Pop Culture Retrospective #44 - Oprah Winfrey : The backstory behind one of the most successful women in our lifetime!

The year is 1986.  Ronald Regan is President.  The first Martin Luther King Jr day is observed.  The Chicago Bears won the Super Bowl.  The Space Shuttle Challenger explodes just 73 seconds after launching into space and a once local talk show makes its nation-wide debut.

Clip - opening credit music

If that sounds familiar to you, then you remember the Oprah Winfrey Show, which was an almost immediate success after it debuted.  When the show first aired in the mid 1980s, it was definitely over me and my sister’s heads and not something I was interested in watching.  When I heard the dun dun dun dun song, I knew my mom was going to be occupied for an hour.  Oh mom, I don’t like when you watch that dun dun dun dun dun show.  However, due it’s longevity, the show continued to evolve and grow just like me and my sister inevitably did and by the time we were in middle school and high school, we were enthusiastic super fans of Oprah.  What is important to know about the Oprah Winfrey Show is that the media mogul that we have come to know and love (and frankly, cherish, let’s be real) has an almost inconceivable backstory, one that started many, many years before her show debuted.  You’ll learn more about it, in just a moment.  So with that said, grab your microphone, remember your spirit and make sure you have a tissue box, here we go!

Hello and thank you so very much for tuning in to the Pop Culture Retrospective Podcast, a show inspired by, and in memory of, my big sister Rebecca and her love for all things pop-culture, especially the people, places and things of the 80s, 90s and early 00s.  My name is Amy Lewis and I am your captain aboard this pop culture time machine. You are tuning in to episode # 44 - Oprah Winfrey, the backstory behind one of the most powerful and influential women to ever grace a television set, someone who had a significant impact on my sister’s life, my life and definitely my mom’s life, but more on that later.   But before we get started, I wanted to make sure to share that there will be moments in this show where some serious situations will be discussed pertaining to abuse and the like so it is likely not appropriate for younger listeners.   Let’s get started with her early days.

Oprah Gail Winfrey was born on January 29th, 1954 to parents Vernon Winfrey (her dad) and Vernita Lee (her mom).  Her mother was a maid and her father was a barber.  Her mother was just 18 when she was born and her father was 20.  Her name was supposed to be Orpah after a biblical figure in the book of Ruth from the bible.  However, due to a misspelling on her birth certificate, it became Oprah. For the first few years of her life, Oprah lived with her Grandmother who owned a farm in Mississippi.  The farm did not have indoor plumbing or electricity.  Oprah’s grandmother washed their clothes by putting them in boiling water and hanging them out to dry.  Despite her grandmother only having a 3rd grade education, she managed to teach her granddaughter how to read at a very young age (I believe she was about 3 or so when she could read) with the help of the Bible.  As a toddler, she could recite Bible verses and poetry, sometimes she would do so in front of her church’s congregation.  The community really saw her as gifted and truly a gift. Oprah was so bright and persistent even when she was a little girl.  She apparently wrote her Kindergarten teacher a letter before the start of the school year asking if she could please skip a grade.  Her teacher was of course not able to assess her appropriately of course, so she attended kindergarten as planned but eventually did skip a grade.  

Out of nowhere when she was 6 years old, she moved to inner-city Milwaukee to live with her mother.  Her mother also struggled financially, she was on welfare and had another child. Life there was certainly not easy.  Starting at age 9 and through the age of 13, Oprah was repeatedly sexually assualted by family members and family friends.  Understandably, she felt very saddened by all of the horrific and traumatic things that happened to her when she moved to Milwaukee that she started to lose control. 

She would often run away from home for weeks on end, sleeping in her friend’s basements.  She ended up pregnant at just 14 years old.  Her mother was so upset with her that she brought Oprah to a detention home, but they did not have enough beds.  So, Oprah was sent to live with her father in Tennessee.  He was incredibly strict, but that’s just what she needed.  Sadly, Oprah’s baby died in infancy.  Although she was certainly too young to be a mother, it was unfortunate that the baby passed away.  Her father encouraged her to look at her circumstances as a second chance, something that not everyone gets.  Taking this to heart as well as flourishing with more structure in her life, Oprah started to excel.  So much so that she was given an opportunity to attend a high performing suburban school where she would be challenged more academically.  She became an honors student and was the recipient of countless academic awards.  She was voted Most Popular student at Nashville HS.  At the ripe old age of 15, she started keeping a journal and has continued to do so even though she is now in her late 60s.  

When Oprah was just 17 years old, she was offered a job at a radio station after a DJ there heard Oprah speak following receiving an award.  The station was based in Nashville and it’s demographic was primarily African American.  Later, she received a scholarship to attend Tennessee State University, where she studied Speech and Drama.  She didn’t finish on time due to getting a job as a reporter for a local news station, but would eventually after turning in a paper following her starting the Oprah Winfrey Show.  

