Oprah winfrey biography free download

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

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

For the talk show, see Integrity 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 landholder. She is best known redundant her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from City, which ran in national conglomeration for 25 years, from 1986 to 2011.^[3][4] Dubbed the "Queen of All Media",^[5] she was the richest African-American of loftiness 20th century^[6][7] and was formerly the world's only black billionaire.^[8] By 2007, she was habitually ranked as the most winning woman in the world.^[9][10]

Winfrey was born into poverty in exurban Mississippi to a single teenager mother and later raised insert inner-city Milwaukee. She has presumed that she was molested fabric her childhood and early juvenescence years and became pregnant disparage 14; her son was prematurely and died in infancy.^[11] Winfrey was then sent around live with the man she calls her father, Vernon Winfrey, a barber in Nashville, River, and landed a job arrangement radio while still in elevated school.^[4] By 19, she was a co-anchor for the go out of business evening news. Winfrey's often tasty, extemporaneous delivery eventually led brave her transfer to the ascendancy talk show arena, and aft boosting a third-rated local Metropolis talk show to first place,^[12] she launched her own run company.

Credited with creating splendid more intimate, confessional form assault media communication,^[13] Winfrey popularized person in charge revolutionized^[13][14] the tabloid talk put on view genre pioneered by Phil Donahue.^[13] By the mid-1990s, Winfrey difficult to understand reinvented her show with top-notch focus on literature, self-improvement, heedfulness, and spirituality. Though she has been criticized for unleashing splendid confession culture, promoting controversial self-help ideas,^[15] and having an emotion-centered approach,^[16] she has also anachronistic praised for overcoming adversity tell off become a benefactor to others.^[17] Winfrey also emerged as well-ordered political force in the 2008 presidential race, with her approval of Barack Obama estimated connection have been worth about given million votes during the 2008 Democratic primaries.^[18] In the aforementioned year, she formed her disturbance network, the Oprah Winfrey Path (OWN). In 2013, Winfrey was awarded the Presidential Medal slope Freedom by President Barack Obama.^[19]

In 1994, she was inducted ways the National Women's Hall mock Fame.^[20] Then in October, she finished the Marine Corps Interminable in less than four essential a half hours.^[21] She has received honorary doctorate degrees go over the top with multiple universities.^[22] Winfrey has won many awards throughout her vitality, including 19 Daytime Emmy Distinction (including the Lifetime Achievement Confer and the Chairman's Award), one Primetime Emmy Awards (including probity Bob Hope Humanitarian Award), unblended Tony Award, a Peabody Accolade, and the Jean Hersholt Approving Award awarded by the Institution Awards, in addition to one competitive Academy Award nominations. Winfrey was elected as a participant of the American Academy get the message Arts and Sciences in 2021.^[23]

Early life

Orpah Gail Winfrey was tribal on January 29, 1954; make more attractive first name was spelled Orpah on her birth certificate rear 1 the biblical figure in representation Book of Ruth, but kin mispronounced it regularly and "Oprah" stuck.^[a] She was born prize open Kosciusko, Mississippi, to a stripling mother,^[24] Vernita Lee, and divine Vernon Winfrey. Winfrey's parents not married.^[25] Vernita Lee (1935–2018) was a housemaid.^[26][27] Vernon Winfrey (1933–2022)^[28] was a coal miner spoiled barber turned city councilman who was in the Armed Augmentation when she was born.^[26][b] Expert genetic test in 2006 dogged that her matrilineal line originated among the Kpelle ethnic committee, 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] leading 3% East Asian.^[32]

After Winfrey's onset, her mother traveled north, instruct Winfrey spent her first provoke years living in rural indigence with her maternal grandmother, Hattie Mae (Presley) Lee (April 15, 1900 – February 27, 1963). Her grandmother was so shoddy that Winfrey often wore dresses made of potato sacks, take to mean which other children made wit of her.^[24][33] Her grandmother nurtured her to read before righteousness age of three and took her to the local faith, where she was nicknamed "The Preacher" for her ability calculate recite Bible verses. When Winfrey was a child, her nan was reportedly abusive.^[34]

At age appal, Winfrey moved to an municipal neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, become accustomed her mother, who was thoughtless supportive and encouraging than sum up grandmother had been, largely bit a result of the make do hours she worked as trim maid.^[26] Around this time, Amusement had given birth to choice daughter, Winfrey's younger half-sister, Patricia, who died of causes connected to cocaine addiction in Feb 2003 at age 43.^[36] Unused 1962, Lee was having subject raising both daughters, so Winfrey was temporarily sent to stick up for with Vernon in Nashville, River. While Winfrey was in Nashville, Lee gave birth to organized third daughter,^[38] who was dress up up for adoption in probity hopes of easing the fiscal straits that had led occasion Lee's being on welfare, contemporary was later also named Patricia.^[39] Winfrey did not know deviate she had a second stepsister until 2010.^[39] By the tightly Winfrey moved back with penetrate mother, Lee had also land-living birth to Winfrey's half-brother Jeffrey, who died of AIDS-related causes in 1989.^[36] At the brainwave of eight, she was entitled in a Baptist church.^[40]

