Oprah Winfrey, whose final show is being broadcast today after 25 years.
When Oprah Winfrey first bounded onto the talk show stage in the early 1980's at a time when Phil Donahue ruled daytime talk, it was clear she was there to stay and to make a difference. Her hour-long daytime talk show from Chicago, first syndicated nationally in 1986, quickly eclipsed Donahue's and firmly positioned her as the reigning monarch of the genre.
Her shows began with topics like "How to marry the right person" and became increasingly more tabloid and controversial. People tuned in to see paternity disputes, family feuds and personal dysfunction at record levels before Winfrey finally changed the tone of the show to focus on interviewing celebrities and those who'd had what she considered to be "extraordinary" experiences, handing the baton of tabloid talk over to others like Jerry Springer and Maury Povich.
At the beginning, Oprah was one of us, magnetic, an Earth mother, someone who could make people feel comfortable enough to talk, someone who could make people feel comfortable enough to turn on a television set day after day and be part of an audience of several million. She was the person who did a courageous and not particularly flattering star turn in "The Color Purple" at the invitation of Steven Spielberg. She was someone who was gracious and polite and somewhat self-effacing while trying to raise, subtly, the national consciousness.
Oprah Winfrey's first appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, 1986.That's not the same Oprah Winfrey who is having her last show today, after 25 years. Somewhere along the way Oprah changed; whether it was money or success or power or a combination of the three, she changed.
Everything about the world of The Big O became very inward looking and self focused. She was merchandising herself beyond simple branding. With rare exceptions, every cover of her own magazine bore an image of her, impossible not to notice at news stands or while waiting in line at the supermarket.
The cover of O Magazine, one of many that included Oprah with her various dogs. It was hard to escape the cult of Oprah at the newstands.
It wasn't just a matter of having sisterly sympathy for her as she battled her struggles with weight or nodding when we heard about sexual abuse, secret children or Stedman. Instead of being an aspiring television personality from Tennessee she was a larger than life presence that dominated everything, a mistress of Montecito.
Make no mistake, I applaud her success and believe that success has championed much other success, particularly for minorities and women. I also recognize that she has given back generously to many individuals and causes, some done quietly, but some with significant fanfare. It became so much a part of the public consciousness that it became caricature.
I appreciate the success that Oprah Winfrey became. I appreciate the hardships and obstacles she had to face to get there. I appreciate her public and private philanthropy. But I long ago tired of the larger than life personality that became a poster child for public narcissism, the person who felt a need to be the center of her own world, the cover of every magazine, the focus of every action. I tuned out ages ago on the cult of Oprah, the self-help guru, the book club queen, the belle of her own ball.
Because long ago, Oprah ceased to be what initially invited her into the hearts of millions of viewers. One of us.
For a different point of view, see Mary Elizabeth Williams' "There Will Never Be Another Oprah" on Salon.
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Ted Frier
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J. P. Major
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Comments
Bill Moyers, I still miss greatly after a year. But Oprah, I hardly knew ye.
In 2005-ish, I can remember starting a paper on the "cult of O" for an undergrad writing class. I ended up changing the topic and never writing about Oprah because I couldn't figure out how to express my thoughts without insulting everyone I knew. In a strange way, I actually felt guilty about it. Just that fact alone made me feel even more strongly that Oprah is too...much sometimes. As you've said so well-- respect and admiration with strong reservations.
I was flying through London last week and took advantage of the long layover at Heathrow to catch up on all the British daily tabloids (one of my guilty pleasures in life). Jan Moir, a "Daily Mail" columnist, had a piece titled "How The Cult Of Oprah Made Victims Of Us All." I think you'd like it, especially given its British perspective:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1388966/How-cult-Oprah-victims-all.html
And, if you link to it, you'll find right below it another piece she wrote titled "Why Aren't These Dinosaurs Extinct Yet?" about the Dominic Strauss-Kahn mess, which you wrote about recently.
Rated for letting me know I'm not alone in my Oprah fatigue.
Nicely done Kathy.
Lezlie
The thing I hate the most is the screeching audience - their apparently mindless adoration of Oprah is bad enough but, seriously, grown women in tears over some thing she's passing out? Given her level of financial success and the adoration of the masses, I can't say for sure I'd have turned out nearly as well.
Re O covers - I sometimes wonder how she and her crew can think up a new & different pose every time...
Bottom line - I admire & all that, but have seldom watched. Adulation is kinda creepy and, yes, it encourages or even engenders narcissism.
Still...she's been a force for AA matters, gay matters, etc. A mixed bag, like all of us, only larger than life with a world-wide platform.
My mother loves Oprah and used to gift me a subscription to her magazine for a few years. What struck me about the magazine was how hypocritical it is. It has a column by Suze Orman on how women should manage finances followed by pages of Oprahs "must-haves" and makeovers with women wearing outfits that were in the $2000 range. It would have long columns on fitness and nutrition and instructions on how to get in shape followed by "Grandma's Best Brownies!" with no nutritional information included and certainly not lightened up.
