Oprah Winfrey
Ella Petrová
Oprah Winfrey is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, which ran in national syndication for 25 years. Dubbed the "Queen of All Media", she was the richest African-American of the 20th century, was once the world's only black billionaire, and the greatest black philanthropist in U.S. history.
She didn't have an easy childhood, she grew up in poor circumstances and with a very strange family background. Winfrey once commented that she had chosen not to be a mother because she had not been mothered well. By 19, she was a co-anchor for the local evening news and eventually she launched her own production company. She went through local media where she worked as news anchor, then she hosted or co-hosted many shows.
Thereafter came what made her famous by far the most - The Oprah Winfrey Show. The first episode was broadcast nationwide in 1986. TV columnist Howard Rosenberg said: "She's a roundhouse, a full course meal, big, brassy, loud, aggressive, hyper, laughable, lovable, soulful, tender, low-down, earthy, and hungry..." In the early years of the show, the program was classified as a tabloid talk show. In the mid-1990s, Winfrey began to host shows on broader topics such as heart disease, geopolitics, spirituality, and meditation. She interviewed celebrities on social issues they were directly involved with, such as cancer, charity work, or substance abuse, and hosted televised giveaways. The Oprah Winfrey Show ran for 25 years, the series finale aired in 2011.
She's someone who has interviewed many celebrities but what makes her special is that these interviews are somehow different from the others. The people say a lot more than they would ever tell, they are vulnerable and they confide. I think that it's all about Oprah's aura, people feel good and comfortable around her, that's why they are so open. Let's talk about some interviews that have changed everything. I'd say that the most recent one is with Prince Harry and Meghan. The two talk about their side of the story and they reveal quite a lot why they left the royal family. Next on the list is Kim Kardashian, in 2012 Kim did a tell-all interview with Oprah in which she talked about the leaked tape that went viral right before her fame, as well as her short-lived marriage to NBA player Kris Humphries. The same exact year Rihanna also made a tell-all interview with Oprah. She opened up about her relationship with Chris Brown as well as his violence. Rihanna also talked about forgiveness and her childhood in Barbados. Back in 2009 famous musician Whitney Houston agreed to do an interview even though she has always been known for not speaking publicly about her personal life and problems associated with it. However in this interview Whitney opened up about her drug addiction, abuse, as well as rehab. One of the most famous and admirable interviews was the one with Michael Jackson himself. At the time Michael had been refusing interview access for almost 14 years - however, he decided to open the gates of Neverland to Oprah. In the interview the King of Pop opened up about surgery, his relationship with his father, as well as plenty of other personal things. The last interview I want to mention is one with television host Ellen DeGeneres from 1997. The interview was conducted shortly after Ellen DeGeneres came out publicly and it certainly meant quite a lot for the LGBTQ+ community.
I want to note that it is not always just the case that people come from a rich family, they are so lucky and therefore it is not surprising that they are also rich and successful. Oprah was born in poverty, and raised by a mother dependent on government welfare payments in a poor urban neighborhood. However, Winfrey became a millionaire at the age of 32. I have a lot of respect for people like her, they are a good example of the fact that a person can be successful only by his own merit.
It's wild how reputable Oprah has become, this is evidenced by the fact that the National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2018 opened a special exhibit on Winfrey's cultural influence through television. Her other accomplishments include being a multiple Emmy Award winner and an Oscar nominee.