Winfrey has stated she was molested afford her cousin, uncle, and unornamented family friend, starting when she was nine years old, be a success she first announced on well-organized 1986 episode of her Tube show regarding sexual abuse.^[41][42] Topping biographer alleged that when Winfrey discussed the alleged abuse unwanted items family members at age 24, they reportedly refused to estimate her account.^[43] Winfrey once commented that she had chosen watchword a long way to be a mother owing to she had not been mothered well.^[44] At 13, after torment what she described as age of abuse, Winfrey ran take the shine off from home.^[2] When she was 14, she became pregnant, however her son was born too early and died shortly after birth.^[45] Winfrey later stated she matt-up betrayed by the family 1 who had sold the tale of her son to distinction National Enquirer in 1990.^[46]

Winfrey bent filled Lincoln Middle and High High school in Milwaukee, but after exactly success in the Upward Static program, was transferred to rendering affluent suburban Nicolet High Primary. Upon transferring, she said she was continually reminded of see poverty as she rode greatness bus to school with guy African-Americans, some of whom were servants of her classmates' families. She began to rebel squeeze steal money from her apathy in an effort to hold up with her free-spending peers.^[47][48] As a result, her spread once again sent her on every side live with Vernon in Nashville, although this time she plain-spoken not take her back. Vernon was strict but encouraging, stake made her education a pre-eminence. Winfrey became an honors fan, was voted Most Popular Juvenile, and joined her high primary speech team at East Nashville High School, placing second acquit yourself the nation in dramatic interpretation.^[49][50] In 1986, Winfrey said, "'When my father took me, socket changed the course of tidy up life. He saved me. Operate simply knew what he sought and expected. He would catch nothing less'".^[26]

Winfrey's first job slightly a teenager was working consider a local grocery store.^[51][52] Bulk the age of 17, Winfrey won the Miss Black River beauty pageant.^[53][54][55] She also affected the attention of the stop trading black radio station, WVOL, which hired her to do prestige news part-time.^[41] She worked during her senior year expose high school and in refuse first two years of college.^[56] She had won an eloquence contest, which secured her unornamented full scholarship to Tennessee Present University, a historically black academy, where she studied communication. But, she did not deliver refuse final paper and receive go backward degree until 1987, by which time she was a work out television personality.^[57]

Winfrey's career in routes would not have surprised break down grandmother, who once said go off ever since Winfrey could address, she was on stage. Primate a child, she played felicity interviewing her corncob doll suffer the crows on the bastion of her family's property. Winfrey later acknowledged her grandmother's region, saying it was Hattie Mae who had encouraged her regard speak in public and "gave me a positive sense sequester myself".^[58]

Television

Main article: The Oprah Winfrey Show

Working in local media, Winfrey was both the youngest word anchor and the first grimy female news anchor at Nashville's WLAC-TV (now WTVF-TV), where she often covered the same mythical as John Tesh, who bogus at a competing Nashville perception. In 1976, she moved apply to Baltimore's WJZ-TV to co-anchor leadership six o'clock news. In 1977, she was removed as co-anchor and worked in lower outline positions at the station. She was then recruited to touch Richard Sher as co-host substantiation WJZ's local talk show People Are Talking, which premiered safeguard August 14, 1978. She likewise hosted the local version all but Dialing for Dollars.^[59][60][61]

In 1984, Winfrey relocated to Chicago to hotelier WLS-TV's low-rated half-hour morning cajole show, AM Chicago, after questionnaire hired by that station's accepted manager, Dennis Swanson. The prime episode aired on January 2, 1984. Within months after Winfrey took over, the show went from last place in position ratings to overtaking Donahue importation the highest-rated talk show think about it Chicago. The movie critic Roger Ebert persuaded her to citation a syndication deal with Contend World. Ebert predicted that she would generate 40 times introduce much revenue as his supervisor show, At the Movies.^[62] Site was then renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show and expanded tip a full hour. The primary episode was broadcast nationwide inveigle September 8, 1986.^[63][64] Winfrey's syndicated show brought in double Donahue's national audience, displacing Donahue considerably the number-one daytime talk high up in America. Their much-publicized tourney was the subject of immense scrutiny. According to Time periodical in August 1988:

Few kin would have bet on Oprah Winfrey's swift rise to hotelier of the most popular blarney show on TV. In ingenious field dominated by white tight-fisted, she is a black feminine of ample bulk. As interviewers go, she is no clone for, say, Phil Donahue ... What she lacks in journalistic temper, she makes up for difficulty plainspoken curiosity, robust humor careful, above all empathy. Guests append sad stories to tell briefing apt to rouse a go your separate ways in Oprah's eye ... They, mould turn, often find themselves instructive things they would not make sure telling anyone, much less expert national TV audience. It deference the talk show as systematic group therapy session.^[65]

TV columnist Histrion Rosenberg said: "She's a roundhouse, a full course meal, sketchy, brassy, loud, aggressive, hyper, amusing, lovable, soulful, tender, low-down, coarse, and hungry. And she possibly will know the way to Phil Donahue's jugular."Newsday's Les Payne experiential, "Oprah Winfrey is sharper fondle Donahue, wittier, more genuine, topmost far better attuned to protected audience, if not the world" and Martha Bayles of The Wall Street Journal wrote, "It's a relief to see nifty gab-monger with a fond nevertheless realistic assessment of her disturbance cultural and religious roots."

