For the past 25 years Oprah Winfrey has touched the lives of tens of millions of people around the world. She’s the only black female billionaire in history with an estimated net worth of $2.3 billion. She’s been a friend, a teacher and an inspiration to women and men of all ages and color, and will continue to do so with her new television channel the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). As The Oprah Winfrey Show comes to an end Tom Hanks aptly put it, “here’s the phrase we’re gonna miss, Did you see Oprah yesterday?” Though there have been hundreds of OMG moments on Oprah’s show here’s a list of what I believe have been the 5 greatest.
Michael Jackson Interview
90 million viewers tuned in to watch Oprah interview Michael Jackson in 1993 at his Neverland Ranch which till date it remains the most watched interview in television history. In the show’s 25th season Oprah went back to the Neverland Ranch to interview Jackon’s children for the first time.
Oprah’s Book Club
If Oprah says you should be doing something she’s probably right and there’s a chance you’ll even listen. In 1996 she launched the Oprah Book Club to get people to start reading again. Since its inception every single book out of the 60 Oprah has recommended has become a best-seller.
“You All Get A Car!”
There may not be a Santa Clause but Oprah comes pretty close to being one. On the season premiere of the show in 2004 she gifted each person in the audience a car. She later told USA Today: “I wanted it to be bigger than Santa Clause and not be an act of a fairy godmother, because that’s not who I am.” As expected the crowd went ballistic when they got to know the surprise but I don’t know how happy they were a couple weeks later when they found out they had to pay $7,000 in taxes to receive the car.
Weight Wagon
Oprah has always been open about her weight struggles and in the season premiere of her show in 1988 she made a statement about it by wheeling in a wagon of animal fat equivalent to the amount of weight she had lost (67lbs) on a liquid diet. Unfortunately she gained back double the amount when she stopped the diet and has continued to have weight issues.
Tom Cruise
Who can forget Tom Cruise jumping onto Oprah’s couch proclaiming his love for Katie Holmes? Some thought it was cute, others felt he had lost his mind but it has became one of most epic Tom Cruise moments.