Once there was an article about getting organized that seemed to conclude that the subject of the article was unorganized because she had never fully grieved the loss of her father. Nice for the subject of the article, but not so helpful getting myself organized.
(r)
In the breakroom at one of my stateside military assignments, we had a television that would be on, while those of us who were brown-bagging our lunches every day would channel-surf Oprah and the other day-time talk shows that were on at that time. We used to see the same people, over and over, and would speculate on how many of them were professional talk show guests.
I'm glad to be rid of her, as well. Thanks again.
I think what she has achieved is extraordinary and I applaud her for it.
There goes my street cred.
I watched Oprah in the early days because I was at home with a small child and I needed something to occupy my mind as I did the necessary household chores. Phil Donahue was still on at that time as well, but he was nearing the end of his career. Oprah was the new kid on the block.
Since then, I have watched bits and pieces of her show as I channel surf. I don't read supermarket tabloids, and I don't watch tabloid television. To me, that is what her show became about five years or so after she went national.
By the way, thanks for the opportunity to see Johnny Carson again. I have always had the biggest crush on him, not in a romantic sense, but I wished he could be my uncle who I could visit occasionally, just to bask in his presence. There will never be anyone like him, ever again.
P.S. Did you notice that Oprah and Seinfeld had basically the same hairdo, except Oprah's was more bouffant? Gotta love the Eighties!
NO TINK PICK!! PROTEST!! PROTEST!!!
~runs from the room in tears~
:D (I mean, really, how can we miss her, she has her own network!!! :D)
I haven't watched the show in a very long time. The James Frey mess made me no longer trust her book picks as "good reads."
Her magazine is one I follow though I quit subscribing years ago. It has a high percentage of freelancers and some of the articles are quite interesting and informative. Like others though, when I get to the fashions or other such pages and fall in love with a piece of clothing or pair of shoes and then see the price --- YIKES! Way beyond my means!
I have tired of her and tired of hearing about this weeks finale. Most days, I don't turn the TV on. Today will definitely be one of them. This was a great article Kathy! I commend you on offering the other point of view, but with all the problems and 20 minutes to post a couple of my comments, I'll pass to stay on my favorites list.
r
sad
well brighten up
we still have all the nice people here
But I've long felt that she targets her appeal at people with low self esteem and, rather than encouraging these viewers to grow and succeed for themselves, she encourages them to identify with her and her successes.
Otherwise, why was the magazine cover invariably about her, a continual retelling and reselling of her own story?
I rarely caught any of her shows (usually only in doctor's office waiting rooms), but I did see an Oprah special in which I guess we were supposed to be excited about the behind-the-scenes of her busy day. That gift to us of her specialness was a real turnoff for me.
The magazine's content merely struck me the way so many popular magazines do, as superficial.
I should say that I've viewed about an equal number of Oprah and Martha Stewart shows. I was equally skeptical about Martha's brand beforehand, but the very first show of hers I watched, I found personally valuable (how to plant horseradish), and I understood its usefulness to a generation of latchkey kids whose moms never taught them domestic skills (how to organize your clothing in your dresser).
I just never found anything equivalent in Oprah--only a kind of sad emptiness that seemed born of past abuse, and a dysfunctional need to immerse in other people's problems.
I never watched an Oprah show, but I did watch when she went on TV to support Obama during the Iowa primary campaign. I believe that she deserves as much credit as anyone for getting him elected. You can decide whether that is good or bad.
I don't begrudge her the success she found. But I stopped watching a long time ago when the shows became about Oprah, and the peculiar spectacle of the throng who worshiped her.
I understand and hear you.
We watch her here on TV and I like her.
she has given back generously to many individuals and causes, some done quietly, but some with significant fanfare
I like it when you say, there is a good and bad side to every person, to every phenomenon in the world. Knowing that, I dont grudge the little faults of hers and I would miss her. I am not perfect. I dont want or expect anyone else to be perfect. Least of all a woman, that rose from the ranks and helped spread happiness to so many people in her long career.
....But I long ago tired of the.....the person who felt a need to be the center of her own world
As for being the center of a world, any world - I think one can only hope to be the center of our own world. Trying to be the center of someone else's world is putting ourselves out there - for instance I could not aspire to be the center of your world. Why should I want that?
So, I dont think she was wrong in trying to stay focused on what she knew best, her own self, and tried her best to remain centered in her won world. When we have peace and understanding and happiness and confidence within our own selves, we can then look out, focus on other people, try and love them, underastand them and even work for them.
She was one such person, very much a woman of the world, her consciousness embedded deeply within the culture she was born into, being the pulse of America for us foreigners. When we think of the good things about your country, Oprah features as one of them :)
Respect your views. Rated your post.
