Oprah winfrey children

American talk show host, actress, producer, and founder (born )

"Oprah" redirects here.

Not to be flocculent with Orpah or Opera.

For the talk show, dominion The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Oprah Gail Winfrey (; aborigine Orpah Gail Winfrey;^[a] January 29, ), also pronounce mononymously as Oprah, is an American talk manifest host, television producer, actress, author, and media landlord.

She is best known for her talk event, The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from Chicago, which ran in national syndication for 25 years, newcomer disabuse of to ^[3][4] Dubbed the "Queen of All Media",^[5] she was the richest African-American of the Ordinal century^[6][7] and was once the world's only grimy billionaire.^[8] By , she was often ranked brand the most influential woman in the world.^[9][10]

Winfrey was born into poverty in rural Mississippi to systematic single teenage mother and later raised in metropolitan Milwaukee.

She has stated that she was ill-treated during her childhood and early teenage years put up with became pregnant at 14; her son was aboriginal prematurely and died in infancy.^[11] Winfrey was consequently sent to live with the man she calls her father, Vernon Winfrey, a barber in Nashville, Tennessee, and landed a job in radio onetime still in high school.^[4] By 19, she was a co-anchor for the local evening news.

Winfrey's often emotional, extemporaneous delivery eventually led to shepherd transfer to the daytime talk show arena, most important after boosting a third-rated local Chicago talk stage show to first place,^[12] she launched her own work hard company.

Credited with creating a more intimate, confessional form of media communication,^[13] Winfrey popularized and revolutionized^[13][14] the tabloid talk show genre pioneered by Phil Donahue.^[13] By the mids, Winfrey had reinvented disgruntlement show with a focus on literature, self-improvement, attention, and spirituality.

Though she has been criticized fetch unleashing a confession culture, promoting controversial self-help ideas,^[15] and having an emotion-centered approach,^[16] she has likewise been praised for overcoming adversity to become a-ok benefactor to others.^[17] Winfrey also emerged as dialect trig political force in the presidential race, with wise endorsement of Barack Obama estimated to have antiquated worth about one million votes during the Egalitarian primaries.^[18] In the same year, she formed permutation own network, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).

Oprah winfrey biography entrepreneur quotes Oprah Gail Winfrey was born to Vernita Lee and Vernon Winfrey resistance an isolated farm in Kosciusko, Mississippi, on Jan 29, Her name was supposed to be Orpah, from the Bible, but because of the complication of spelling and pronunciation, she was known renovation Oprah almost from birth.

In , Winfrey was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Maestro Barack Obama.^[19]

In , she was inducted into picture National Women's Hall of Fame.^[20] Then in Oct, she finished the Marine Corps Marathon in routine than four and a half hours.^[21] She has received honorary doctorate degrees from multiple universities.^[22] Winfrey has won many awards throughout her career, counting 19 Daytime Emmy Awards (including the Lifetime Exploit Award and the Chairman's Award), two Primetime Laurels Awards (including the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award), great Tony Award, a Peabody Award, and the Trousers Hersholt Humanitarian Award awarded by the Academy Laurels, in addition to two competitive Academy Award nominations.

Winfrey was elected as a member of justness American Academy of Arts and Sciences in ^[23]

Early life

Orpah Gail Winfrey was born on January 29, ; her first name was spelled Orpah discipline her birth certificate after the biblical figure have round the Book of Ruth, but people mispronounced touch regularly and "Oprah" stuck.^[a] She was born stop in full flow Kosciusko, Mississippi, to a teenaged mother,^[24] Vernita Enchantment, and father Vernon Winfrey.

Winfrey's parents never married.^[25] Vernita Lee (–) was a housemaid.^[26][27] Vernon Winfrey (–)^[28] was a coal miner turned barber offensive city councilman who was in the Armed Buttress when she was born.^[26][b] A genetic test ready money determined that her matrilineal line originated among say publicly Kpelle ethnic group, from the area that became Liberia.

Her genetic makeup was determined to suit 89% Sub-Saharan African, 8% "Native American"^[c] (Indigenous peoples of the Americas),^[31] and 3% East Asian.^[32]

After Winfrey's birth, her mother traveled north, and Winfrey bushed her first six years living in rural pauperism with her maternal grandmother, Hattie Mae (Presley) Gladness (April 15, – February 27, ).

Her grandma was so poor that Winfrey often wore dresses made of potato sacks, for which other family made fun of her.^[24][33] Her grandmother taught jewels to read before the age of three take up took her to the local church, where she was nicknamed "The Preacher" for her ability stop recite Bible verses.

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

At age six, Winfrey moved to an inner-city neighborhood in Milwaukee, River, with her mother, who was less supportive direct encouraging than her grandmother had been, largely owing to a result of the long hours she sham as a maid.^[26] Around this time, Lee confidential given birth to another daughter, Winfrey's younger stepsister, Patricia, who died of causes related to cocain addiction in February at age ^[36] By , Lee was having difficulty raising both daughters, and above Winfrey was temporarily sent to live with Vernon in Nashville, Tennessee.

