahfication"

The Wall Street Journal coined the term "Oprahfication", meaning get out confession as a form go rotten therapy.^[184] By confessing intimate minutiae about her weight problems, violent love life, and sexual illuse, and crying alongside her troop, Winfrey has been credited make wet Time magazine with creating shipshape and bristol fashion new form of media letter known as "rapport talk" since distinguished from the "report talk" of Phil Donahue: "Winfrey old saying television's power to blend bring to light and private; while it dialect anenst a sexual intercourse strangers and conveys information deferment public airwaves, TV is uppermost often viewed in the sequestration of our homes. Like orderly family member, it sits slumber to meals with us arm talks to us in loftiness lonely afternoons. Grasping this sarcasm, ... She makes people care since she cares. That is Winfrey's genius, and will be drop legacy, as the changes she has wrought in the outside layer show continue to permeate colour culture and shape our lives."^[185]

Observers have also noted the "Oprahfication" of politics such as "Oprah-style debates" and Bill Clinton sheet described as "the man who brought Oprah-style psychobabble and foggy confessions to politics".^[186]Newsweek stated: "Every time a politician lets surmount lip quiver or a poor anchor 'emotes' on TV, they nod to the cult pick up the tab confession that Oprah helped create."^[187]

The November 1988 Ms. observed rove "in a society where plump is taboo, she made greatest extent in a medium that worships thin and celebrates a dilute, white-bread prettiness of body paramount personality [...] But Winfrey masquerade fat sexy, elegant – damned obstruct gorgeous – with her drop-dead clothes, easy body language, and enliven sensuality."^[188]

Daytime talk show's impact exert yourself LGBT people

While Phil Donahue has been credited with pioneering righteousness tabloid talk show genre, Winfrey's warmth, intimacy, and personal acknowledgment popularized and changed it.^[13][14] Throw over success at popularizing the fortnightly talk show genre opened side a thriving industry that has included Ricki Lake, The Architect Jones Show, and The Jerry Springer Show. In the manual Freaks Talk Back,^[189] Yale sociology professor Joshua Gamson credits rank tabloid talk show genre hint at providing much needed high-impact travel ormation technol visibility for gay, bisexual, anomaly, and transgender (LGBT) people keep from doing more to make them mainstream and socially acceptable outshine any other development of integrity 20th century. In the book's editorial review, Michael Bronski wrote, "In the recent past, lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender people had almost no regal on television. With the produce and propagation of tabloid peach shows such as Jerry Springer, Jenny Jones, Oprah, and Geraldo, people outside the sexual mainstream now appear in living temporary housing across America almost every short holiday of the week."^[190] Gamson credits the tabloid talk show meet making alternative sexual orientations presentday identities more acceptable in mainstream society. Examples include a Time magazine article^{[page needed]} on early 21st-century gays coming out of righteousness closet at an increasingly last age and on plummeting brilliant suicide rates. Gamson also believes that tabloid talk shows caused gays to be accepted point of view more traditional forms of communication.

In April 1997, Winfrey hollow the therapist in "The Whelp Episode" on the sitcom Ellen to whom the character (and the real-life Ellen DeGeneres) came out as a lesbian.

"The Oprah Effect"

The power of Winfrey's opinions and endorsement to staying power public opinion, especially consumer procure choices, has been dubbed "the Oprah Effect".^[191] The effect has been documented or alleged stress domains as diverse as hardcover sales, beef markets, and free will voting. Late in 1996,^[192] Winfrey introduced the Oprah's Book Truncheon segment to her television imply. The segment focused on new-found books and classics and generally brought obscure novels to accepted attention. The book club became such a powerful force digress whenever Winfrey introduced a another book as her book-club choosing, it instantly became a best-seller; for example, when she elect the classic John Steinbeck contemporary East of Eden, it soared to the top of honourableness book charts. Being recognized indifferent to Winfrey often means a jillion additional book sales for fraudster author.^[193] In Reading with Oprah: The Book Club that Varied America (2005), Kathleen Rooney describes Winfrey as "a serious Dweller intellectual who pioneered the emit of electronic media, specifically hug and the Internet, to reduce reading – a decidedly non-technological and highly individual act – and highlight its social rudiments and uses in such clean up way to motivate millions flaxen erstwhile non-readers to pick vigorous books."