In 1976, Oprah moved to Baltimore, Maryland to become an anchor on the news.  Here, following some time spent in broadcasting, she got a chance to co-host a talk show named ‘People Are Talking.’  She had found her calling.  Reporting sad stories on the news was hard for her, she wanted to interact and to help people.  ‘People Are Talking’ was just the opportunity she needed.  SOUND CLIP.  Her popularity grew, other networks took notice of Oprah’s empathic and outgoing personality.  During her early years in Broadcasting, Oprah met a woman named Gail who was also a journalist.  Their friendship blossomed into a profound relationship after Oprah invited Gail to stay with her during a snowstorm.  Oprah once said that Gail is the mother, the sister and friend she always wanted and always needed.  

In 1984 she was hired to host a show in Chicago called ‘AM Chicago.’ SOUND BITE. Prior to her arrival the show was not doing very well, so the hope was that she could turn that around.  And did she, ever.  More on that in a moment.   

In 1985, Oprah starred in the film adaptation of the story, “The Color Purple,” written by Pulitzer Prize winning author, Alice Walker.  

The film, directed by Steven Speilberg, tells the story of Celie (SEAL-EEE) Haris, played by Whoopi Goldberg and the struggles she faced as an African American woman in the early 20th century.  

Oprah played the role of Sofia, a fierce, strong-willed woman who is not afraid to stand up for herself who befriends Whoopie Goldberg’s character.  The film also starred Danny Glover.  As a result of her part in the film, Oprah was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe.  

Just a year later, on September 8, 1986 the Oprah Winfrey Show went national and was broadcasted all over the United States.  She would soon have Emmy nominations coming out the wazoo.  She also received the International Radio and Television’s Society’s Broadcaster of the Year award at that time, becoming the youngest person ever to do so.  During this time Oprah met Stedman Graham, a successful business man and educator whom she is still with today.  I learned recently that he is 6ft, 6inches tall.  Oprah, on the other hand, is about 5ft, 7 inches. 

Oprah has said that one of her hardest interviews to do was during the 2nd season where she interviewed Hollywood actress, Elizabeth Taylor.  Just before the interview, Taylor requested that Oprah not ask her about her romantic relationships.  Oprah was stunned.  After all, Taylor had been married 7 times.  

In 1988, Oprah acquired the rights for her show’s production, becoming the first woman to own and produce her own talk show.  In the early 1990s, the show shifted from a traditional talk show format (many of the talk shows at the time like Sally Jesse Rafael and Ricki Lake tend to focus on sensationalizing news, relationships, etc.) to a more holistic approach - focusing on the mind, body and spirit.  Which, I realize sounds incredibly cheezy, but it’s true and it was incredibly effective.  I say that because I experienced it and loved it, as did my family.  With this shift in focus, the already popular show became even more popular.  Of course on her show, Oprah talked to celebrities, did makeovers and renovated houses, but she also talked about eating disorders and eating healthy, exercising, mental health and mental illness and also abuse.  As a matter of fact, 217 of her 4,561 episodes discussed sexual abuse.  In 1993 she initiated a campaign to create a nationwide database of convicted child abusers, which in part was due to her personal experience.  The bill dubbed the “Oprah bill” was signed into law that year by President Bill Clinton.  

One of Oprah’s most significant contributions with her show came in the form of encouraging literacy.  Oprah’s book club was started in 1996 and continued through the end of the show’s run (you can now find it online).  Each month, Oprah would share one book for her viewers to read and in a later episode there would be a discussion about it.  A few years into the book club and subsequent book club episodes, my mom somehow managed to get tickets for the three of us (meaning me, my mom and my sister) to attend a taping of the show to discuss a recent book club selection, “A Fine Balance” by Rohinton Mistry.  According to the Oprah website a quick synopsis is:  Set in India at a time of internal emergency, travel back to 1975 and experience distrust, friendship and love alongside the characters.  The three of us were incredibly excited to attend the taping, but we all had the same fear - what if Oprah calls on us to talk about the book?  Neither my sister, nor I, had read the book and we didn’t have time to do so once we secured the tickets.  So, my mom, who is the most dedicated reader I have ever met in my entire life, gave us an oral book report about the story.  My mom has the most incredible knack for remembering very, very specific information about a book.  She could tell you what color shirt someone was wearing, what month and year the book is set in and what food the characters ate.  I’m not kidding.  It’s ridiculous and incredibly impressive.  She’s like a book savant, something I did not inherit.  So, my mom gave us a very lengthy and detailed spiel and I hoped that I wouldn’t be called on because I have horrendous short term memory.   Although I can tell you with 99% certainty that on that day I was wearing a black, ribbed, turtle neck sweater.  Can’t tell you the plot of a book, but I can tell you what I was wearing 20 years ago.  

