She’s smart, rich, powerful and charismatic, yet the indomitable Oprah Winfrey might just be suffering a mid-life crisis — not about what she has, but about what she doesn’t have, discovers J. Randy Taraborrelli.
The first time I met Oprah Winfrey was in February, 1984. She called to ask me to appear on a TV show called AM Chicago. She wanted to talk about a Diana Ross biography I had just written. I had no idea who she was and neither did most people. She was just a TV personality in the Chicago area.
So, I was reluctant to fly all the way from California to Illinois to appear on her program. “But I so love Diana Ross,” she told me. “She inspired me as a child. So, please, do this for me. I promise you that it will be a good experience.” She seemed so genuine, I decided that I had to take the trip, if for no other reason than to meet her.
She was right. It was a good experience. In fact, I’d never before met anyone quite like her. It was difficult not to focus on her, so powerful was her charisma. I fell completely under her spell.
When the interview was over, she shook my hand and thanked me. It was then that I committed one of the biggest mistakes of my career as a journalist. I said, “You’re very welcome, Orpha.” Without missing a beat, she corrected me. “It’s Oprah,” she said. With that, she cut to a commercial. “Oh, I am so sorry,” I told her when we were finally off camera. “I can’t believe I got your name wrong. I’m so embarrassed.” She smiled at me warmly. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “It happens all the time.”
Almost 25 years later, it’s difficult to imagine anyone getting that name wrong. Indeed, that little program in Chicago was soon expanded to an hour and then broadcast nationally as The Oprah Winfrey Show. It quickly became the most successful and most critically acclaimed talk show in TV history, making her rich beyond all reason.
In fact, according to Forbes magazine, Oprah’s personal net worth is $1.5billion. That makes her the world’s only African-American billionaire. Today, her influence is also felt in cable TV, magazines, books, movies and even on Broadway. It’s Oprah, all right. She is now one of the few people in the world who is identifiable by first name alone.
To find out why Oprah is lonely at the top, pick up a copy of the June issue of The Weekly — out now!
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