History Series / TheOprahWinfreyShow

However, there's been some controversy where Oprah is concerned. When Mad Cow Disease fears were at their peak in the '90s, she said that the fears stopped her from eating meat, which caused the beef industry to sue her for defamation. As a result, her show moved to Texas for a month so she could continue filming during the trial. Another such incident was the Book Club endorsement of books that were ''extremely'' dubious, like James Frey's supposedly-autobiographical ''A Million Little Pieces'': when it turned out that [[BasedOnAGreatBigLie Frey had made it all up]], she had him on and [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome tore]] [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech him]] [[JustForPun to pieces]].

It may be SnarkBait, it may be a {{Guilty Pleasure|s}}, it may be SoBadItsGood, but Oprah is not going anywhere. Though she ended her talk show on May 25, 2011 she has launched the '''O'''[[FunWithAcronyms prah]] '''W'''[[FunWithAcronyms infrey]] '''N'''[[FunWithAcronyms etwork]]. The takeover has only just begun.

* BleachedUnderpants: ''Oprah'' was much more of a PointAndLaughShow in its early years (much like ''Donahue'', its direct inspiration), but the decision was made to go "upmarket" shortly after a glut of new point-and-laugh shows emerged in [[TheNineties the mid-nineties]], such as ''Series/TheJerrySpringerShow'' and ''Ricki Lake'', and began to threaten her ratings dominance. It worked; she would survive all of those rivals except for ''Springer'' and ''Maury Povich.''

* SuperGullible: Oprah was accused of this in regards to the Book Club, where she and her staff apparently did ''no'' research about the authors or the themes in the books. As a result, she sometimes recommended "non-fiction" books that were '''blatantly''' [[BasedOnAGreatBigLie based on lies]] - James Frey's "A little..." NOT being the only case.
-->'''Swallowing The Camel Webmaster''', about this situation: "Nearly every case of literary fraud I’ve covered on this blog (...) has one thing in common with every other case: Oprah Winfrey. I don’t have anything against Oprah, but I gotta say that woman is '''gullible'''. With a capital G. After being burned so many times, you’d think she might consider using just a tiny fraction of her riches to hire a part-time fact-checker who can screen the memoirs and other “true stories” she promotes on the air. If she doesn’t do that soon, I’ll have to assume that she doesn’t mind subjecting millions of her viewers to hoaxes and cons."

* BerserkButton: Averse to [[ActingInTheDark hosting in the dark]], and she can't stand liars.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: "Besties" Oprah and Gayle. Also FatAndSkinny (Oprah's shorter and chubbier while Gayle is taller and slimmer) with a bit RedOniBlueOni as Oprah is an adventurous person born into poverty and is/was constantly dieting while Gayle is a BigEater who had a very comfy childhood and has a phobia of heights and an intense dislike of camping.
* HideYourGays: Inverted when she had an entire audience of gay people.

* LongRunner: 25 years or so (1986--2011). The last season was one big MilestoneCelebration.

* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: Oprah's favorite young poet/prophet/inspirational figure [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mattie_Stepanek Mattie Stepanek]], who died at the age of thirteen from muscular dystrophy and was the only one of his equally-afflicted siblings to survive past the age of four, is on the path to sainthood.

'''''The Oprah Winfrey Show''''' (1986--2011), which (along with its host) was often called simply '''''Oprah''''', was one of the most (if not the most) popular and influential daytime talk shows in the history of television, to the point where [[TropeCodifier most people probably think about Oprah when they think of a daytime talk show]]. It's also the longest-running and highest-rated show in that genre. Basically, just about everybody in the United States and no small number of people elsewhere know who Oprah is.

* BleachedUnderpants: ''Oprah'' was much more of a PointAndLaughShow in its early years (much like ''Donahue'', its direct inspiration), but the decision was made to go "upmarket" shortly after a glut of new point-and-laugh shows emerged in [[TheNineties the mid-nineties]], such as ''Series/TheJerrySpringerShow'' and ''Ricki Lake'', and began to threaten her ratings dominance. It worked; she would survive all of those rivals except for ''Springer'' and ''Maury Povich''.

* ConspicuousConsumption: Not often (which is surprising because Oprah is one of the richest people in America) but she had a three day weekend event to honor famous African-American women throughout history (such as Cicely Tyson, Maya Angelou, Coretta Scott King,etc.), in which each of the women had their own waiter and all of them were given a diamond as a party favor.