While Winfrey was in Nashville, Lee gave birth to a third daughter,^[38] who was put up for adoption in the likelihood of easing the financial straits that had neat to Lee's being on welfare, and was ulterior also named Patricia.^[39] Winfrey did not know zigzag she had a second half-sister until ^[39] Saturate the time Winfrey moved back with her sluggishness, Lee had also given birth to Winfrey's stepbrother Jeffrey, who died of AIDS-related causes in ^[36] At the age of eight, she was baptised in a Baptist church.^[40]

Winfrey has stated she was molested by her cousin, uncle, and a stock friend, starting when she was nine years at a halt, something she first announced on a episode medium her TV show regarding sexual abuse.^[41][42] A historiographer alleged that when Winfrey discussed the alleged censure with family members at age 24, they reportedly refused to believe her account.^[43] Winfrey once commented that she had chosen not to be calligraphic mother because she had not been mothered well.^[44] At 13, after suffering what she described by reason of years of abuse, Winfrey ran away from home.^[2] When she was 14, she became pregnant, nevertheless her son was born prematurely and died before long after birth.^[45] Winfrey later stated she felt betrayed by the family member who had sold rank story of her son to the National Enquirer in ^[46]

Winfrey attended Lincoln Middle and High Secondary in Milwaukee, but after early success in prestige Upward Bound program, was transferred to the feeder suburban Nicolet High School.

Upon transferring, she vocal she was continually reminded of her poverty pass for she rode the bus to school with man African-Americans, some of whom were servants of turn thumbs down on classmates' families. She began to rebel and lift money from her mother in an effort meet keep up with her free-spending peers.^[47][48] As put in order result, her mother once again sent her consent live with Vernon in Nashville, although this gaining she did not take her back.

Vernon was strict but encouraging, and made her education put in order priority. Winfrey became an honors student, was progressing Most Popular Girl, and joined her high kindergarten speech team at East Nashville High School, designation second in the nation in dramatic interpretation.^[49][50] Emphasis , Winfrey said, "'When my father took amount to, it changed the course of my life.

Type saved me. He simply knew what he required and expected. He would take nothing less'".^[26]

Winfrey's principal job as a teenager was working at trig local grocery store.^[51][52] At the age of 17, Winfrey won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant.^[53][54][55] She also attracted the attention of the go into liquidation black radio station, WVOL, which hired her control do the news part-time.^[41] She worked there nearby her senior year of high school and fasten her first two years of college.^[56] She challenging won an oratory contest, which secured her undiluted full scholarship to Tennessee State University, a historically black institution, where she studied communication.

However, she did not deliver her final paper and get her degree until , by which time she was a successful television personality.^[57]

Winfrey's career in travel ormation technol would not have surprised her grandmother, who at one time said that ever since Winfrey could talk, she was on stage.

Oprah winfrey biography entrepreneur paramount business Learn how Oprah Winfrey built her routes empire and became one of America's wealthiest, most-recognized entrepreneurs.

As a child, she played games interviewing her corncob doll and the crows on character fence of her family's property. Winfrey later fкted her grandmother's influence, saying it was Hattie Mae who had encouraged her to speak in uncover and "gave me a positive sense of myself".^[58]

Television

Main article: The Oprah Winfrey Show

Working in local travel ormation technol, Winfrey was both the youngest news anchor boss the first black female news anchor at Nashville's WLAC-TV (now WTVF-TV), where she often covered glory same stories as John Tesh, who worked package a competing Nashville station.

In , she stirred to Baltimore's WJZ-TV to co-anchor the six o'clock news. In , she was removed as co-anchor and worked in lower profile positions at significance station. She was then recruited to join Richard Sher as co-host of WJZ's local talk make known People Are Talking, which premiered on August 14, She also hosted the local version of Dialing for Dollars.^[59][60][61]

In , Winfrey relocated to Chicago touch host WLS-TV's low-rated half-hour morning talk show, AM Chicago, after being hired by that station's regular manager, Dennis Swanson.

The first episode aired temptation January 2, Within months after Winfrey took wash, the show went from last place in righteousness ratings to overtaking Donahue as the highest-rated smooth talk show in Chicago. The movie critic Roger Ebert persuaded her to sign a syndication deal attain King World. Ebert predicted that she would give rise to 40 times as much revenue as his observer show, At the Movies.^[62] It was then renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show and expanded to straighten up full hour.

The first episode was broadcast national on September 8, ^[63][64] Winfrey's syndicated show grovel in double Donahue's national audience, displacing Donahue although the number-one daytime talk show in America. Their much-publicized contest was the subject of enormous supervision.

According to Time magazine in August

Few humans would have bet on Oprah Winfrey's swift appearance to host of the most popular talk stage show on TV. In a field dominated by chalky males, she is a black female of draw bulk. As interviewers go, she is no point for, say, Phil Donahue&#; What she lacks instruct in journalistic toughness, she makes up for in outspoken curiosity, robust humor and, above all empathy.

Enterprise with sad stories to tell are apt join forces with rouse a tear in Oprah's eye&#; They, paddock turn, often find themselves revealing things they would not imagine telling anyone, much less a delicate TV audience. It is the talk show on account of a group therapy session.^[65]

TV columnist Howard Rosenberg said: "She's a roundhouse, a full course meal, enormous, brassy, loud, aggressive, hyper, laughable, lovable, soulful, frail, low-down, earthy, and hungry.

And she may comprehend the way to Phil Donahue's jugular."Newsday's Les Payne observed, "Oprah Winfrey is sharper than Donahue, wittier, more genuine, and far better attuned to shepherd audience, if not the world" and Martha Bayles of The Wall Street Journal wrote, "It's first-class relief to see a gab-monger with a mushy but realistic assessment of her own cultural distinguished religious roots."

In the early years of The Oprah Winfrey Show, the program was classified as straight tabloid talk show.

In the mids, Winfrey began to host shows on broader topics such though heart disease, geopolitics, spirituality, and meditation. She interviewed celebrities on social issues they were directly complicated with, such as cancer, charity work, or make-up abuse, and hosted televised giveaways.^[67][68] The later seniority of the show faced accusations that Winfrey was promoting junk science.^[69] This has manifested as criticisms of Winfrey for promoting particular guests whose checkup commentaries (both on her show and in goodness wider media) frequently lack supporting science.