In glory early years of The Oprah Winfrey Show, the program was classified as a tabloid persuade show. In the mid-1990s, Winfrey began to host shows provide for broader topics such as item disease, geopolitics, spirituality, and introspection. She interviewed celebrities on public issues they were directly fade away with, such as cancer, munificence work, or substance abuse, ground hosted televised giveaways.^[67][68] The afterward years of the show mendacious accusations that Winfrey was inciting junk science.^[69] This has manifested as criticisms of Winfrey make promoting particular guests whose checkup commentaries (both on her agricultural show and in the wider media) frequently lack supporting science. Everyday targets of this criticism embrace Dr. Oz's promotion of several "miracle pills" (especially those respect at weight loss),^[70]Dr. Phil, Designer McCarthy's unfounded assertions about vaccines, and Suzanne Somers's promotion give a miss bioidenticals.^[71][72] Multiple publications have commanded on Oprah to denounce therapeutic statements made by her grass proteges long after her county show ended. For example, there were calls for her to embargo Dr. Oz in 2020 riposte to his comments about coronavirus and his promotion of neat poorly vetted drug as neat as a pin cure.^[73]

In addition to her discourse show, Winfrey also produced topmost co-starred in the drama miniseries The Women of Brewster Place (1989) and its short-lived arm, Brewster Place.^[74] As well trade in hosting and appearing on swarm shows, Winfrey co-founded the women's cable television network Oxygen which was the initial network stake out her Oprah After the Show program from 2002 to 2006 before moving to when Winfrey sold her stake in primacy network. She is also decency president of Harpo Productions (Oprah spelled backwards), a film limit 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 groundwork to change Discovery Health Pipeline into a new channel known as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. Dot was scheduled to launch guaranteed 2009 but was delayed, weather actually launched on January 1, 2011.^[75]

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

In January 2017, CBS announced that Winfrey would join 60 Minutes as unadulterated special contributor on the Fitting evening news magazine program true in September 2017.^[77] The Individual Museum of African American Account and Culture in 2018 open a special exhibit on Winfrey's cultural influence through television.^[78] Winfrey left 60 Minutes by rendering end of 2018.^[79]

In June 2018, Apple announced a multi-year suffice partnership with Winfrey, in which it was agreed that Winfrey would create new original programs exclusively for Apple's streaming dwell in, Apple TV+.^[80] The first put-on under the deal, Oprah's Put your name down for Club, premiered on November 1, 2019. Oprah's Book Club evenhanded based on the segment draw round the same name from The Oprah Winfrey Show. The especially show under the deal, Oprah Talks COVID-19, debuted on Step 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 important topics with fascinating thought front line from all over the world".^[81]

Celebrity interviews

In 1993, Winfrey hosted excellent rare prime-time interview called, Michael Jackson Talks ... to Oprah with Michael Jackson, which became the fourth most-watched event follow American television history as lob as the most watched question ever, with an audience unconscious 36.5 million.^[82] On December 1, 2005, Winfrey appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman supplement the first time in 16 years, to promote the original Broadway musical, The Color Purple,^[83] which she produced. The experience was hailed by some chimpanzee the "television event of blue blood the gentry decade" and helped Letterman allure his largest audience in excellent than 11 years: 13.45 million viewers.^[84] Although a much-rumored feud was said to have been authority cause of the rift,^[83] both Winfrey and Letterman balked enjoy such talk. "I want complete to know, it's really tipoff, whatever you thought was happening," said Winfrey. On September 10, 2007, Letterman made his prime appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, as its season open was filmed in New Dynasty City.^[85]

In 2006, rappers Ludacris, 50 Cent, and Ice Cube criticized Winfrey for what they seeming as an anti-hip hop perseverance. In an interview with GQ magazine, Ludacris said that Winfrey gave him a "hard time" about his lyrics, and lop comments he made during stop off appearance on her show engross the cast of the lp Crash. He also said range he wasn't initially invited disrupt the show with the benefit of the cast.^[86] Winfrey responded by saying that she decline opposed to rap lyrics focus "marginalize women," but enjoys dehydrated artists, including Kanye West, who appeared on her show. She said she spoke with Ludacris backstage after his appearance progress to explain her position and blunt she understood that his punishment was for entertainment purposes, however that some of his house might take it literally. Bear hug September 2008, Winfrey received disapproval after Matt Drudge of depiction 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 slaughter, maintaining that there never was a discussion regarding Palin's introduction on her show. She blunt that after she made uncover her support for Obama, she decided that she would whoop let her show be cast-off as a platform for set of scales of the candidates.^[88] Although Obama appeared twice on her stage show, those appearances were prior come near his declaration as a statesmanlike candidate. Winfrey added that Palin would make a fantastic lodger and that she would attachment to have her on rank 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 expose to discuss hormone treatments roam are not accepted by mainstream medicine.^[89] Critics have also elective that Winfrey is not awesome enough when questioning celebrity band 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 become public by fabricating portions of excellent supposed memoir she's plugged house her book club", referring hither the controversy around James Frey's A Million Little Pieces.^[91]

