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Birth of the Superstar
Oprah Gale Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi. Her mother, Vernita Lee was only 18 years old and her father, Vernon Winfrey was only 25 and a U.S. Army Private. Vernon did not even know he had a daughter. -
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Oprah Winfrey
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Vernita Leaves
When Oprah was only four years old, Vernita left Oprah in the care of her mother (Oprah's grandmother), Hattie Mae Lee. Vernita moved up north to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to find a job because employment was rather scarce and payed little money down south. -
Oprah Makes a Mistake
Although no one knows the exact date, in the summer of 1968, when Oprah was only 14, she became pregnant. Soon after she moved down to Nashville, Tennessee to live with her dad where she hid her baby bump for 7 months. When she became too big to hide, she finally told her dad and immediately went into labor due to stress. Sadly, the baby died 2 weeks after birth due to prematurity. -
Oprah Graduates
After Oprah's baby experience, she decided to turn her life around. She became a straight-A student and was president of Student Council. She was sent to the White House as a representative of her school and graduated from East High School in Nashville, Tennessee in 1971. She then attended Tennesse State University on a full-scholarship. -
Oprah's First Job
When Oprah was 17, in 1971, she landed her first job as a news reader on WVOL t.v. It did not pay much, but Oprah was fine with that because she wasn't doing it for the money. Oprah' dad only permitted her one hour of t.v. a day, resulting in Oprah always being bored with nothing to do and she thought a job would be a good way to pass the time. Plus, Oprah was extremely good at reading and she enjoyed reading infront of an audience. -
Oprah's Big Break
In the fall of 1973, Oprah was offered a job as the evening anchor at WTVF-TV in Nashville, Tennessee. She accepted without hesitation and became the youngest and first African-American anchor in Nashville. -
Road to Stardom
In the summer of 1976, when Oprah 22, she accepted a job as morning anchor at WJZ in Baltimore, Maryland. WJZ was a very popular news channel, with numerous viewers everyday. -
Sad Days
In the spring of 1977, Oprah was only 23 years old and she was already suffering from a mild case of depression. WJZ was very critical of Oprah, they felt she was too charismatic and portrayed too much emotion for an anchor. They changed the way she talked, looked, dressed, and acted. Oprah became very self-concious and started "stress eating." She gained a lot of weight which only made her even more self-concious. WJZ demoted Oprah to the 4 a.m. show, the most unpopular and unwatched time-slot. -
Oprah is Back in the Game
In the summer of 1978, Oprah gets her first talk-show hosting job. The new show, "People Are Talking" was broadcasted in Baltimore, Maryland and had high hopes and expectations of becoming a big hit. -
Oprah Becomes Popular
In the fall of 1978, after only a few months of broadcasting, "People Are Talking" became extremely popular, just as they hoped it would. Oprah was an instant hit and was adored by her many viewers in Baltimore. Her entertaining and unique personality made her unresistable, and she was able to display those characteristics in her new job as a talk-show host. -
Oprah Wants More
In the summer of 1984, Oprah applied for a job in Chicago, Illinois as a more popular talk-show host. In no time the producers of the show offer Oprah the job, which she willingly accepts. Oprah knew that was an extraordinary opportunity, that she could not turn down. -
Oprah's the Next Big Thing
Oprah was such a hit in Chicago, they renamed the show after her to the "Oprah Winfrey Show." The studio remained in Chicago and still continued to be owned by other producers. They decided to rename it because Oprah was the star of the show and the main reason it was so popular. -
Oprah's Show Takes Storm
Soon after being renamed, Oprah's show sky rockets up the popularity charts and takes first place. This new-earned spot was not an easy destination and she had to beat out her biggest rival; the show "Donahue" hosted by Phil Donahue. It was not an easy task, but over the years Oprah has proven that she can accomplish anything if she puts her mind to it. -
Oprah Goes National
On September 8, 1986, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" was broadcasted nationally for the first time. People all across the country could now watch the show everyone in Chicago was fussing over. Oprah, once again, exceeded the expectations and took the whole country by storm. -
Oprah Gets Awarded
On January 18, 1987 Oprah was awarded her first emmy for "Most Outstanding Talk-Show Host." At that point it was evident that the people of America had spoken, and they had chosen their beloved Oprah. -
Oprah's Big Announcement
In 2009, Oprah signed a contract stating she would be continuing her show through the 2010-2011 season.Later she announced to her viewers she would be ending her program when her contract was up and the 2010-2011 season was over. -
Oprah's Last Run
On May 29, 2011, Oprah broadcasted her very last show. She sat down in her famous seat in her studio infront of her loyal and beloved audience for the last time. Her closest friends and family sat in the audience, watching and admiring Oprah as she teared-up while praising her viewers and thanking everyone; even god for giving her the oppurtunity to accomplish her "true calling."
