The world star owns a personal magazine, a TV channel, a film studio and a radio network. During her career, she has received the honorary titles of America’s leading lady, one of the most influential businesswomen of our time, the only black billionaire in history, etc. All this is about Oprah Winfrey. This is a woman who definitely made herself from scratch and put a lot of effort into achieving success. Her own talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, which was broadcast on national television for 25 years, brought her popularity. Also learn about the phenomenon of actress Angelina Jolie. Read more on los-angeles.pro.
Biography
Oprah Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954 in the town of Kosciusko (Mississippi, USA). At birth, the girl was given the name Orpah, in honor of the biblical heroine. However, later, she had to become Oprah, because people had difficulty pronouncing her first name. When her mother gave birth to Oprah, she was 18 years old. She was unable to raise her daughter on her own. The woman decided to leave the child with her grandmother and search for work. Over several years of daily upbringing, the grandmother became a mother for the girl. She taught Winfrey to read and write at the age of 2.5. Oprah grew up in a strict atmosphere under the watchful eye of her grandmother. When the girl was 6 years old, her mother took her to live with her in the city of Milwaukee in the north of the USA. During this time, the mother had already given birth to two sons. They were waiting for the arrival of an older sister. After three years of living in the new family, a traumatic experience occurred for the girl. Oprah was raped by her cousin, who gave her ice cream for the promise not to tell anyone what happened. Oprah experienced violence not only from her cousin. The girl also became a victim of violence from her brothers, their friends and her uncle. Such shocks could not but affect the girl’s mental health. To escape from the daily terrible reality, she began to take drugs. Later, she decided to run away from her family and went to her biological father. At the time of the move, she was pregnant by one of the rapists. This fact aggravated Oprah’s depression and she tried to commit suicide. To do this, Oprah took a lot of pills. Such actions of the 13-year-old girl provoked a miscarriage. After such a long path of tragic and terrible incidents, Oprah began a new life. She continued to live with her father. He did everything possible for the development of his child. They did their homework together and went to the library.
Beginning of career
Even in her turbulent childhood, Oprah dreamed of getting on television and being a TV presenter. She began to approach the realization of this dream at the age of 19. Then, she worked as an assistant news anchor on the CBS channel. At that time, she was the first African-American woman in such a position. Her career developed. Three years later, Winfrey worked as a commentator in the evening show on the ABC channel in Baltimore. People loved Oprah and the channel decided to use this to its advantage. After some time of successful work in the evening show, she was sent to work on a morning program with low ratings. This did not break Oprah. She did everything possible and impossible. Within a month, the ratings skyrocketed. People were interested in watching her on the screen. The young presenter was noticed in the Chicago branch of the ABC channel. There, in 1986, The Oprah Winfrey Show first appeared on the screens. It became legendary. It was watched in more than 60 countries around the world and real success came to Oprah. After the show was released, she became the richest and most popular African-American in the United States. Within two years of the show’s release, Oprah bought one of the film studios in Chicago for $20 million. She also founded the multimedia company Harpo Productions with 70% women employees.
The Oprah Winfrey Show
This show remained popular for more than 25 years. The secret to its success was the host’s openness and the absence of forbidden topics. She invited creative people, politicians, porn actors and public activists to talk. Each episode was awaited by the audience like a holiday. In 1993, her interview with the King of Pop Michael Jackson took place, which was recorded at his ranch. The conversation was broadcast live and was watched by over 90 million viewers. The episode became the most popular interview in the entire existence of the show. Oprah Winfrey’s talent lies in her ability to get her interlocutor to be sincere. Thus, A.J. McLean from the Backstreet Boys first admitted to drug addiction on Oprah’s show in 2003. Tom Cruise told the world that he was in love with Katie Holmes in 2005.
It was also important for the audience that ordinary people were no less interesting to Winfrey than stars. She did more than just interviews. The show featured touching reunions of loved ones and relatives who had lost touch for a long time. What the audience remembered most was the host’s emotionality and sincerity. The concept of ‘the Oprah Effect’ appeared on American television. The show has won 48 Emmy Awards and earned the host about $3 billion. In 2021, Oprah’s fortune was estimated at $2.6 billion.
Oprah’s permanent residence is California. She owns a large and comfortable house overlooking the ocean and mountain range. Oprah has dreamed of such a house since childhood, so she was ready to spend a lot of money on it. It became known that the TV presenter bought the place from the former owners for $50 million.
Personal life
Oprah’s personal life is often discussed in American society. In her entire life, Oprah was not married and did not give birth to children. After the tragic loss of her first child in her youth, she could not have children. However, the TV presenter has repeatedly stated that she does not consider infertility to be her personal tragedy. According to her, she never had plans to become a mother. Oprah adores dogs. She had three retrievers and two cocker spaniels.
Oprah Winfrey’s books
The world-famous presenter also showed herself as a writer. One of Oprah’s most famous books is The Wisdom of Sundays: Life-Changing Insights from Super Soul Conversations. It is based on vivid interviews with star guests of the Soulful Sunday program – US President Jimmy Carter, Paulo Coelho, Thich Nhat Hanh, Eckhart Tolle, Elizabeth Gilbert and other politicians, businessmen and spiritual teachers. Another book by Oprah is What I Know for Sure. The billionaire has drawn valuable lessons from her rich life experience, which she shared with readers. Oprah’s next book is What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing. The TV presenter published this book in co-authorship with trauma and brain development expert Dr. Bruce Perry.
Throughout her life, Oprah has felt societal pressure about her weight. She tried dozens of diets that didn’t work. Oprah knows what an eating disorder is and what harm it can do to your health. With the help of chef friends, the woman was able to find delicious healthy dishes, wonderful recipes and a way to control her weight. Winfrey shared her experience in the collection Food, Health, and Happiness: 115 On Point Recipes for Great Meals and a Better Life.
In 2019, Oprah published the book The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life’s Direction and Purpose. In ten chapters, she described the basis for creating a successful life, deep self-knowledge and seeing your true values. The publication also includes more than 100 rare photographs from the TV presenter’s archives and a collection of her personal stories and life lessons.