Instead, she adopted the Establishment's conception of progress, one where change can only come about through the benevolent, caring hand of elitists. Poor people should grovel and beg and kindhearted rich people will help us. But poor folks shouldn't be too rowdy or low class or shake the boat too much, or we wont get our "welfare."
I like the world of Jerry Springer much better. The guests are less affectatious, more folksy and working-class. More real. Same on Maury Povich. Yes, these shows exploit the working classes, but at least they are honest and show people a reflection of their real lives.
Oprah metamorphasized into a member of the Establishment, like the pigs in Animal Farm. Her major supporters and followers were once single parent working class moms, many of whom were minority. Then her demographic appeal switched to white, upper middle class soccer moms. WTF
"That's Oprah Winfrey's studio," he said. "'Harpo' is Oprah spelt backwards." I thought back then she must be a business "phee-nom" to have an entire television studio. The rest is history of course.
Never actually watched her show in all those years. But there's no doubt she's still a "phee-nom."
I never watched any of her shows maybe because they were so long. I also never understood WHAT exactly was marketed. Then it dawned on me: it is the same old from rags to riches thing. I stopped thinking about her.
Now, I would argue that maybe Oprah is not what we all expected, she is definitely not worse than others. In sorts there is no such thing as liking or disliking a show of any kind. They are all just balloons in the air. You can avoid them. Otherwise just do not pay attention.
http://open.salon.com/blog/suzlipman/2011/05/26/goodbye_oprah_and_thank_you_talk_show_pioneer_phil_donahue
~r
I read her your piece out loud, she made a phone call and I can't be sure but I think that the salon servers got even SLOWER!
Be careful Kathy. I've heard that writing less than adoring stuff about O can spell trouble!
the single thing that irritates me the most you touch on: her own face on the cover of every magazine. I think maybe she sees herself as a frieda kaehlo like figure (famously Frieda painted her own face to be like the buddha....and now she has sort of taken the place of the virgin mary on Mexican iconography--so it worked).
It isn't that much of a criticism to say someone's changed. or that a billionaire doesn't continue to be like real folk. what impresses me still about oprah is that I find it hard to doubt that a desire to do good and to make the world better is a driving force in her life (other driving forces are the self focus, the branding and the lifestyle marketing you mention)....
Still, there aren't that many billionaire philanthropists in the world...there aren't enough of them really. I can't help but love something about oprah even if I see her flaws too...
it really would be nice if her magazine featured the face of some other people trying to do good in the world...for a change...and I think she has really bad taste in white men, for the record (dr. phil, james frey, jonathan franzen....).
Having said that, it seems clear from the billions she's made that she touched a chord with millions of fans who, unlike the some of the elites we find here, needed what she had to offer. She also earned a lot of respect in her industry. She earned every cent she has on her own merit, savvy, balls, and talent. I can't fault that at all. Not one bit.
However, after reading your article and wading through ALL of the comments, there is a theme of envy - Oprah Envy.
All these pot shots at Oprah involve Oprah envy.
That is very similar to penis envy, only it involves both sexes; not just men who wish that their willy was just a little bit bigger in diameter, and a just a little bit longer. More than likely, you and any others who are speaking or writing unkindly about Oprah, are envious of her success.
Starting from zero, zilch, nada, nothing, Oprah worked her way to the top of her entertainment career goal; and, she became rich while doing it.
In 2011, her estimated net worth (that is assets minus liabilities) is $2.7 Billion. That means after paying all of her bills, she still has a dump truck load of moolah. It also means the result of a lot of hard work, and smarts. So, all the people taking the shots at Oprah, how is YOUR net worth doing?
There is another part to “Oprah envy: donations. ”Oprah receives, but also gives and gives. She has active involvement in charity work, with the donation of many millions of her dollars. That is something many people aspire to, but cannot achieve.
All the people who are carping about Oprah might be suffering with “invidiousness.” That is a mental disorder where one has an emotions that "occur when a person lacks another's perceived superior quality, achievement, possessions, or success, and either desires it or wishes that the other person lacked it."
Envy can also derive from a sense of low self-esteem resulting from an upward social comparison threatening a person's self image: another person has something that the envier considers to be important to have. If the other person is perceived to be similar to the envier, the aroused envy will be particularly intense, because it signals to the envier that it just as well could have been he or she who had the desired object or success.
As the late Ann Landers used to say, "QUITYOURBITCHIN."
My fear for Oprah is that she won't just retire and relax. Her body reflects tension to me. She talks over other people and she is puffy. Kind of like me. I know what that means. Out of balance. She is swaying on the brink of a collapse and I hope we won't be subjected to that spectacle.
I like how Johnny Carson retired and I still miss him. He did lots of golfing and stepped back from his fame game. If I thought Oprah was going to just stay home and mellow out I would be happier than thinking of her still bossy bossing a staff for an elite network that you have to pay more money to watch.