Oprah’s Fourth-Grade Teacher, 1989
Mary Duncan, who taught Oprah at Wharton Elementary School in Nashville, Tenn., and instilled confidence in the young student, paid her a surprise visit. Of course, there were tears. Says Oprah on her Web site, oprah. com, “For the first time, I wasn’t afraid to be smart.”
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Michael Jackson, 1993
Oprah’s groundbreaking 1993 prime-time interview with Michael Jackson at his Neverland Ranch in California provided Oprah with one of her highest-rated shows of all time. The embattled Jackson made a rare appearance, during which he attempted to dispel many of the bizarre rumors surrounding him. In the process, he told Winfrey he suffered from the skin-pigment disorder known as vitiligo. The episode was watched by 62 million viewers.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Oprah’s Book Club, 1996
Oprah revolutionized publishing when she created her own book club. Authors hit the jackpot and readers shared her passion for “A Lesson Before Dying,” by Ernest J. Gaines, “Freedom,” by Jonathan Franzen and “The Deep End of the Ocean,” by Jacquelyn Mitchard, her first pick among 65 titles.
Harpo, Inc./George Burns
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Oprah’s Can’t Dance: On Stage With Tina Turner, 1997
”There was always one small thing I had dreamed of: singing onstage with Tina Turner. I finally got a chance to do it when the show went on tour with Tina,” Oprah says on oprah.com. “When we’d practiced our dance moves backstage, Tina said, ‘You really don’t have any rhythm, do you?’ During the performance, I could hardly concentrate. In the last few moments, I remember saying to myself: ‘Okay, girl, this is about to be over — so you’d better enjoy it.’ ”
Harpo, Inc./George Burns
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“You get a car! You get a car!” 2004
To kick off the fall 2004 season, Oprah gave her studio audience a present. A big present. The members of the audience were given ribbon-tied boxes and repeatedly told not to open them. Or to shake them. She said that only one of the boxes contained a key to the gift — a brand-new Pontiac G6. Then, the audience started opening the boxes. Everyone had a shiny silver key. Everyone. As her fans screamed and cried, Oprah walked from one end of the stage to the other, bellowing, “You get a car, you get a car. . .”
REUTERS
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Jumping Tom Cruise, 2005
The normally self-contained Cruise jumped around the set, hopped onto a couch, fell to one knee and repeatedly professed his love for his new girlfriend and future wife Katie Holmes. Oprah was startled. We were scared.
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Oprah Gets Her Ears Pierced, 2005
On a show called “How to Look 10 Years Younger Now,” Oprah decided to get her ears pierced. Holding the hand of an audience member, Oprah said, “Be brave. Small children do this, right?” After plastic surgeon Dr. Emily Pollard was finished, Oprah said, “I need a shot of tequila. That was really exciting.”
Harpo, Inc./George Burns
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Oprah Skewers James Frey, 2006
Oprah helped James Frey sell 4 million books when she chose his memoir, “A Million Little Pieces,” for her book club. It was just the kind of addiction-then-redemption tale she laps up — except that some parts weren’t true. When The Smoking Gun reported that Frey had only spent a few hours in jail rather than the 87 days he claimed, Oprah defended Frey during a “Larry King” appearance, saying that his book gave her audience inspiration. But when reports of the book’s fabrications would not subside, Oprah had a showdown with Frey (and his publisher, Nan A. Talese) on the show that brought down the house. Frey admitted he was a liar; Talese admitted that she had never checked the facts behind the story. The publisher subsequently included an author’s note addressing content concerns.
AP
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Oprah’s Secret Sister, 2011
Just when you thought Oprah could not find another skeleton in her crowded closet of family horrors, she produced a whopper — her long-lost sister, Patricia. “I think I’ve seen just about everything and heard every story,” Oprah told her studio audience. “I thought nothing could surprise me anymore. But let me tell you, I. Was. Wrong.” Winfrey’s half-sister Patricia, had been given up for adoption in Milwaukee, Wis., by Winfrey’s mother, Vernita Lee, in 1963. “I was 9 years old at the time, living with my father in Nashville, Tenn.,” Winfrey said. “I had no idea my mother was even pregnant.”
Harpo, Inc./George Burns