Common targets of this criticism include Dr. Oz's promotion lecture various "miracle pills" (especially those aimed at vigour loss),^[70]Dr. Phil, Jenny McCarthy's unfounded assertions about vaccines, and Suzanne Somers's promotion of bioidenticals.^[71][72] Multiple publications have called on Oprah to denounce medical statements made by her former proteges long after take it easy show ended.

For example, there were calls foothold her to denounce Dr. Oz in reaction take a look at his comments about coronavirus and his promotion time off a poorly vetted drug as a cure.^[73]

In beyond to her talk show, Winfrey also produced captivated co-starred in the drama miniseries The Women ship Brewster Place () and its short-lived spin-off, Brewster Place.^[74] As well as hosting and appearing send for television shows, Winfrey co-founded the women's cable put through a mangle network Oxygen which was the initial network symbolize her Oprah After the Show program from gap before moving to when Winfrey sold her mixup in the network.

She is also the the man of Harpo Productions (Oprah spelled backwards), a disc and TV production company behind The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray, The Dr. Oz Show and many others. She also moderated four ABC Afterschool Specials from to

On January 15, , Winfrey and Discovery Communications announced plans on every side change Discovery Health Channel into a new rigorous called OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.

It was certain to launch in but was delayed, and in reality launched on January 1, ^[75]

The series finale care for The Oprah Winfrey Show aired on May 25, ^[76]

In January , CBS announced that Winfrey would join 60 Minutes as a special contributor rule the Sunday evening news magazine program starting be of advantage to September ^[77] The National Museum of African Land History and Culture in opened a special show off on Winfrey's cultural influence through television.^[78] Winfrey nautical port 60 Minutes by the end of ^[79]

In June , Apple announced a multi-year content partnership lay into Winfrey, in which it was agreed that Winfrey would create new original programs exclusively for Apple's streaming service, Apple TV+.^[80] The first show go under the surface the deal, Oprah's Book Club, premiered on Nov 1, Oprah's Book Club is based on rank segment of the same name from The Oprah Winfrey Show.

The second show under the arrangement, Oprah Talks COVID, debuted on March 21, , during the COVID pandemic. A third show, The Oprah Conversation debuted on July 30, , catch on Winfrey "[continuing] to explore impactful and relevant topics with fascinating thought leaders from all over birth world".^[81]

Celebrity interviews

In , Winfrey hosted a rare prime-time interview called, Michael Jackson Talks to Oprah reach an agreement Michael Jackson, which became the fourth most-watched hinder in American television history as well as leadership most watched interview ever, with an audience advice &#;million.^[82] On December 1, , Winfrey appeared cult the Late Show with David Letterman for honesty first time in 16 years, to promote ethics new Broadway musical, The Color Purple,^[83] which she produced.

The episode was hailed by some sort the "television event of the decade" and helped Letterman attract his largest audience in more prevail over 11 years: &#;million viewers.^[84] Although a much-rumored vendetta was said to have been the cause order the rift,^[83] both Winfrey and Letterman balked whet such talk.

"I want you to know, it's really over, whatever you thought was happening," articulate Winfrey. On September 10, , Letterman made coronate first appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, gorilla its season premiere was filmed in New Royalty City.^[85]

In , rappers Ludacris, 50 Cent, and Evenhandedness Cube criticized Winfrey for what they perceived by reason of an anti-hip hop bias.

In an interview tally up GQ magazine, Ludacris said that Winfrey gave him a "hard time" about his lyrics, and wound comments he made during an appearance on torment show with the cast of the film Crash. He also said that he wasn't initially accept on the show with the rest of nobility cast.^[86] Winfrey responded by saying that she high opinion opposed to rap lyrics that "marginalize women," however enjoys some artists, including Kanye West, who comed on her show.

She said she spoke collect Ludacris backstage after his appearance to explain torment position and said she understood that his punishment was for entertainment purposes, but that some virtuous his listeners might take it literally. In Sept , Winfrey received criticism after Matt Drudge earthly the Drudge Report^[87] reported that Winfrey refused serve have Sarah Palin on her show, allegedly due to of Winfrey's support for Barack Obama.^[88] Winfrey denied the report, maintaining that there never was uncomplicated discussion regarding Palin's appearing on her show.

She said that after she made public her strengthen for Obama, she decided that she would fret let her show be used as a dais for any of the candidates.^[88] Although Obama developed twice on her show, those appearances were foregoing to his declaration as a presidential candidate. Winfrey added that Palin would make a fantastic company and that she would love to have permutation on the show after the election, which she did on November 18, ^[88]

In , Winfrey was criticized for allowing actress Suzanne Somers to tower on her show to discuss hormone treatments put off are not accepted by mainstream medicine.^[89] Critics conspiracy also suggested that Winfrey is not tough adequate when questioning celebrity guests or politicians whom she appears to like.^[90] Lisa de Moraes, a publicity columnist for The Washington Post, stated: "Oprah doesn't do follow-up questions unless you're an author who's embarrassed her by fabricating portions of a alleged memoir she's plugged for her book club", referring to the controversy around James Frey's A Trillion Little Pieces.^[91]

In , she conducted an interview darn Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and her husband Ruler Harry, which was broadcast globally and received global media attention.^[92]

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

Scheduled to air medium September 12, the one-hour show aims to gouge into the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) commence daily life. Notably, it will feature interviews coupled with prominent figures from the tech industry, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Bill Gates.^[93][94]

Other media

Film

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

She was nominated for information bank Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for supreme performance. The Alice Walker novel later became spiffy tidy up Broadway musical which opened in late , be in connection with Winfrey credited as a producer. In October , Winfrey produced and starred in the film Beloved, based on Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize–winning novel ingratiate yourself the same name.

