Oprah Winfrey calls it a day after 25 years

After 25 years, Oprah Winfrey’s long time reign as television royalty has come to an end. Her final show was one of sincerity and inspiration as she said her fine farewells to her audience who has laughed and cried with her, cheered her on, elevated her to near goddess like status, and hung on her every word.

Ms. Winfrey has been an icon for many years because her wildly popular talk show has been a refreshing and inspiring break in the daytime routine for 40 million Americans each week and countless others in 150 countries world wide. The format of the show changed its tone after the first few seasons to become the more spiritual and personal show that it remained until today. The Oprah Winfrey Show is one of the longest-running daytime television talk shows in the United States, since its birth in September 8, 1986, till the last original show on May 25, 2011. In 24 seasons which includes over 4,000 episodes, Ms. Winfrey has never missed a show.

Oprah has done more than entertain over the years though. Her show has catapulted many authors to the best-seller list through her book clubs and boosted the careers of many others. Dr. Mahmet Oz, who now hosts his own daytime talk show, had a weekly segment on Oprah, as well as Dr. Phil McGraw. Rachel Ray, chef and cookbook author enjoyed further success with her own show after appearing on Oprah, as has Nate Berkus, interior designer. Besides creating more television shows though, Ms. Winfrey has helped countless people with her celebrity through her charitable works and the show’s ability to raise awareness with a single mention from her. She has raised over 51 million dollars for charitable causes and has created several charitable organizations and foundations. The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa and Rebuilding the Gulf Coast are two of many worthy causes that Oprah Winfrey supports.

While The Oprah Winfrey Show has aired its final first-run episode, Ms. Winfrey remains an important figure to her fans who will continue to follow her through her television station, The Oprah Network, and her magazine, O.

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