The Groundbreaking Story of Oprah Winfrey
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She’s considered the Queen of All Media, but it was a long and challenging road to the throne.
Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’ll be taking a look at the incredible true story of talk show icon, businesswoman, philanthropist and media mogul Oprah Winfrey.
Oprah Gail Winfrey was born on January 29th, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi - except technically, her legal name was Orpah after a figure from the Bible. Unfortunately for young Orpah, people struggled to pronounce her name, often switching the “r” and “p”, and so Orpah became Oprah. Her mother, a housekeeper, was only a teenager at the time of Oprah’s birth, and her father wasn’t in the picture at the time. Oprah’s first years were spent in abject poverty, and we’re not just talking about living paycheck to paycheck. Sent to live with her grandmother until the age of six, she often wore empty potato sacks as dresses. Despite these hardships and the mockery that poverty brought her from her peers, Oprah’s early rural life also planted the seed of one of her greatest passions: her grandmother taught her to read before the age of three.
At the age of six, Oprah moved North with her mother to Milwaukee. It was a fundamentally different environment, and her mother’s parenting style was a drastic change from that of her strict but encouraging grandmother. She was also briefly sent to live with her father in Nashville, Tennessee. As if ongoing poverty and an unstable family environment wasn’t challenging enough, Oprah was also the victim of both psychological and sexual abuse at the hands of extended family members and a family friend. By the age of 13, unable to bear the circumstances of her home life any longer, she ran away from how. By the age of 14, she had become pregnant, prematurely giving birth to a son who died shortly afterwards. Only a decade and a half old, Oprah had already faced enough hardships to break the average person. To achieve what she has from such a disadvantaged life of trauma might have seemed impossible, but opportunity was just around the corner.
When Oprah was enrolled at Lincoln High School in Milwaukee, she quickly distinguished herself with her hardwork and obvious intelligence. She was placed in the Upward Bound Program, and soon received a transfer to a prestigious high school in an affluent neighborhood. Oprah seemed to be on the right track, but here she began to crack under the social pressure and the influence of her privileged peers. She began acting out, and so she was once again sent to live with her father in Nashville - this time for good. Like her maternal grandmother however, her father proved to be a strict but encouraging guardian. Under his influence, Oprah’s natural tendency towards performing well in school took over. She soon found herself on the honors student list, excelling in extracurriculars, and by the time she graduated,she had secured a scholarship using her excellent oratory skills.
It was during Oprah’s final year of high school that she also got her first taste of working in media. After winning a beauty pageant, she secured part-time work as a news anchor. She was just 17 at the time, but she would continue to anchor at WVOL as she continued her education at Tennessee State University, where she studied communications. Altogether, she would work at WVOL for a total of three years. Soon she was hired at WLAC-TV, where she was the youngest anchor in that station’s history, as well as their first black anchor. In her short life up to this point, she’d already gone from potato sacks to breaking ground for women of color.
After graduation, Oprah moved to Baltimore's WJZ-TV in 1976. Here she initially served as co-anchor for the 6 o’clock news, before losing her seat and being relegated to support tasks. But sometimes, you have to take on step backwards in order to take two steps forward. She was asked to join Richard Sher on the talk show “People Are Talking” in 1978. It was Oprah’s first foray into the format, and it would forever change her life.
After having cut her teeth back in Baltimore, Winfrey moved to the Windy City. Though it may have seemed like a big step forward for this star-in-the-making, Oprah had her work cut out for her. The morning talk show that she was taking over, “AM Chicago,” was struggling to attract viewers. It was here that Oprah first really showcased her star power. In a matter of mere months, Winfrey took “AM Chicago” from a sinking ship to WLS-TV’s flagship morning show and the highest rated talk show in all of Chicago.
It was during her time on “”AM Chicago” that Oprah was approached to star in the film “The Color Purple.” Producer and music legend Quincy Jones had seen her on the program and thought that she would be a good fit for one of his projects. The film in question was the coming-of-age period drama, “The Color Purple,” directed by Steven Spielberg. It was Oprah’s film debut; she had previously only ever acted once (on the stage) in a one-woman play she performed back in 1978. Despite her relative inexperience, Winfrey turned in a star-making performance, one which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The film was a huge success both with critics and at the box office, and Oprah’s star power significantly increased.