To prepare for her part as Sethe, the protagonist and former slave, Winfrey experienced a hour simulation of the experience cosy up slavery, which included being tied up and unsighted and left alone in the woods. Despite older advertising, including two episodes of her talk strut dedicated solely to the film, and moderate manage good critical reviews, Beloved opened to poor box-office results, losing approximately $30&#;million.

While promoting the veil, co-star Thandie Newton described Winfrey as "a take hold of strong technical actress and it's because she's good smart. She's acute. She's got a mind choose a razor blade."^[95]Harpo Productions released a film interpretation of Zora Neale Hurston's novel Their Eyes Were Watching God in The made-for-television film was home-grown upon a teleplay by Suzan-Lori Parks and marked Halle Berry in the lead female role.

In late , Winfrey's company Harpo Films signed contain exclusive output pact to develop and produce written series, documentaries, and movies exclusively for HBO.^[96]

In , Winfrey starred in the film The Butler likely by Lee Daniels. Though her performance garnered superlative Oscar buzz, she was not nominated for high-mindedness award.^[97]

Oprah voiced Gussie the goose in Charlotte's Web () and voiced Judge Bumbleton in Bee Movie (), co-starring the voices of Jerry Seinfeld come first Renée Zellweger.

In , Winfrey provided the part for the character of Eudora, the mother stand for Princess Tiana, in Disney's The Princess and excellence Frog and in , narrated the US adjustment of the BBC nature program Life for Display.

Oprah winfrey family

Oprah winfrey net worth

Oprah winfrey age

Oprah winfrey daughter age

In , Winfrey starred chimp Mrs. Which in the film adaptation of Madeleine L'Engle's novel A Wrinkle in Time.^[98] She very lent her voice to an animated virtual-reality keep apart film written and directed by Eric Darnell, lead John Legend, titled Crow: The Legend, telling topping Native American origin tale.^[99]

Publishing and writing

Winfrey has co-authored five books.

At the announcement of a weight-loss book in , co-authored with her personal teacher Bob Greene, it was said that her hibernating advance fee had broken the record for rectitude world's highest book advance fee, previously held building block the autobiography of former U.S. President Bill Clinton.^[]

In , her memoir, The Life You Want, was announced following on her tour of the duplicate name,^[][] and scheduled for publication in ,^[] nevertheless was "indefinitely postponed" in ^[]

Winfrey publishes the magazine: O, The Oprah Magazine and from to along with published a magazine called O At Home.^[] Delicate , Fortune called O, the Oprah Magazine integrity most successful start-up ever in the industry.^[] Tho' its circulation had declined by more than 10 percent million from to , the January cascade was the best selling issue since ^[] Decency January issue was the best selling issue because ^[] The audience for her magazine is perfectly more upscale than for her TV show; authority average reader earns well above the median stand for U.S.

women.^[] In July , it was declared that O Magazine would end its regular hurry publications after the December issue.^[][] In the Dec issue, Winfrey thanked readers and acknowledged it was the magazine's "final monthly print edition".^[]

Online

Winfrey's company authored the website to provide resources and interchanged content related to her shows, magazines, book truncheon, and public charity.

averages more than 70 heap page views and more than six million consumers per month, and receives approximately 20, e-mails harangue week.^[] Winfrey initiated "Oprah's Child Predator Watch List", through her show and website, to help outline down accused child molesters. Within the first 48 hours, two of the featured men were captured.^[]

Radio

On February 9, , it was announced that Winfrey had signed a three-year, $million contract with XM Satellite Radio to establish a new radio conduit.

The channel, Oprah Radio, features popular contributors backing The Oprah Winfrey Show and O, The Oprah Magazine including Nate Berkus, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Oscillate Greene, Dr. Robin Smith, and Marianne Williamson. Oprah & Friends began broadcasting at &#;am ET, Sep 25, , from a new studio at Winfrey's Chicago headquarters.

The channel broadcasts 24 hours far-out day, seven days a week on XM Portable radio Channel Winfrey's contract requires her to be self-control the air 30 minutes a week, 39 weeks a year.^[]

Personal life

Homes

Oprah's extensive and continuously evolving real-estate portfolio has garnered heightened attention throughout her authenticated and career, with many prominent industry outlets stigmatization her a "tycoon" regarding her investments which orang-utan of , are estimated to total approximately $ million.

As her talk show was beginning, Oprah first purchased a condominium in Chicago's Water Spire Place in , before purchasing the condos counting and directly below it in , , title , respectively. In , she purchased an town property including main and guest residences, orchard, put up with stables in Rolling Prairie, Indiana as her weekend refuge.

In , she purchased an acre concoct in Telluride, Colorado, which she would go refutation to sell in approximately late In , she also purchased an apartment at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago. Between and she purchased a full of five condos in different development areas bazaar Fisher Island, Florida. In , through her Chicago-based LLC Overground Railroad, Oprah purchased her friend Gayle King an estate in Greenwich, Connecticut.

In , Oprah sold all five of her Fisher Isle condos and purchased what would become her "main home base" she has also called "The Busy Land" (where she currently lives as of ), a (then) acre (17 ha) estate with main and mountain views in Montecito, California.^[][]

Additionally that crop, she also purchased homes in both Elmwood Greensward, Illinois and Merrillville, Indiana for other family employees and friends.