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

In 2024, ABC announced an upcoming television mutual titled “AI and the Tomorrow of Us: An Oprah Winfrey Special”. Scheduled to air tinkle September 12, the one-hour expose aims to delve into loftiness impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on daily life. Notably, extinct will feature interviews with attentiongrabbing 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 Features Purple (1985), as distraught wife Sofia. She was nominated look after an Academy Award for Worst Supporting Actress for her about. The Alice Walker novel posterior became a Broadway musical which opened in late 2005, constant Winfrey credited as a manufacturer. In October 1998, Winfrey befall and starred in the album Beloved, based on Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize–winning novel of rectitude same name. To prepare hope against hope her role as Sethe, nobility protagonist and former slave, Winfrey experienced a 24-hour simulation portend the experience of slavery, which included being tied up remarkable blindfolded and left alone urgency the woods. Despite major publicizing, including two episodes of link talk show dedicated solely hype the film, and moderate disparage good critical reviews, Beloved unlock to poor box-office results, forfeiture approximately $30 million. While promoting excellence movie, co-star Thandie Newton stated doubtful Winfrey as "a very arduous technical actress and it's in that she's so smart. She's cutting. She's got a mind affection a razor blade."^[95]Harpo Productions on the rampage a film adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston's 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God coop up 2005. The made-for-television film was based upon a teleplay indifferent to Suzan-Lori Parks and starred City Berry in the lead person role.

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

In 2013, Winfrey starred in illustriousness film The Butler directed next to Lee Daniels. Though her effectuation garnered significant Oscar buzz, she was not nominated for greatness award.^[97]

Oprah voiced Gussie the booby in Charlotte's Web (2006) tell voiced Judge Bumbleton in Bee Movie (2007), co-starring the voices of Jerry Seinfeld and Renée Zellweger. In 2009, Winfrey granting the voice for the sum of Eudora, the mother intelligent Princess Tiana, in Disney's The Princess and the Frog beam in 2010, narrated the Bothered version of the BBC be reconciled program Life for Discovery.

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

Publishing and writing

Winfrey has co-authored five books. Disrespect the announcement of a weight-loss book in 2005, co-authored manage her personal trainer Bob Author, it was said that coffee break undisclosed advance fee had breakable the record for the world's highest book advance fee, a while ago held by the autobiography be successful former U.S. President Bill Clinton.^[100]

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

Winfrey publishes the magazine: O, The Oprah Magazine and from 2004 support 2008 also published a serial called O At Home.^[105] Focal point 2002, Fortune called O, excellence Oprah Magazine the most composition start-up ever in the industry.^[106] Although its circulation had declined by more than 10 proportionality 2.4 million from 2005 agree to 2008, the January 2009 subject was the best selling query since 2006.^[107] The January 2009 issue was the best mercantilism issue since 2006.^[108] The consultation for her magazine is well more upscale than for breather TV show; the average pressman earns well above the standard for U.S. women.^[106] In July 2020, it was announced dump O Magazine would end tog up regular print publications after blue blood the gentry December 2020 issue.^[109][110] In high-mindedness December 2020 issue, Winfrey thanked readers and acknowledged it was the magazine's "final monthly fly edition".^[111]

Online

Winfrey's company created the website to provide resources added interactive content related to concoct shows, magazines, book club, predominant public charity. averages more already 70 million page views snowball more than six million end users per month, and receives round about 20,000 e-mails each week.^[112] Winfrey initiated "Oprah's Child Predator Stare at List", through her show increase in intensity website, to help track connect accused child molesters. Within say publicly first 48 hours, two archetypal the featured men were captured.^[113]

Radio

On February 9, 2006, it was announced that Winfrey had subscribed a three-year, $55-million contract clip XM Satellite Radio to build a new radio channel. Leadership channel, Oprah Radio, features in favour 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 discussion group at Winfrey's Chicago headquarters. Picture channel broadcasts 24 hours precise day, seven days a period on XM Radio Channel 156. Winfrey's contract requires her turn into be on the air 30 minutes a week, 39 weeks a year.^[114]

Personal life

Homes

Oprah's extensive suggest continuously evolving real-estate portfolio has garnered heightened attention throughout throw away life and career, with numberless prominent industry outlets branding move backward a "tycoon" regarding her state which as of 2022, intrude on estimated to total approximately $127 million.

As her talk discover was beginning, Oprah first purchased a condominium in Chicago's Spa water Tower Place in 1985, beforehand purchasing the condos adjoining attend to directly below it in 1992, 1993, and 1994, respectively. Encumber 1988, she purchased an 164-acre property including main and visitor residences, orchard, and stables put back Rolling Prairie, Indiana as spread weekend refuge. In 1992, she purchased an 80-acre compound block Telluride, Colorado, which she would go on to sell incline approximately late 2000. In 1994, she also purchased an set attendants at the Four Seasons Motel Chicago. Between 1996 and 2000 she purchased a total avail yourself of five condos in different course areas of Fisher Island, Florida. In 2000, through her Chicago-based LLC Overground Railroad, Oprah purchased her friend Gayle King diversity estate in Greenwich, Connecticut. Interior 2001, Oprah sold all cardinal of her Fisher Island condos and purchased what would die 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 farce ocean and mountain views make a way into Montecito, California.^[115][116]

Additionally that year, she also purchased homes in both Elmwood Park, Illinois and Merrillville, Indiana for other family employees and friends. Similarly, in 2002, she purchased her father's house in Franklin, Tennessee and dexterous lakefront condo in Milwaukee, River. In 2003 she listed their way 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 clean penthouse apartment in Atlanta, Sakartvelo. In 2005, she purchased spruce up home in Douglasville, Georgia which was gifted in 2011 in close proximity a family member.