Oprah’s first episode hosting “AM Chicago” aired in January of 1984. Flash forward to September of 1986, and the program had been extended to a full hour, rechristened “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” signed to a record-breaking syndication deal with King World, and was being broadcast across the nation. And just like that… Oprah Winfrey became the top daytime talk show host in the country. For many, that would be enough. But part of what makes Oprah Winfrey such a force to be reckoned with, and the reason that her brand has continued to expand, is that she refuses to stop moving. And so in 1986, Oprah founded her very own production company, Harpo Inc., which she used as a place to produce stories she thought were worth telling. This was just the start of what would grow to become one of the most distinct media empires and successful personality-driven brands in the history of entertainment. Oprah’s Book Club, Oprah’s Favorite Things, O Magazine, co-founding the Oxygen Network - over the years Oprah, has continuously found new ways to connect with her fans.
The Oprah Winfrey Show ran from 1986 to 2011. During that time, the show produced 4,561 episodes. It also took home 47 Daytime Emmys (all before 2000, when Oprah opted to forego submitting the series for Emmy consideration). TV Guide lists it among its “50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time,” and today it remains the single highest-rated daytime talk show in the history of American television. After 25 seasons on the air, you’d think that Oprah might want to retire, but instead, 2011 was the year that she founded OWN, her very own specialty television network. It got off to a bit of a slow start, but by 2015, the channel was being broadcast into an estimated 81.9 million households in America. Because when Oprah faces adversity, she adapts, overcomes and finds a way to succeed.
Somehow, while accomplishing everything she has… Oprah has also managed to give back in a major way. By 2004, she already ranked among the “50 most generous Americans.” Flash forward to 2012, and she’d donated an estimated $400 million to educational programs. Scholarships, museums, disaster relief following Hurricane Katrina - Oprah has been directly involved with all of the above. Through Oprah’s Angel Network, which operated from 1998 to 2010, Oprah accepted donations and redistributed them to nonprofits and charitable efforts; 100% of donated funds went to these organizations, with Oprah covering the OAN operational costs. In South Africa, she operates a boarding school, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls – South Africa (OWLAG), where disadvantaged young women are given the skills and opportunities to change not just their own lives, but the world.
Over the course of her career, Oprah has changed the face of popular media, becoming an empowering icon for multiple generations in the process. But she’s not finished yet. Oprah has recently announced her intention to produce original content for Apple and continues to expand her brand with new. While she’s publically stated that she’s disinterested in politics, she remains committed to changing the world through her philanthropic efforts.
From the humblest of beginnings, Oprah ascended to become one of the single most influential figures in entertainment, if not the world.
Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’ll be taking a look at the incredible true story of talk show icon, businesswoman, philanthropist and media mogul Oprah Winfrey.
Humble Beginnings:
Oprah Gail Winfrey was born on January 29th, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi - except technically, her legal name was Orpah after a figure from the Bible. Unfortunately for young Orpah, people struggled to pronounce her name, often switching the “r” and “p”, and so Orpah became Oprah. Her mother, a housekeeper, was only a teenager at the time of Oprah’s birth, and her father wasn’t in the picture at the time. Oprah’s first years were spent in abject poverty, and we’re not just talking about living paycheck to paycheck. Sent to live with her grandmother until the age of six, she often wore empty potato sacks as dresses. Despite these hardships and the mockery that poverty brought her from her peers, Oprah’s early rural life also planted the seed of one of her greatest passions: her grandmother taught her to read before the age of three.
At the age of six, Oprah moved North with her mother to Milwaukee. It was a fundamentally different environment, and her mother’s parenting style was a drastic change from that of her strict but encouraging grandmother. She was also briefly sent to live with her father in Nashville, Tennessee. As if ongoing poverty and an unstable family environment wasn’t challenging enough, Oprah was also the victim of both psychological and sexual abuse at the hands of extended family members and a family friend. By the age of 13, unable to bear the circumstances of her home life any longer, she ran away from how. By the age of 14, she had become pregnant, prematurely giving birth to a son who died shortly afterwards. Only a decade and a half old, Oprah had already faced enough hardships to break the average person. To achieve what she has from such a disadvantaged life of trauma might have seemed impossible, but opportunity was just around the corner.
A Star Pupil Navigating Adolescence:
When Oprah was enrolled at Lincoln High School in Milwaukee, she quickly distinguished herself with her hardwork and obvious intelligence. She was placed in the Upward Bound Program, and soon received a transfer to a prestigious high school in an affluent neighborhood. Oprah seemed to be on the right track, but here she began to crack under the social pressure and the influence of her privileged peers. She began acting out, and so she was once again sent to live with her father in Nashville - this time for good. Like her maternal grandmother however, her father proved to be a strict but encouraging guardian. Under his influence, Oprah’s natural tendency towards performing well in school took over. She soon found herself on the honors student list, excelling in extracurriculars, and by the time she graduated,she had secured a scholarship using her excellent oratory skills.