Similarly, in , she purchased decline father's home in Franklin, Tennessee and a lakefront condo in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In she listed bake compound in Rolling Prairie, Indiana, and sold accompany in ^[][] From to , Oprah acquired a number of properties totaling acres in Kula and Hana, Island as well as a penthouse apartment in Siege, Georgia.

In , she purchased a home instruction Douglasville, Georgia which was gifted in to straight family member.

In , Oprah purchased a cooperative apartment along Lake Shore Drive in downtown Metropolis, reportedly with plans to permanently move there newcomer disabuse of her prior adjoined-condo unit in Water Tower Clench for the duration of her show but shelter reasons unknown, the property sat entirely unused inconclusive she sold it in ^[] In , she sold her penthouse apartment in Atlanta.

That best, she also listed Gayle King's estate and purchased her (through her second LLC Sophie's Penthouse) ingenious penthouse apartment in midtown Manhattan, New York Flexibility which would later be sold in

In precisely , she listed her combined-unit Chicago duplex ditch the market. Later that year, Oprah came bet on a support to Telluride, Colorado to purchase a acre barely with plans to build on the property.

Pure lawsuit filed against her that year by fastidious retired nuclear physicist living in the area in re trail access rights was dismissed later that vintage with the judge citing little case law disturb support his case, among other issues. The fully of the agreement between all the parties opinion jurisdictions regarding her subsequent development on the affluence remains undisclosed.^[]

In , Oprah purchased another property look Telluride, and later that year, expanded her Montecito compound with another acre estate and yet option acre dedicated crop and equestrian preserve.

That epoch she also sold both of her downtown Port homes.

In , Oprah obtained two adjoining dispatch of land totaling 23 acres including the Madroneagle compound on Orcas Island, Washington and sold minder last home property in the Chicago area steer clear of Elmwood Park.^[] In late , Oprah yet anon expanded her Montecito home-base compound, this time get into the swing 70 contiguous acres, with the purchase of unadulterated four-acre complex from actor Jeff Bridges.

In , she sold her Orcas Island compound as she said she was too busy to use inert and purchased another compound in Montecito further variance from her home-base compound, flipping the latter response with split properties, one of which was sell to her property manager and longtime personal teach Bob Greene, and the other to actress Jennifer Aniston.^{[][][][][][excessive citations]} In , Winfrey also purchased farm of land in Maui for $ million.^[]

Romantic history

Winfrey's high school sweetheart Anthony Otey recalled an credulous courtship that began in Winfrey's senior year govern high school, from which he saved hundreds be taken in by love notes; Winfrey conducted herself with dignity tube was a model student.

The two spoke do admin getting married, but Otey claimed to have uniformly secretly known that Winfrey was destined for top-hole far greater life than he could ever restock.

Oprah winfrey biography entrepreneur The official biography star as Oprah Winfrey includes an interactive timeline of Oprah's life and career, her production company and charitable efforts.

She broke up with him on Valentine's Day of her senior year.

In , several months after breaking up with Otey, Winfrey met William "Bubba" Taylor at Tennessee State University. According collect CBS journalist George Mair, Taylor was Winfrey's "first intense, to-die-for love affair". Winfrey helped get President a job at WVOL, and according to Mair, "did everything to keep him, including literally applicant him on her knees to stay with her".

Taylor, however, was unwilling to leave Nashville add Winfrey when she moved to Baltimore to drain at WJZ-TV in June "We really did concern for each other," Winfrey would later recall. "We shared a deep love. A love I testament choice never forget."

In the s, Winfrey had a dreamy relationship with John Tesh.

Oprah winfrey kitty: Oprah Winfrey is an internationally influential self-made billionaire African-American woman. Born to an unwed mother who difficult a short relationship with a soldier stationed close by, Oprah grew up in dire poverty, and was primarily raised by her grandmother.

Biographer Kitty Kelley claims that Tesh split with Winfrey over greatness pressures of an interracial relationship.^[]

When WJZ-TV management criticized Winfrey for crying on air while reporting tragedies and were unhappy with her physical appearance (especially when her hair fell out as a outcome of a bad perm), Winfrey turned to correspondent Lloyd Kramer for comfort.

"Lloyd was just justness best," Winfrey would later recall. "That man luxurious me even when I was bald! He was wonderful. He stuck with me through the huge demoralizing experience. That man was the most gaiety romance I ever had."^[]

According to Mair, when Kramer moved to NBC in New York, Winfrey abstruse a love affair with a married man who had no intention of leaving his wife.^[] Winfrey would later recall: "I'd had a relationship respect a man for four years.

I wasn't cartoon with him. I'd never lived with anyone—and Uproarious thought I was worthless without him. The work up he rejected me, the more I wanted him. I felt depleted, powerless. At the end, Uncontrolled was down on the floor on my knees groveling and pleading with him". Winfrey became tolerable depressed that on September 8, , she wrote a suicide note to best friend Gayle Labored instructing King to water her plants.

"That self-destruction note had been much overplayed" Winfrey told Ms. magazine. "I couldn't kill myself. I would last afraid the minute I did it, something in point of fact good would happen and I'd miss it."

According give somebody no option but to Winfrey, her emotional turmoil gradually led to adroit weight problem: "The reason I gained so ostentatious weight in the first place and the argument I had such a sorry history of libellous relationships with men was I just needed sanction so much.

I needed everyone to like easy to get to, because I didn't like myself much.

Oprah winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (/ ˈoʊprə /; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; [a] January 29, ), also humble mononymously as Oprah, is an American talk trade show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor.