I remember driving into Chicago, parking and walking into the infamous Harpo Studios (which I just learned was demolished a few years ago and is now the site of the McDonald’s headquarters).  Anyways, we parked, walked in and got in line and anxiously awaited filing into the set.  A producer warmed us up so we were all even more excited to be in the audience.  The three of us really had to pinch ourselves that day, we couldn’t believe our good fortune. 

We had all loved Oprah for so many years and here we were, ready to be a part of her audience, even though Becky and I knew nothing about the show’s topic!  Nonetheless being in the audience was a lot of fun and before we knew it, the taping was over. We felt relieved that we were not asked any questions or put on the spot about the book. I think our fear was a bit irrational, but the thought of disappointing our dear Oprah was just too much to bear! Oprah said she would stay on after the show’s taping to answer some questions.  I remember thinking she was a lot shorter in real life than she appears on TV.  Anyways, I also remember that she was wearing a pair of red panks with a red and white striped button-up shirt.  Anyways, she answered several audience questions and my sister raised her hand.  A crew member handed her a microphone and with her voice shaking and on the verge of tears, Becky uttered:  “Can I please hug you?”  Remarkably, Oprah said that she would.  So, she walked over and hugged my sister.  My sister, who was now crying tears of happiness, looked at Oprah as she was pulling away and she proceeded to  pull her in for another hug.  We were then kicked off of the show.  I kid, I kid.  We were not, but I was impressed that my sister got not only 1, but 2 hugs with Oprah.  That lucky duck.  In addition to the hugs, my sister (and myself) were both able to get a gray sweatshirt with the Oprah logo on it.  I believe they are still kicking around somewhere.

The book club during the show's run and even after the show, has been incredibly successful.  One woman commented in a book club episode that she had never in her life finished a whole book, but one of the club’s picks had her so engaged that she actually finished it.  Anytime a book was featured on the show, the sales would immediately jump 10-fold.  I imagine strong sales can still be tied to Oprah, of anything really, even though her show has been off the air for a decade.  Here is a list of just a few Oprah’s Book Club selections:  Becoming by Michelle Obama, Wild by Cheryl Strayed, Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard and Night by Elie Wiesel.  

In 1998, Oprah starred in Beloved, which was based off of Tony Morrison’s 1987 novel of the same name. The story is about a former slave who is living after the Civil War and how she is haunted by a poltergiest like character.  Sadly, the film was considered a box office flop and was beat out by the film, “Bride of Chucky.”  The film was praised for its solid acting and emotional storylines, but it just did not connect with audiences.  Like she does with everything, Oprah really put her heart, blood and soul into this movie but it wasn’t as successful as everyone was anticipating it to be.  

Oprah once said that the between the movie essentially failing and being beaten out by a movie that had the word ‘Chucky’ in it, sent her into a deep depression.  During said depression she said she ate about 30 pounds of mac and cheese.  But with all kidding aside, Oprah went through a very challenging time following the film’s release, but eventually came out the other side, this time with even more empathy for individuals who struggle with depression.  

In 2002, Oprah and her show traveled to South Africa where they spread holiday cheer through a program called Christmas Kindness.  Staff and volunteers gave 50,000 children, many of whom were orphans due to the AIDS epidemic.  I remember watching this special/documentary when it was first released and it was very powerful.  Watching the little girls open up a wrapped baby doll, ones that had dark skin just like them, was incredibly heartwarming.  First of all they probably had the first baby doll they ever had in their life and second of all, the dolls looked just like them, how wonderful.  The smiles on the children’s faces and the overwhelming emotions experienced by the volunteers and Oprah herself were very moving for the viewers, myself, my sister and my mom included (I remember we had all watched it together).  I’m pretty sure my sister cried through that entire show and suddenly felt a calling to volunteer and travel.  Unfortunately that didn’t happen, but she did go on to be a teacher, touching the lives of countless students.  