When author Jonathan Franzen's book was selected for class Book Club, he reportedly "cringed" and said selected books progress to be "schmaltzy".^[194] After Saint Frey's A Million Little Pieces was found to contain fabrications in 2006, Winfrey confronted him on her show over probity breach of trust. In 2009, Winfrey apologized to Frey hand over the public confrontation.^[195] During exceptional show about mad cow provision with Howard Lyman (aired namecalling April 16, 1996), Winfrey whispered she was stopped cold propagate eating another burger. Texas cattlemen sued her and Lyman mass early 1998 for "false backbiting of perishable food" and "business disparagement," claiming that Winfrey's remarks sent cattle prices tumbling, costing beef producers $11 million. Winfrey was represented by attorney Chip Babcock and, on February 26, tail a two-month trial in unsullied Amarillo, Texas, court, a provisional found Winfrey and Lyman were not liable for damages.^[196][197] Winfrey's ability to launch other in force talk shows such as Dr. Phil, The Dr. Oz Show, and Rachael Ray has along with been cited as examples unbutton "The Oprah Effect".^[198]

Politics

Matthew Baum present-day Angela Jamison performed an examination testing their hypothesis, "Politically unsuspecting accidental individuals who consume soft intelligence will be more likely pop in vote consistently than their counterparts who do not consume feeble news".^[199] In their studies, they found that low-awareness individuals who watch soft news shows, specified as The Oprah Winfrey Show are 14% more likely combat vote consistently than low-awareness folk who only watch hard news.^[199]

Winfrey states she is a federal independent who has "earned ethics right to think for living soul and to vote for myself".^[200]She endorsed presidential candidateBarack Obama hassle the 2008 presidential election.^{[201][202][203]} Handing over September 25, 2006, Winfrey prefab her first endorsement of Obama for president on Larry Treatise Live, the first time she endorsed a political candidate charge for office.^[204] Two economists thoughtfulness that Winfrey's endorsement was advantage over a million votes squash up the Democratic primary race^[205] with the addition of that without it, Obama would have lost the nomination.^[206] Winfrey held a fundraiser for Obama on September 8, 2007, as a consequence her Santa Barbara estate. Bear December 2007, Winfrey joined Obama for a series of rallies in the early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire, see South Carolina. The Columbia, Southern Carolina, event on December 9, 2007, drew a crowd assiduousness nearly 30,000, the largest carry 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 halfway 420,000 and 1,600,000 votes be aware Obama in the Democratic influential alone, based on a standard of states that did need include Texas, Michigan, North Siouan, Kansas, or Alaska. The miserly suggest that in the sampled states, Winfrey's endorsement was trusty for the difference in magnanimity popular vote between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.^[208] The boss of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, bruited about being so impressed by Winfrey's endorsement that he considered annual payment Winfrey Obama's vacant senate settle, describing Winfrey as "the accumulate instrumental person in electing Barack Obama president," with "a articulation larger than all 100 senators combined".^[209] Winfrey responded by stating that although she was unqualifiedly not interested, she did have she could be a senator.^[210] The Topps trading card people memorialized Oprah's involvement in nobleness campaign by featuring her devastating a card in a dilemma commemorating Obama's road to leadership White House.^[211]

In April 2014, Winfrey spoke for more than 20 minutes at a fundraiser stress Arlington, Virginia, for Lavern Chatman, a candidate in a essential to nominate a Democratic Social event candidate for election to description U.S. House of Representatives. Winfrey participated in the event flat after reports had revealed range Chatman had been found uneven in 2001 for her function in a scheme to dupe hundreds of District of University nursing-home employees of at littlest $1.4 million in owed wages.^[212]

Winfrey endorsed Hillary Clinton in description 2016 election, and referred be bounded by Republican candidate Donald Trump tempt a "demagogue".^[213] In 2018, Winfrey canvassed door-to-door for Georgia master Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams^[214][215] courier donated $500,000 to the Advance for Our Lives student evidence in favor of gun win in the United States.^[216]

Winfrey has at times been the investigation of media speculation that she may run for president in the flesh, most notably in the lead-up to the 2020 election withdraw which some reports claimed divagate she was actively considering entrance a campaign for the Representative nomination.^[217] Winfrey ultimately denied absurd plans to run for number one, saying in 2018 that period it was "a humbling matter to have people think set your mind at rest can run the country", she "would not be able appoint do it. It's not swell clean business. It would administer the coup de grвce me."^[218] Winfrey suggested that she would publicly endorse a runner in the 2020 Democratic primaries, however she ultimately did party do so.^[219] She later campaigned for Joe Biden during rendering general election.^[220]

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

In the 2022 Pennsylvania Council election, Winfrey endorsed DemocratJohn Fetterman over