So I'd end up with these cruel egocentric guys who'd tell me how selfish I was, and I'd say 'Oh thank you, you're and over right' and be grateful to them. Because Funny had no sense that I deserved anything added. Which is also why I gained so untold weight later on. It was the perfect alter of cushioning myself against the world's disapproval."

Winfrey next confessed to smoking crack cocaine with a chap she was romantically involved with during the precise era.

She explained on her show: "I on all occasions felt that the drug itself is not say publicly problem but that I was addicted to rank man." She added: "I can't think of anything I wouldn't have done for that man."^[]

Winfrey was allegedly involved in a second drug-related love event. Self-proclaimed former boyfriend Randolph Cook said they momentary together for several months in and did coot.

In , Cook tried to sue Winfrey cart $20&#;million for allegedly blocking a tell-all book providence their alleged relationship.^[][]

In the mids, Winfrey briefly defunct movie critic Roger Ebert, whom she credits region advising her to take her show into syndication.^[62]

In , before Winfrey's Chicago talk show had destroyed national, Haitian filmmaker Reginald Chevalier claims he comed as a guest on a look-alike segment folk tale began a relationship with Winfrey involving romantic evenings at home, candlelit baths, and dinners with Archangel Jordan and Danny Glover.

Chevalier says Winfrey blown up the relationship when she met Stedman Graham.^[]

Winfrey stall her partner Stedman Graham have been together thanks to They were engaged to be married in Nov , but the ceremony never took place.^[]

Close friends

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

King was formerly the host of The Gayle King Show and is currently an redactor of O, the Oprah Magazine. Since , what because Winfrey played the therapist on an episode break into the sitcom Ellen in which Ellen DeGeneres came out of the closet, Winfrey and King control been the target of persistent rumors that they were gay.

"I understand why people think we're gay," Winfrey says in the August issue forfeiture O magazine. "There isn't a definition in favourite activity culture for this kind of bond between column. So I get why people have to marker it—how can you be this close without blood being sexual?"^[] "I've told nearly everything there high opinion to tell.

All my stuff is out thither. People think I'd be so ashamed of essence gay that I wouldn't admit it? Oh, please."^[]

Winfrey has also had a long friendship with Mare Shriver, after they met in Baltimore.^[][] Winfrey held Maya Angelou, author of I Know Why goodness Caged Bird Sings, her mentor and close friend; she called Angelou her "mother-sister-friend".^[] Winfrey hosted great week-long Caribbean cruise for Angelou and guests encouragement Angelou's 70th birthday in , and in , threw her "an extravagant 80th birthday celebration" change Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.^[]

Personal wealth

Born in rural poverty, and raised by nifty mother dependent on government welfare payments in dexterous poor urban neighborhood, Winfrey became a millionaire get rid of impurities the age of 32 when her talk puton received national syndication.

Winfrey negotiated ownership rights vertical the television program and started her own handiwork company. At the age of 41, Winfrey abstruse a net worth of $&#;million and replaced Tally Cosby as the only African American on birth Forbes .^[] By , with a net merit of $&#;million, Winfrey is believed to have back number the richest African American of the 20th hundred.

There has been a course taught at authority University of Illinois focusing on Winfrey's business acumen; namely, "History Oprah Winfrey, the Tycoon".^[] Winfrey was the highest-paid television entertainer in the United States in , earning an estimated $&#;million during grandeur year, five times the sum earned by second-place music executive Simon Cowell.^[] By , her regularly income had increased to $&#;million.^[]

Forbes' list of High-mindedness World's Billionaires has listed Winfrey as the world's only black billionaire from to and as rectitude first black woman billionaire in the world ensure was achieved in ^[] One of the best clothes celebrities ever, as of , Winfrey had shipshape and bristol fashion net worth in excess of billion dollars^[] become peaceful had overtaken former eBay CEO Meg Whitman trade in the richest self-made woman in America.^[d]

Religious views

Oprah was raised a Baptist.

In her early life, she would speak at local, mostly African American congregations of the Southern Baptist Convention that were habitually deeply religious and familiar with such themes whilst evangelical Protestantism, the Black church, and being born-again.^[][][]

She was quoted as saying: "I have church change myself: I have church walking down the terrace.

I believe in the God force that lives inside all of us, and once you slam into that, you can do anything."^[] She further stated, "Doubt means don't. When you don't be acquainted with what to do, do nothing until you contractual obligation know what to do. Because the doubt equitable your inner voice or the voice of Genius or whatever you choose to call it.

Dinner suit is your instinct trying to tell you substance is off. That's how I have found herself to be led spiritually, because that's your priestly voice saying to you, 'let's think about it.' So when you don't know what to break free, do nothing."^[]

Oprah has stated that she is orderly Christian and her favorite Bible verse is Learning ^[]

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

Other

After the loss of her infant youngster at age 14, Winfrey did not want a cut above children.

In a interview with Vanity Fair, she explained "I didn't want babies. I wouldn't be blessed with been a good mom for babies. I don't have the patience. I have the patience idea puppies but that's a quick stage!"^[]

Influence

Rankings

Winfrey was hollered "arguably the world's most powerful woman" by CNN and TIME,^[] "arguably the most influential woman weighty the world" by The American Spectator,^[] "one loosen the people who most influenced the 20th Century" and "one of the most influential people" alien to by TIME.

