Oprah Winfrey regains slot as the most powerful celebrity

Forbes magazine once declared inspirational American talkshow host, Oprah Winfrey, the richest African-American of the 20th Century and the world’s only Black billionaire for three years running. She has returned to the top, as the magazine has again announced her as the most powerful celebrity.  TOLUWANI OLAMITOKE looks at her activities.
AMERICAN television host, actress, producer and  philanthropist, Oprah Winfrey, a fortnight ago returned to the top of Forbes annual ranking of the most powerful celebrities after two years in second place.

She leads a female-dominated top 10 that includes Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Madonna, and Taylor Swift.
 The Oprah Winfrey Show, often referred to simply as Oprah, is one of the longest-running daytime
American television talk shows in history. It aired  for 25 years.
  Produced and hosted by its namesake, Oprah Winfrey, it remains the highest-rated talk show in American television history.
  The show was highly influential, and many of its topics penetrated into the American pop-cultural consciousness.  
 Winfrey used the show as a platform to teach and inspire, providing viewers with a positive, spiritually uplifting experience by featuring book clubs, compelling interviews, self-improvement segments, and philanthropic forays into world events.
 The American celebrity admitted that the show brought her back to her responsibility as an admired black woman with a great deal of power and influence. She realised that being in such a position within the media industry, she could make a positive difference in people’s lives.  She was  once again inspired to continue to help people take better control of their destinies, hence her slogan, “Live Your Best Life.”
     “I made the decision while making the film Beloved.  I was doing some scenes—Beloved is about an ex-slave, and during that process of doing that, I connected to really what slavery had meant.  And  coming from a history of people who had no voice, who had no power, and that I have been given this blessed opportunity to speak to people, to influence them in ways that can make a difference in their lives,  I felt I had no  choice but to make use of the opportunity,’’ she said.
 The show, which had  received 47 Daytime Emmy Awards before Winfrey decided to stop submitting it for consideration in 2000, gained credibility by not trying to profit off the products it endorsed; it had no licensing agreement with retailers when products were promoted, nor did the show make any money from endorsing books for its book club. 
  Winfrey interviewed a plethora of public figures and everyday-people during the show’s 25-year history.
 When celebrities and newsmakers were ready to share their most intimate secrets, their first stop was Winfrey’s couch and when a serious story hit, the Oprah show focused on putting a human face on the headlines.
  Winfrey claims her worst interviewing experience was with Elizabeth Taylor in the show’s second season. Just before the interview, Taylor asked Winfrey not to ask any questions about her relationships. Winfrey found this to be a challenge considering Taylor had been married seven times. Taylor returned to the show in 1992, apologised to Winfrey and told her that she was in excruciating back and hip pain at the time.
  On February 10, 1993, Winfrey sat down with Michael Jackson for what would become the most-watched interview in television history. Jackson, an intensely private entertainer, had not given an interview in 14 years. The event was broadcast live from Jackson’s Neverland Ranch and was watched by 90 million people worldwide.
  Jackson discussed missing out on a normal childhood and his strained relationship with his father, Joe Jackson.                   During the interview, Jackson attempted to dispel many of the rumours surrounding him and told Winfrey he suffered from the skin-pigment disorder known as vitiligo when asked about the change in the colour of his skin.
  While admitting to getting a nose job, he denied all other plastic surgery rumours. Later in the interview, Jackson was joined by his close friend, Elizabeth Taylor. This made her third appearance on the show.
   On November 10, 1986, during a show about sexual abuse, Winfrey revealed that she was raped when she was nine years old by a relative. Since this episode, Winfrey has used the show as a platform to help catch child predators, raise awareness and give victims a voice.
  While doing a show centred on women drug users in 1995, Winfrey opened up about her personal history with drug abuse:
  “I relate to your story so much. In my 20s, I had done this drug [cocaine]. I know exactly what you’re talking about. It is my life’s great big secret. It is such a secret because I realise that the public person that I have become, if the story were ever revealed, the tabloids would exploit it and what a big issue it would be.
 “But I was involved with a man in my 20s who introduced me to cocaine.  I always felt that the drug itself was not the problem, but that I was addicted to the man.
   “I’ve often said over the years in my attempt to come out and say it, I have said many times, ‘I did things in my 20s I was ashamed of,’ ‘I’ve done things I’ve felt guilty about.’   And that is my life’s great secret that’s been held over my head. ... I understand the shame and I understand the guilt, I understand the secrecy, I understand all that,’’ she said.
   On November 20, 2009, Winfrey announced that the 25th season would be the show’s last. She said during the live Friday episode:
   “ I love this show. This show has been my life. And I love it enough to know when it’s time to say goodbye. Twenty-five years feels right in my bones, and it feels right in my spirit. It’s the perfect number—the exact right time. So, I hope that you will take this 18-month ride with me right through to the final show.’’
  In May 2011, Winfrey interviewed the  United States president, Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, her first-ever interview with a sitting president and First Lady.
  They talked about the challenges of parenting at the White House, the strength of their relationship, and their concern for the country’s future. President Obama also thanked Winfrey for her contributions to the country. “You’ve got a big heart, and you share it with people. Nobody knows how to connect better than you do,” he said. “We are just blessed and grateful to have you in our lives.”
 The final episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show which received the show’s  highest rating in 17 years was  aired in the United States on Wednesday, May 25, 2011. It was preceded by a two-part farewell special recorded at the United Center in Chicago in front of an audience of 13,000.
  The final episode was a smaller affair, recorded in the usual recording studio. Winfrey spent most of the finale thanking the show’s staff and her fans.
    “I’ve been asked many times during this farewell season, ‘Is ending the show bitter-sweet?’ Well, I say all sweet. No bitter. And here is why: Many of us have been together for 25 years. We have hooted and hollered together, had our aha! Moments, we ugly-cried together and we did our gratitude journals. So, I thank you all for your support and your trust in me. And I thank you for being as much of a sweet inspiration for me as I’ve tried to be for you. I won’t say goodbye. I’ll just say...until we meet again. To God be the glory.’’   She finished the show in tears