Oprah decided she would continue giving back to the children of Africa through the development of a school, which would eventually be named the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls.  She wanted to reach the children facing the toughest barriers to their education.  She wanted to reach the most vulnerable children but also those who had a desire to succeed.   In 2007, the school opened.  Oprah played a role in determining who would attend the school and who would work there.  Unfortunately, the school was faced with some serious controversy and accusations around assaults that occurred on campus.  Ultimately though, Oprah didn’t give up.  They cleaned house with many of the staff and faculty members and started again.  The first class graduated from the school in 2012.  With that class in particular, all of them were going on to attend University, in an area where normally only about 14% of black children graduate from high school. Typically, the students who attend the OWLAG have experienced at least 6 traumas in their life like abuse, death in the family, are impacted by AIDS, etc.  Also by 2012, Oprah had already donated 400 million dollars to educational endeavors like scholarships.  According to the academy’s website, 528 girls have graduated from the school to date.  About 90% of those girls have gone on to University.  Oprah never had any children, but she has said the children’s lives that she so positively impacted in Africa were sort of like her surrogate children. She has said that she chose not to be a mother because she was not mothered well. However, if you’ve seen Oprah speak about the children whose lives she has touched, she no doubt has some impressive maternal instincts.   

The Oprah show would go on to enormous success during its 25 year run from 1986-2011.  It received a total of 39 daytime emmy awards and was the highest rated talk show in American history. She taught us about kindness, about giving back and how to lip sync poorly to music performed on her show.  She introduced the world to Dr. Phil McGraw and Dr. Oz, both of whom got their TV start on her show.  We got to see Canadian songstress Celine Dion 28 times on the show, a record and her best friend, Gayle, 141 times.  We also got to follow her on tour with Tina Turner.  Side note, I attended a Tina Turner concert around 2000 I think with my mom at the United Center in Chicago. 

It was one of the very best concerts I have ever been to.  Tina Turner is an absolutely incredible performer, I was raised on her music.  We had pretty decent seats, so I could see the front row from where we were sitting.  And in said front row were Oprah, Gayle and Dr. Phil.  I’m not kidding.  They were all sitting together.  How you like ‘dem apples?  So much was done during the show’s run that it would take several episodes of this podcast to discuss what was accomplished on the show and how much Oprah encouraged us to live our best lives.  How could we forget how often Oprah encouraged us to show gratitude and to be grateful for what we have.  I remember in one of her episodes she encouraged people to keep a gratitude journal, where you write your entry of course and add several things at the end that you are grateful for.  That is something I still practice today.  Whenever  I write an entry, I always add 5 things at the end that I am grateful for.  So, no matter how bad my day was or how down I feel, I can always manage to think of 5 things I am appreciative of.  How could we forget the Oprah’s Angel Network which encouraged viewers to help other people, even in the smallest ways?  How could we forget Oprah’s book, ‘Make the Connection’ which she co-authored with her trainer Bob Greene, where she gave realistic and relevant information for how to be healthy.  How could we forget Oprah’s favorite things where we learned about hot ticket items that Oprah suggested for Christmas gifts, all of which audience members for that particular show all received?  How could we forget how quotable Oprah is when she said stuff like:  “Having the best things is no substitute for having the best life.” Not having Oprah gracing our television screens every week was a tough transition, for millions and millions of people.  

Following the ending of her record breaking, trail-blazing and incredible show, Oprah hasn’t really slowed down.  She launched the OWN network in 2011- here you can watch old episodes of the Oprah show and other shows and series targeting the African American community.  She has continued to offer an online magazine, which stemmed from a hard copy version called O magazine which was printed from 2000-2020.  

She continues to do Primetime interviews, recently interviewing Adele as well as Prince Harry and Megan Markle.  She also has several podcasts you can listen to on your favorite podcast platform.  Any time you need a dose of motivation and positivity, listen to her podcasts or check out one of her speeches on YouTube.  Further, she is still heavily involved in the leadership academy.

Former President Barack Obama once said about Oprah quote:  “You’ve got a big heart and you share it with people.  Nobody knows how to connect better than you do.  We are just blessed and grateful to have you in our lives.”  I couldn’t agree more.  

I hope you have enjoyed this look back on the life and career of the one and only Oprah Winfrey.  One of the most successful black women to have ever lived.  Her contributions to the world have been immeasurable, her influence undeniable. During one period of time on her show, she was giving people an award she called the “use your life award.”  Oprah was and is the best model of this. One of my happiest memories of being a young adult with my sister was that the Oprah show was re-broadcast at night.  It would air at 9am during the week and each weeknight, it was shown again at 11pm.  Since we were both night owls at the time, we almost always watched it if we were home at the same time.  My sister often referred to Oprah like the two were friends, she called her “Ops.”  

I hope you will join me for my next show where will be discussing ______

 And instead of playing my regular end of show music, I will leave you with the various versions of Oprah's intro theme music. I still like to say to my children, when they do something they shouldn’t (like needing an excessive amount of prompts to put their socks on) , that they need to quote “Get with the program, get with Oprah.”  They have no idea what I mean, but I think it’s hilarious.   Thank you so much for listening and remember, BKBSAHOTYM.