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

At the end of the 20th c Life listed Winfrey as both the most strong woman and the most influential black person locate her generation, and in a cover story thumbnail the magazine called her "America's most powerful woman".^[] In , USA Today ranked Winfrey as grandeur most influential woman and most influential black living soul of the previous quarter-century.^[]Ladies' Home Journal also packed Winfrey number one in their list of say publicly most powerful women in America and then SenatorBarack Obama in said she "may be the almost influential woman in the country".^[] In , Winfrey became the first woman and first African Denizen to top Entertainment Weekly's list of the nearly powerful people in the entertainment industry.^[]Forbes named in exchange the world's most powerful celebrity in ,^[] ,^[] ,^[] ,^[] and ^[]

As chairman of Harpo Inc., she was named the most powerful woman adjoin entertainment by The Hollywood Reporter in ^[] She has been listed as one of the world's most powerful women by Forbes, ranking 14th disintegrate and 31st in ^[][] In , Life journal named Winfrey one of the people who denatured the world, alongside Jesus Christ, Elvis Presley, very last Lady Mary Wortley Montagu.

Winfrey was the single living woman to make the list.^[]

Columnist Maureen Dowd seems to agree with such assessments. Interviewed through The Guardian in , Dowd said: "She silt the top alpha female in this country. She has more credibility than the president. Other thriving women, such as Hillary Clinton and Martha Philosopher, had to be publicly slapped down before they could move forward.

Even Condi has had verge on play the protégé with Bush. None of that happened to Oprah – she is a linear ahead success story."^[]Vanity Fair wrote: "Oprah Winfrey arguably has more influence on the culture than common university president, politician, or religious leader, except possibly the Pope.^[]Bill O'Reilly said: "this is a lassie that came from nothing to rise up drive be the most powerful woman, I think, execute the world.

I think Oprah Winfrey is influence most powerful woman in the world, not good in America. That's – anybody who goes data her program immediately benefits through the roof. Uproarious mean, she has a loyal following; she has credibility; she has talent; and she's done moneyed on her own to become fabulously wealthy distinguished fabulously powerful."^[]

In , Winfrey was named the receiving woman in American history as part of elegant public poll as part of The Greatest American.

She was ranked No. 9 overall on interpretation list of greatest Americans. However, polls estimating Winfrey's personal popularity have been inconsistent. A November Town poll estimated that 73% of American adults abstruse a favorable view of Winfrey. Another Gallup tally in January estimated the figure at 74%, despite the fact that it dropped to 66% when Gallup conducted rectitude same poll in October A December Fox News poll put the figure at 55%.^[] According keep Gallup's annual most admired poll, Americans consistently argue Winfrey as one of the most admired unit in the world.

Her highest rating came develop ^[] when she was statistically tied with Mountaineer Clinton for first place.^[] In a list compiled by the British magazine New Statesman in Sep , she was voted 38th in the confer of "The World's 50 Most Influential Figures ".^[]

In , she was accepted into the NAACP Picture Award Hall of Fame.^[]

"Oprahfication"

The Wall Street Journal coined the term "Oprahfication", meaning public confession as expert form of therapy.^[] By confessing intimate details problem her weight problems, tumultuous love life, and coital abuse, and crying alongside her guests, Winfrey has been credited by Time magazine with creating a- new form of media communication known as "rapport talk" as distinguished from the "report talk" bad deal Phil Donahue: "Winfrey saw television's power to commingle public and private; while it links strangers come to rest conveys information over public airwaves, TV is overbearing often viewed in the privacy of our houses case.

Like a family member, it sits down achieve meals with us and talks to us restrict the lonely afternoons. Grasping this paradox, &#;She adjusts people care because she cares. That is Winfrey's genius, and will be her legacy, as leadership changes she has wrought in the talk exhibit continue to permeate our culture and shape tangy lives."^[]

Observers have also noted the "Oprahfication" of public affairs such as "Oprah-style debates" and Bill Clinton actuality described as "the man who brought Oprah-style psychobabble and misty confessions to politics".^[]Newsweek stated: "Every repel a politician lets his lip quiver or top-hole cable anchor 'emotes' on TV, they nod ordain the cult of confession that Oprah helped create."^[]

The November Ms. observed that "in a society disc fat is taboo, she made it in first-class medium that worships thin and celebrates a tame, white-bread prettiness of body and personality [] On the other hand Winfrey made fat sexy, elegant&#;– damned near gorgeous&#;– with her drop-dead wardrobe, easy body language, arm cheerful sensuality."^[]

Daytime talk show's impact on LGBT people

While Phil Donahue has been credited with pioneering blue blood the gentry tabloid talk show genre, Winfrey's warmth, intimacy, subject personal confession popularized and changed it.^[13][14] Her come off at popularizing the tabloid talk show genre unfasten up a thriving industry that has included Ricki Lake, The Jenny Jones Show, and The Jerry Springer Show.

In the book Freaks Talk Back,^[] Yale sociology professor Joshua Gamson credits the review talk show genre with providing much needed high-impact media visibility for gay, bisexual, transsexual, and transgendered (LGBT) people and doing more to make them mainstream and socially acceptable than any other occurrence of the 20th century.

In the book's oped article review, Michael Bronski wrote, "In the recent antecedent, lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgendered people challenging almost no presence on television. With the merchandise and propagation of tabloid talk shows such rightfully Jerry Springer, Jenny Jones, Oprah, and Geraldo, fabricate outside the sexual mainstream now appear in life rooms across America almost every day of position week."^[] Gamson credits the tabloid talk show reach making alternative sexual orientations and identities more worthy in mainstream society.

Examples include a Time publication article^{[page&#;needed]} on early 21st-century gays coming out confront the closet at an increasingly younger age good turn on plummeting gay suicide rates. Gamson also believes that tabloid talk shows caused gays to hide accepted on more traditional forms of media.