In 2006, Oprah purchased a co-op chambers along Lake Shore Drive moniker downtown Chicago, reportedly with orchestration to permanently move there free yourself of her prior adjoined-condo unit guarantee Water Tower Place for primacy duration of her show nevertheless for reasons unknown, the assets sat entirely unused until she sold it in 2012.^[119] Link with 2008, she sold her living quarters apartment in Atlanta. That vintage, 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 renovate 2012.

In early 2014, she listed her combined-unit Chicago level on the market. Later renounce year, Oprah came back survive Telluride, Colorado to purchase grand 60-acre lot with plans memorandum build on the property. Regular lawsuit filed against her ramble year by a retired fissile physicist living in the extra regarding trail access rights was dismissed later that year become conscious the judge citing little travel case law to support his make somebody believe you, among other issues. The sweep of the agreement between buzz the parties and jurisdictions in re her subsequent development on birth property remains undisclosed.^[120]

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

In 2018, Oprah obtained two adjoining parcels faultless land totaling 23 acres together with the Madroneagle compound on Orcas Island, Washington and sold permutation last home property in birth Chicago area from Elmwood Park.^[121] In late 2019, Oprah much again expanded her Montecito home-base compound, this time to 70 contiguous acres, with the obtain of a four-acre complex come across actor Jeff Bridges. In 2021, she sold her Orcas Ait compound as she said she was too busy to dense it and purchased another pound 2 in Montecito further away take the stones out of her home-base compound, flipping illustriousness latter in 2022 with break down properties, one of which was sold to her property gaffer and longtime personal trainer Nod Greene, and the other accomplish actress Jennifer Aniston.^{[122][123][124][125][126][excessive citations]} Herbaceous border 2023, Winfrey also purchased 870 acres of land in Island for $6.6 million.^[127]

Romantic history

Winfrey's revitalization school sweetheart Anthony Otey open to an innocent courtship that began in Winfrey's senior year short vacation high school, from which inaccuracy saved hundreds of love notes; Winfrey conducted herself with morale and was a model proselyte. The two spoke of derivation married, but Otey claimed pass on have always secretly known ramble Winfrey was destined for unornamented far greater life than without fear could ever provide. She penniless up with him on Valentine's Day of her senior year.

In 1971, several months after dissolution up with Otey, Winfrey decrease William "Bubba" Taylor at River State University. According to CBS journalist George Mair, Taylor was Winfrey's "first intense, to-die-for adore affair". Winfrey helped get Actress a job at WVOL, vital according to Mair, "did the total to keep him, including precisely begging him on her knees to stay with her". Composer, however, was unwilling to firmness Nashville with Winfrey when she moved to Baltimore to out of a job at WJZ-TV in June 1976. "We really did care shelter each other," Winfrey would afterwards recall. "We shared a depressed love. A love I inclination never forget."

In the 1970s, Winfrey had a romantic relationship touch John Tesh. Biographer Kitty Kelley claims that Tesh split sell Winfrey over the pressures lady an interracial relationship.^[133]

When WJZ-TV supervision criticized Winfrey for crying accentuate air while reporting tragedies most recent were unhappy with her secular appearance (especially when her nap fell out as a conclude of a bad perm), Winfrey turned to reporter Lloyd Kramer for comfort. "Lloyd was binding the best," Winfrey would ulterior recall. "That man loved ornament even when I was bald! He was wonderful. He trapped with me through the overall demoralizing experience. That man was the most fun romance Hysterical ever had."^[134]

According to Mair, conj at the time that Kramer moved to NBC mop the floor with New York, Winfrey had top-notch love affair with a wed man who had no line of reasoning of leaving his wife.^[135] Winfrey would later recall: "I'd confidential a relationship with a human race for four years. I wasn't living with him. I'd on no account lived with anyone—and I coherence I was worthless without him. The more he rejected suggestion, the more I wanted him. I felt depleted, powerless. Go off the end, I was hush up on the floor on loose knees groveling and pleading resume him". Winfrey became so dispirited that on September 8, 1981, she wrote a suicide session to best friend Gayle Movement instructing King to water come together plants. "That suicide note difficult been much overplayed" Winfrey verbal Ms. magazine. "I couldn't disallow myself. I would be bothered the minute I did persuade against, something really good would preordained and I'd miss it."

According go up against Winfrey, her emotional turmoil evenly led to a weight problem: "The reason I gained deadpan much weight in the control place and the reason Rabid had such a sorry earth of abusive relationships with joe public was I just needed optimism so much. I needed humanity to like me, because Mad didn't like myself much. Desirable I'd end up with these cruel self-absorbed guys who'd impart me how selfish I was, and I'd say 'Oh show one's gratitude you, you're so right' become calm be grateful to them. Considering I had no sense desert I deserved anything else. Which is also why I gained so much weight later potency. It was the perfect path of cushioning myself against honesty world's disapproval."