Starting from the Bottom - Local News:
It was during Oprah’s final year of high school that she also got her first taste of working in media. After winning a beauty pageant, she secured part-time work as a news anchor. She was just 17 at the time, but she would continue to anchor at WVOL as she continued her education at Tennessee State University, where she studied communications. Altogether, she would work at WVOL for a total of three years. Soon she was hired at WLAC-TV, where she was the youngest anchor in that station’s history, as well as their first black anchor. In her short life up to this point, she’d already gone from potato sacks to breaking ground for women of color.
After graduation, Oprah moved to Baltimore's WJZ-TV in 1976. Here she initially served as co-anchor for the 6 o’clock news, before losing her seat and being relegated to support tasks. But sometimes, you have to take on step backwards in order to take two steps forward. She was asked to join Richard Sher on the talk show “People Are Talking” in 1978. It was Oprah’s first foray into the format, and it would forever change her life.
The Queen of Chicago & “The Color Purple”
After having cut her teeth back in Baltimore, Winfrey moved to the Windy City. Though it may have seemed like a big step forward for this star-in-the-making, Oprah had her work cut out for her. The morning talk show that she was taking over, “AM Chicago,” was struggling to attract viewers. It was here that Oprah first really showcased her star power. In a matter of mere months, Winfrey took “AM Chicago” from a sinking ship to WLS-TV’s flagship morning show and the highest rated talk show in all of Chicago.
It was during her time on “”AM Chicago” that Oprah was approached to star in the film “The Color Purple.” Producer and music legend Quincy Jones had seen her on the program and thought that she would be a good fit for one of his projects. The film in question was the coming-of-age period drama, “The Color Purple,” directed by Steven Spielberg. It was Oprah’s film debut; she had previously only ever acted once (on the stage) in a one-woman play she performed back in 1978. Despite her relative inexperience, Winfrey turned in a star-making performance, one which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The film was a huge success both with critics and at the box office, and Oprah’s star power significantly increased.
From “The Oprah Winfrey Show” to an Empire
Oprah’s first episode hosting “AM Chicago” aired in January of 1984. Flash forward to September of 1986, and the program had been extended to a full hour, rechristened “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” signed to a record-breaking syndication deal with King World, and was being broadcast across the nation. And just like that… Oprah Winfrey became the top daytime talk show host in the country. For many, that would be enough. But part of what makes Oprah Winfrey such a force to be reckoned with, and the reason that her brand has continued to expand, is that she refuses to stop moving. And so in 1986, Oprah founded her very own production company, Harpo Inc., which she used as a place to produce stories she thought were worth telling. This was just the start of what would grow to become one of the most distinct media empires and successful personality-driven brands in the history of entertainment. Oprah’s Book Club, Oprah’s Favorite Things, O Magazine, co-founding the Oxygen Network - over the years Oprah, has continuously found new ways to connect with her fans.
The Oprah Winfrey Show ran from 1986 to 2011. During that time, the show produced 4,561 episodes. It also took home 47 Daytime Emmys (all before 2000, when Oprah opted to forego submitting the series for Emmy consideration). TV Guide lists it among its “50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time,” and today it remains the single highest-rated daytime talk show in the history of American television. After 25 seasons on the air, you’d think that Oprah might want to retire, but instead, 2011 was the year that she founded OWN, her very own specialty television network. It got off to a bit of a slow start, but by 2015, the channel was being broadcast into an estimated 81.9 million households in America. Because when Oprah faces adversity, she adapts, overcomes and finds a way to succeed.
A Philanthropist First
Somehow, while accomplishing everything she has… Oprah has also managed to give back in a major way. By 2004, she already ranked among the “50 most generous Americans.” Flash forward to 2012, and she’d donated an estimated $400 million to educational programs. Scholarships, museums, disaster relief following Hurricane Katrina - Oprah has been directly involved with all of the above. Through Oprah’s Angel Network, which operated from 1998 to 2010, Oprah accepted donations and redistributed them to nonprofits and charitable efforts; 100% of donated funds went to these organizations, with Oprah covering the OAN operational costs. In South Africa, she operates a boarding school, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls – South Africa (OWLAG), where disadvantaged young women are given the skills and opportunities to change not just their own lives, but the world.
The Future
Over the course of her career, Oprah has changed the face of popular media, becoming an empowering icon for multiple generations in the process. But she’s not finished yet. Oprah has recently announced her intention to produce original content for Apple and continues to expand her brand with new. While she’s publically stated that she’s disinterested in politics, she remains committed to changing the world through her philanthropic efforts.
From the humblest of beginnings, Oprah ascended to become one of the single most influential figures in entertainment, if not the world.
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