Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is one of the most popular names when it comes to talk shows. Her story is about never giving up. Her story tells us your beginning can be difficult, but it is up to you to become the best version of yourself. This Queen of all media had a tough childhood, and today she is considered one of the most influential women in the world. She was once the only black billionaire and was ruling the media industry.
On 29 January 1954, Oprah was born to the unmarried couple Vernita Lee and Vernon Winfrey. During the early years of her life, she was raised by her grandmother, who was quite strict. During this time. Her mother traveled, and she stayed with her grandmother, who was very poor, but her grandmother taught her to read before the age of three. She was even named the preacher due to her ability to recite the Bible. Winfrey’s grandmother was very supportive of her ability to speak. She would encourage her to speak her mind. At the age of 6, she moved back with her mother, who was working as a maid at the time. Oprah and her family were struggling through poverty, and during this time, she was moved to be with her father in Nashville, Tennessee. Her father was a strict man who wished to see his daughter progress.
After moving back with her mother, she faced sexual abuse from close relatives of her family. Her tragedies didn’t stop here, and at the age of 13, she ran away from home and became pregnant. Oprah gave birth to a premature son who died shortly after his birth. She studied in high school in Milwaukee, but being an intelligent student, she was transferred to Nicolet High School, where she faced a lot of discrimination due to her coming from a poor background. During this time, she would be involved in stealing money from her mother to keep her face in front of her classmates. She was later sent to Nashville to live with her father again due to her rebellious behavior. Her father pushed her towards focusing more on education. He wanted her to progress in her life. In her teenage year, she started working in a grocery store and later on was hired at a local black radio station. Oprah was crowned The Miss Black Tennessee at the age of 17.
She received the full scholarship and attended Tennessee State University. Here she studied communication. She was the first black female news anchor to host on Nashville’s WLAC-TV. She cohosted another show, and in 1977, she was no longer co-hosting and was now working in another profile.
After relocating to Chicago, she hosted a low-rated morning talk show, Am Chicago, which within a few months secured top ratings. This show was later renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show and was now an hour long. The first ever episode was telecasted on September 8, 1986, which was an instant hit.
The Oprah show was very popular, due to which she started covering various topics from geopolitics, spirituality, disease, lifestyle, etc. She conducted interviews with a range of celebrities and discussed topics such as charity, work, abuse, and more. During this time, she also faced criticism for promoting things without a strong scientific background.
In 1989, she starred in a drama series called The Woman of Brewster Palace. This show was produced by her, and it was quite popular among the viewers. She also founded the television network Oxygen and then founded the Harpo production. On January 1, 2011, the Winfrey network was launched. It was a partnership between Winfrey and Discovery Communication. Her show was extremely popular amongst the people where she interviewed top celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Ludacris, 50 Cent, Megan Markle, Ellen, etc. The episode of the Oprah Winfrey show with Michael Jackson was the fourth most watched television event in history. She had starred in many movies, such as The Color Purple, The Butler, Beloved, etc. She had also voiced various characters in the movies and the anime.
She is also a successful author of many books, and her most popular book is The Life You Want. She is a very popular radio personality host. Having a very strong political opinion, she endorsed presidential candidate Barack Obama for the 2008 presidential election. It is said that due to her backing him up, he received more than 1 million additional votes. Oprah has a lot of contribution towards the welfare of society. Education was close to her heart, where she has donated millions in this field. She created the Angel Network in 1988 that supported various charitable projects. She started her Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, where she would provide education and safe heaven for the girls in Africa. She has contributed a lot towards women’s empowerment and women’s development.
Oprah is one such woman who never stopped, even during the harsh times. She is truly a success story, now known to be the queen who raised from poverty and became a global influence.