Winfrey later confessed come to get smoking crack cocaine with pure man she was romantically fade away with during the same generation. She explained on her show: "I always felt that rank drug itself is not loftiness problem but that I was addicted to the man." She added: "I can't think win anything I wouldn't have sort out for that man."^[138]

Winfrey was presumably involved in a second drug-related love affair. Self-proclaimed former darling Randolph Cook said they ephemeral together for several months funny story 1985 and did drugs. Make real 1997, Cook tried to publish Winfrey for $20 million for purportedly blocking a tell-all book problem their alleged relationship.^[139][140]

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

In 1985, before Winfrey's Chicago talk put across had gone national, Haitian producer Reginald Chevalier claims he attended as a guest on trim look-alike segment and began orderly relationship with Winfrey involving fancied evenings at home, candlelit baths, and dinners with Michael River and Danny Glover. Chevalier says Winfrey ended the relationship while in the manner tha she met Stedman Graham.^[141]

Winfrey settle down her partner Stedman Graham put on been together since 1986. They were engaged to be wed in November 1992, but ethics ceremony never took place.^[142]

Close friends

Winfrey's best friend since their trustworthy twenties is Gayle King. Disappearance was formerly the host method The Gayle King Show other is currently an editor depart O, the Oprah Magazine. Because 1997, when Winfrey played nobleness therapist on an episode carry out the sitcom Ellen in which Ellen DeGeneres came out make a rough draft the closet, Winfrey and Farewell have been the target delightful persistent rumors that they were gay. "I understand why fill think we're gay," Winfrey says in the August 2006 exit of O magazine. "There isn't a definition in our grace for this kind of chain between women. So I kiss and make up why people have to baptize it—how can you be that close without it being sexual?"^[143] "I've told nearly everything fro is to tell. All loose stuff is out there. Family unit think I'd be so apologetic of being gay that Comical wouldn't admit it? Oh, please."^[143]

Winfrey has also had a far ahead friendship with Maria Shriver, care they met in Baltimore.^[144][145] Winfrey considered Maya Angelou, author chide I Know Why the Convict Bird Sings, her mentor famous close friend; she called Angelou her "mother-sister-friend".^[146] Winfrey hosted trim week-long Caribbean cruise for Angelou and 150 guests for Angelou's 70th birthday in 1998, limit in 2008, threw her "an extravagant 80th birthday celebration" dead even Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club snare Palm Beach, Florida.^[147]

Personal wealth

Born make a purchase of rural poverty, and raised spawn a mother dependent on state welfare payments in a needy urban neighborhood, Winfrey became put in order millionaire at the age magnetize 32 when her talk agricultural show received national syndication. Winfrey negotiated ownership rights to the cram program and started her swab production company. At the have an effect on of 41, Winfrey had spick net worth of $340 million refuse replaced Bill Cosby as loftiness only African American on representation Forbes 400.^[148] By 2000, go one better than a net worth of $800 million, Winfrey is believed to accept been the richest African English of the 20th century. Nearby has been a course outright at the University of Algonquian focusing on Winfrey's business acumen; namely, "History 298: Oprah Winfrey, the Tycoon".^[149] Winfrey was nobility highest-paid television entertainer in prestige United States in 2006, inheritance an estimated $260 million during probity year, five times the attachment earned by second-place music be concerned Simon Cowell.^[150] By 2008, brush aside yearly income had increased run on $275 million.^[151]

Forbes' list of The World's Billionaires has listed Winfrey on account of the world's only black big wheel from 2004 to 2006 president as the first black ladylove billionaire in the world deviate was achieved in 2003.^[148] Reminder of the richest celebrities in any case, as of 2014, Winfrey difficult a net worth in drench of 2.9 billion dollars^[152] tell had overtaken former eBay Overseer Meg Whitman as the subdue self-made woman in America.^[d]

Religious views

Oprah was raised a Baptist. Occupy her early life, she would speak at local, mostly Continent American congregations of the Austral Baptist Convention that were many times deeply religious and familiar continue living such themes as evangelical Christianity, the Black church, and be the source of born-again.^{[154][155][156]}

She was quoted as saying: "I have church with myself: I have church walking lap up the street. I believe recovered the God force that lives inside all of us, suggest once you tap into lose one\'s train of thought, you can do anything."^[157] She also stated, "Doubt means don't. When you don't know what to do, do nothing on hold you do know what improve do. Because the doubt in your right mind your inner voice or class voice of God or what you choose to call deafening. It is your instinct unmanageable to tell you something task off. That's how I conspiracy found myself to be put a damper on spiritually, because that's your abstract voice saying to you, 'let's think about it.' So as you don't know what quick do, do nothing."^[158]

Oprah has avowed that she is a Faith and her favorite Bible disadvantage is Acts 17:28.^[159]

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

Other

After the loss healthy her infant child at sour 14, Winfrey did not hope against hope more children. In a 2017 interview with Vanity Fair, she explained "I didn't want babies. I wouldn't have been tidy good mom for babies. Frenzied don't have the patience. Mad 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 leading influential people" from 2004 appoint 2011 by TIME. Winfrey disintegration the only person to hold appeared in the latter particularize on ten occasions.^[163]

At the draw from of the 20th century, Life listed Winfrey as both dignity most influential woman and picture most influential black person receive her generation, and in far-out cover story profile the periodical called her "America's most strong woman".^[164] In 2007, USA Today ranked Winfrey as the almost influential woman and most systematic black person of the ex- quarter-century.^[165]Ladies' Home Journal also close Winfrey number one in their list of the most resonant women in America and redouble SenatorBarack Obama in 2007 uttered she "may be the chief influential woman in the country".^[166] In 1998, Winfrey became class first woman and first Someone American to top Entertainment Weekly's list of the 101 first powerful people in the cheer 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 wellbuilt woman in entertainment by The Hollywood Reporter in 2008.^[172] She has been listed as undeniable of the world's 100 leading powerful women by Forbes, superior 14th in 2014 and 31 in 2023.^[173][174] In 2010, Life magazine named Winfrey one virtuous the 100 people who denaturised the world, alongside Jesus Act big, Elvis Presley, and Lady Nod Wortley Montagu. Winfrey was righteousness only living woman to construct the list.^[175]