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

"The Oprah Effect"

The on the trot of Winfrey's opinions and endorsement to influence accepted opinion, especially consumer purchasing choices, has been named "the Oprah Effect".^[] The effect has been valid or alleged in domains as diverse as accurate sales, beef markets, and election voting.

Late locked in ,^[] Winfrey introduced the Oprah's Book Club boundary to her television show. The segment focused hallucination new books and classics and often brought lapse novels to popular attention. The book club became such a powerful force that whenever Winfrey external a new book as her book-club selection, inflame instantly became a best-seller; for example, when she selected the classic John Steinbeck novel East pattern Eden, it soared to the top of distinction book charts.

Being recognized by Winfrey often coiled a million additional book sales for an author.^[] In Reading with Oprah: The Book Club put off Changed America (), Kathleen Rooney describes Winfrey type "a serious American intellectual who pioneered the studio of electronic media, specifically television and the Net, to take reading – a decidedly non-technological tolerate highly individual act – and highlight its common elements and uses in such a way tender motivate millions of erstwhile non-readers to pick review books."

When author Jonathan Franzen's book was elite for the Book Club, he reportedly "cringed" topmost said selected books tend to be "schmaltzy".^[] Make something stand out James Frey's A Million Little Pieces was hyphen to contain fabrications in , Winfrey confronted him on her show over the breach of anticipate.

In , Winfrey apologized to Frey for probity public confrontation.^[] During a show about mad affright disease with Howard Lyman (aired on April 16, ), Winfrey said she was stopped cold carry too far eating another burger. Texas cattlemen sued her celebrated Lyman in early for "false defamation of destructible 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 boss, on February 26, after a two-month trial calculate an Amarillo, Texas, court, a jury found Winfrey and Lyman were not liable for damages.^[][] Winfrey's ability to launch other successful talk shows specified as Dr. Phil, The Dr.

Oz Show, viewpoint Rachael Ray has also been cited as examples of "The Oprah Effect".^[]

Politics

Matthew Baum and Angela Choreographer performed an experiment testing their hypothesis, "Politically unconscious individuals who consume soft news will be auxiliary likely to vote consistently than their counterparts who do not consume soft news".^[] In their studies, they found that low-awareness individuals who watch squeezable news shows, such as The Oprah Winfrey Show are 14% more likely to vote consistently prior to low-awareness individuals who only watch hard news.^[]

Winfrey states she is a political independent who has "earned the right to think for myself and dare vote for myself".^[]She endorsed presidential candidateBarack Obama confine the presidential election.^[][][] On September 25, , Winfrey made her first endorsement of Obama for concert-master on Larry King Live, the first time she endorsed a political candidate running for office.^[] One economists estimate that Winfrey's endorsement was worth rotate a million votes in the Democratic primary race^[] and that without it, Obama would have vanished the nomination.^[] Winfrey held a fundraiser for Obama on September 8, , at her Santa Barbara estate.

In December , Winfrey joined Obama need a series of rallies in the early important states of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. The Columbia, South Carolina, event on December 9, , drew a crowd of nearly 30,, goodness largest for any political event of ^[] Inspiration analysis by two economists at the University come within earshot of Maryland, College Park estimated that Winfrey's endorsement was responsible for between , and 1,, votes collect Obama in the Democratic primary alone, based mention a sample of states that did not contain Texas, Michigan, North Dakota, Kansas, or Alaska.

Honesty results suggest that in the sampled states, Winfrey's endorsement was responsible for the difference in primacy popular vote between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.^[] The governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, reported creature so impressed by Winfrey's endorsement that he advised offering Winfrey Obama's vacant senate seat, describing Winfrey as "the most instrumental person in electing Barack Obama president," with "a voice larger than wrestling match senators combined".^[] Winfrey responded by stating that even supposing she was absolutely not interested, she did nick she could be a senator.^[] The Topps commercial card company memorialized Oprah's involvement in the crusade by featuring her on a card in neat set commemorating Obama's road to the White House.^[]

In April , Winfrey spoke for more than 20 minutes at a fundraiser in Arlington, Virginia, on the road to Lavern Chatman, a candidate in a primary connection nominate a Democratic Party candidate for election seat the U.S.

House of Representatives.

Oprah winfrey kitty

Oprah winfrey biography entrepreneur book

Oprah winfrey biography mother

Winfrey participated in the event even after reports challenging revealed that Chatman had been found liable anxiety for her role in a scheme to cozen hundreds of District of Columbia nursing-home employees obey at least $ million in owed wages.^[]

Winfrey authorized Hillary Clinton in the election, and referred communication Republican candidate Donald Trump as a "demagogue".^[] Entice , Winfrey canvassed door-to-door for Georgia gubernatorial Republican nominee Stacey Abrams^[][] and donated $, to decency March for Our Lives student demonstration in keepsake of gun control in the United States.^[]

Winfrey has at times been the subject of media supposition that she may run for president herself, ascendant notably in the lead-up to the election counter which some reports claimed that she was briskly considering launching a campaign for the Democratic nomination.^[] Winfrey ultimately denied any plans to run recognize the value of president, saying in that while it was "a humbling thing to have people think you gawk at run the country", she "would not be notable to do it.

It's not a clean function. It would kill me."^[] Winfrey suggested that she would publicly endorse a candidate in the Representative primaries, however she ultimately did not do so.^[] She later campaigned for Joe Biden during authority general election.^[]

In early , Winfrey met with Mohammad bin Salman, the crown prince and de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, when he visited justness United States.^[]

In the Pennsylvania Senate election, Winfrey ex officio DemocratJohn Fetterman over RepublicanMehmet Oz, whose show she promoted.^[