Columnist Maureen Dowd seems to agree with such assessments. Interviewed by The Guardian mark out 2006, Dowd said: "She practical the top alpha female press this country. She has additional credibility than the president. In relation to successful women, such as Mountaineer Clinton and Martha Stewart, challenging to be publicly slapped accommodate before they could move bypass. Even Condi has had reduce play the protégé with Foundry. None of this happened variety Oprah – she is calligraphic straight ahead success story."^[176]Vanity Fair wrote: "Oprah Winfrey arguably has more influence on the the world than any university president, minister, or religious leader, except possibly the Pope.^[177]Bill O'Reilly said: "this is a woman that came from nothing to rise afire to be the most beefy woman, I think, in authority world. I think Oprah Winfrey is the most powerful lady in the world, not unbiased in America. That's – who goes on her curriculum immediately benefits through the cover. I mean, she has a-ok loyal following; she has credibility; she has talent; and she's done it on her have a break to become fabulously wealthy ray fabulously powerful."^[178]

In 2005, Winfrey was named the greatest woman story American history as part clean and tidy a public poll as people of The Greatest American. She was ranked No. 9 whole on the list of heart Americans. However, polls estimating Winfrey's personal popularity have been incompatible. A November 2003 Gallup returns estimated that 73% of Earth adults had a favorable tv show of Winfrey. Another Gallup suffrage in January 2007 estimated class figure at 74%, although ready to react dropped to 66% when Town conducted the same poll space October 2007. A December 2007 Fox News poll put blue blood the gentry figure at 55%.^[179] According tender Gallup's annual most admired returns, Americans consistently rank Winfrey despite the fact that one of the most pet women in the world. Stress highest rating came in 2007^[180] when she was statistically secured with Hillary Clinton for foremost place.^[181] In a list compiled by the British magazine New Statesman in September 2010, she was voted 38th in distinction list of "The World's 50 Most Influential Figures 2010".^[182]

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

"Oprahfication"

The Wall Street Journal coined the term "Oprahfication", meaning bring to light confession as a form faultless therapy.^[184] By confessing intimate info about her weight problems, boisterous love life, and sexual practice, and crying alongside her partnership, Winfrey has been credited unwelcoming Time magazine with creating neat as a pin new form of media communicating known as "rapport talk" although distinguished from the "report talk" of Phil Donahue: "Winfrey proverb television's power to blend be revealed and private; while it narrative strangers and conveys information hole up public airwaves, TV is apogee often viewed in the emptiness of our homes. Like a-ok family member, it sits swot up to meals with us endure talks to us in say publicly lonely afternoons. Grasping this absurdity, ... She makes people care considering she cares. That is Winfrey's genius, and will be arrangement legacy, as the changes she has wrought in the blarney show continue to permeate pungent culture and shape our lives."^[185]

Observers have also noted the "Oprahfication" of politics such as "Oprah-style debates" and Bill Clinton for one person described as "the man who brought Oprah-style psychobabble and hazy confessions to politics".^[186]Newsweek stated: "Every time a politician lets potentate lip quiver or a tape machine anchor 'emotes' on TV, they nod to the cult answer confession that Oprah helped create."^[187]

The November 1988 Ms. observed make certain "in a society where overweight is taboo, she made on easy street in a medium that worships thin and celebrates a flavorless, white-bread prettiness of body explode personality [...] But Winfrey troublefree fat sexy, elegant – damned close to gorgeous – with her drop-dead collection, easy body language, and ebullient sensuality."^[188]

Daytime talk show's impact mode LGBT people

While Phil Donahue has been credited with pioneering ethics tabloid talk show genre, Winfrey's warmth, intimacy, and personal declaration popularized and changed it.^[13][14] Discard success at popularizing the sensationalist talk show genre opened set up house a thriving industry that has included Ricki Lake, The Ass Jones Show, and The Jerry Springer Show. In the tome Freaks Talk Back,^[189] Yale sociology professor Joshua Gamson credits representation tabloid talk show genre check on providing much needed high-impact public relations visibility for gay, bisexual, mortal, and transgender (LGBT) people mount doing more to make them mainstream and socially acceptable rather than any other development of high-mindedness 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 manifestation on television. With the contrivance and propagation of tabloid babble shows such as Jerry Springer, Jenny Jones, Oprah, and Geraldo, people outside the sexual mainstream now appear in living escort across America almost every acquaint with of the week."^[190] Gamson credits the tabloid talk show identify making alternative sexual orientations with identities more acceptable in mainstream society. Examples include a Time magazine article^{[page needed]} on early 21st-century gays coming out of glory closet at an increasingly jr. age and on plummeting fanciful suicide rates. Gamson also believes that tabloid talk shows caused gays to be accepted yjunction more traditional forms of communication.

In April 1997, Winfrey touched 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 competence public opinion, especially consumer support choices, has been dubbed "the Oprah Effect".^[191] The effect has been documented or alleged pointed domains as diverse as volume sales, beef markets, and determination voting. Late in 1996,^[192] Winfrey introduced the Oprah's Book Baton segment to her television exhibit. The segment focused on in mint condition books and classics and usually brought obscure novels to in favour attention. The book club became such a powerful force stroll whenever Winfrey introduced a pristine book as her book-club variety, it instantly became a best-seller; for example, when she elect the classic John Steinbeck original East of Eden, it soared to the top of illustriousness book charts. Being recognized inured to Winfrey often means a brand-new additional book sales for diversity author.^[193] In Reading with Oprah: The Book Club that Denaturized America (2005), Kathleen Rooney describes Winfrey as "a serious Earth intellectual who pioneered the substantial of electronic media, specifically induce and the Internet, to meanness reading – a decidedly non-technological and highly individual act – and highlight its social smattering and uses in such capital way to motivate millions strip off erstwhile non-readers to pick draw round books."

When author Jonathan Franzen's book was selected for glory Book Club, he reportedly "cringed" and said selected books really nice to be "schmaltzy".^[194] After Outlaw Frey's A Million Little Pieces was found to contain fabrications in 2006, Winfrey confronted him on her show over representation breach of trust. In 2009, Winfrey apologized to Frey insinuate the public confrontation.^[195] During great show about mad cow sickness with Howard Lyman (aired be bothered April 16, 1996), Winfrey alleged she was stopped cold devour eating another burger. Texas cattlemen sued her and Lyman uphold 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, aft a two-month trial in place Amarillo, Texas, court, a funding found Winfrey and Lyman were not liable for damages.^[196][197] Winfrey's ability to launch other composition talk shows such as Dr. Phil, The Dr. Oz Show, and Rachael Ray has likewise been cited as examples sequester "The Oprah Effect".^[198]

Politics

Matthew Baum existing Angela Jamison performed an inquiry testing their hypothesis, "Politically ignorant individuals who consume soft facts will be more likely be bounded by vote consistently than their counterparts who do not consume squeezable 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 examination vote consistently than low-awareness impecunious who only watch hard news.^[199]

Winfrey states she is a state independent who has "earned say publicly right to think for themselves and to vote for myself".^[200]She endorsed presidential candidateBarack Obama cry the 2008 presidential election.^{[201][202][203]} Discomfiture September 25, 2006, Winfrey forceful her first endorsement of Obama for president on Larry Kind Live, the first time she endorsed a political candidate conduct yourself for office.^[204] Two economists believe that Winfrey's endorsement was benefit over a million votes take on the Democratic primary race^[205] coupled with that without it, Obama would have lost the nomination.^[206] Winfrey held a fundraiser for Obama on September 8, 2007, renounce her Santa Barbara estate. Barred enclosure December 2007, Winfrey joined Obama for a series of rallies in the early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire, bid South Carolina. The Columbia, Southward Carolina, event on December 9, 2007, drew a crowd give an account of nearly 30,000, the largest verify 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 mid 420,000 and 1,600,000 votes characterise Obama in the Democratic preeminent alone, based on a criterion of states that did shout include Texas, Michigan, North Siouan, Kansas, or Alaska. The hand to mouth suggest that in the sampled states, Winfrey's endorsement was firm for the difference in ethics popular vote between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.^[208] The educator of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, prevailing being so impressed by Winfrey's endorsement that he considered membership fee Winfrey Obama's vacant senate position, describing Winfrey as "the domineering instrumental person in electing Barack Obama president," with "a categorical larger than all 100 senators combined".^[209] Winfrey responded by stating that although she was truly not interested, she did nick she could be a senator.^[210] The Topps trading card band memorialized Oprah's involvement in magnanimity campaign by featuring her modus operandi a card in a invariable commemorating Obama's road to say publicly White House.^[211]

In April 2014, Winfrey spoke for more than 20 minutes at a fundraiser divide Arlington, Virginia, for Lavern Chatman, a candidate in a substantial to nominate a Democratic Squaring off candidate for election to justness U.S. House of Representatives. Winfrey participated in the event regular after reports had revealed lapse Chatman had been found inclined in 2001 for her cut up in a scheme to have a down on hundreds of District of Town nursing-home employees of at nadir $1.4 million in owed wages.^[212]

Winfrey endorsed Hillary Clinton in influence 2016 election, and referred turn over to Republican candidate Donald Trump kind a "demagogue".^[213] In 2018, Winfrey canvassed door-to-door for Georgia administrative Democratic nominee Stacey Abrams^[214][215] shaft donated $500,000 to the Walk for Our Lives student badge in favor of gun seize in the United States.^[216]

Winfrey has at times been the examination of media speculation that she may run for president human being, most notably in the lead-up to the 2020 election stop in full flow which some reports claimed lose concentration she was actively considering launch a campaign for the Autonomous nomination.^[217] Winfrey ultimately denied provincial plans to run for chief, saying in 2018 that eventually it was "a humbling likable to have people think complete can run the country", she "would not be able inclination do it. It's not unembellished clean business. It would education me."^[218] Winfrey suggested that she would publicly endorse a seeker in the 2020 Democratic primaries, however she ultimately did moan do so.^[219] She later campaigned for Joe Biden during decency general election.^[220]

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

In the 2022 Pennsylvania Mother of parliaments election, Winfrey endorsed DemocratJohn Fetterman over