* GrandFinale: The final three episodes. The first two were surprises for her held in the United Center in Chicago, filled with an AllStarCast of guests bidding her farwell. The final episode was simply Oprah on stage, thanking her fans and her staff.

* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: Oprah's favorite young poet/prophet/inspirational figure [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mattie_Stepanek Mattie Stepanek]], who died at the age of 14 from muscular dystrophy and was the only one of his equally-afflicted siblings to survive past the age of four, is on the path to sainthood.

* YouKeepUsingThatWord: The website. "Stem cell research" in the media usually refers to research involving any kind of stem cell when talking about advancements, but is typically short for embryonic stem cell research when talking about controversies ([[CaptainObvious since it is the controversial kind]]). Unfortunately, in the description for one episode, the website uses it both ways in the same article. In the episode, Michael J. Fox and Oprah spoke in favor of embryonic stem cell research into Parkinson's disease, then Dr. Oz completely [[http://www.oprah.com/health/Dr-Oz-on-the-Medical-Benefits-of-Stem-Cells-Video disagreed]], calling the stem cell debate "dead" in favor of (a description of what is clearly, though he doesn't call it by name) induced pluripotent stem cells rather than embryonic stem cells, while showing the general process on a brain. Oprah's website [[http://www.oprah.com/showinfo/Dr-Oz-and-Michael-J-Fox_1 summarized]] this as "Using a brain, Dr. Oz illustrates how stem cells may help cure chronic illnesses", but in the more thorough description said, "Thanks to recent scientific discoveries, Dr. Oz says stem cells aren't the only solution." Apparently the alternative solution to "stem cells" is induced pluripotent ''[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin stem cells]]''.
----

* TelevisionTieInMagazines: The TV work spawned the ''O Magazine'', Oprah's vehicle for proclaiming the message that a strong woman who believes in herself can do anything she sets her mind to. This has a healthy international circulation; British readers are appreciative of the message concerning strong empowered women who believe in themselves. But [[ValuesDisssonance/Other they point to the paradox that there is heavy advertising for prescription drugs of a sort which would positively not be allowed anywhere outside the USA]]. It has been noted that Oprah's message of empowerment clearly involves a chemical component, to use as a fall-back for when self-reliance and self-belief fail. If in doubt ask your doctor.

* TelevisionTieInMagazines: The TV work spawned the ''O Magazine'', Oprah's vehicle for proclaiming the message that a strong woman who believes in herself can do anything she sets her mind to. This has a healthy international circulation; British readers are appreciative of the message concerning strong empowered women who believe in themselves. But [[ValuesDisssonance they point to the paradox that there is heavy advertising for prescription drugs of a sort which would positively not be allowed anywhere outside the USA]]. It has been noted that Oprah's message of empowerment clearly involves a chemical component, to use as a fall-back for when self-reliance and self-belief fail. If in doubt ask your doctor.

* TelevisionTieInMagazines: The TV work spawned the ''O Magazine'', Oprah's vehicle for proclaiming the message that a strong woman who believes in herself can do anything she sets her mind to. This has a healthy international circulation; British readers are appreciative of the message concerning strong empowered women who believe in themselves. But [[ValuesDisssonance/{{Other}} they point to the paradox that there is heavy advertising for prescription drugs of a sort which would positively not be allowed anywhere outside the USA]]. It has been noted that Oprah's message of empowerment clearly involves a chemical component, to use as a fall-back for when self-reliance and self-belief fail. If in doubt ask your doctor.

* TelevisionTieInMagazines: The TV work spawned the ''O Magazine'', Oprah's vehicle for proclaiming the message that a strong woman who believes in herself can do anything she sets her mind to. This has a healthy international circulation; British readers are appreciative of the message concerning strong empowered women who believe in themselves. But [[ValuesDisssonance/{{Advertising}} they point to the paradox that there is heavy advertising for prescription drugs of a sort which would positively not be allowed anywhere outside the USA]]. It has been noted that Oprah's message of empowerment clearly involves a chemical component, to use as a fall-back for when self-reliance and self-belief fail. If in doubt ask your doctor.

* TelevisionTieInMagazines: The TV work spawned the ''O Magazine'', Oprah's vehicle for proclaiming the message that a strong woman who believes in herself can do anything she sets her mind to. This has a healthy international circulation; British readers are appreciative of the message concerning strong empowered women who believe in themselves. But [[ValuesDisssonance/{{Advertising}} they point to the paradox that there is ''heavy'' advertising for prescription drugs of a sort which would positively not be allowed anywhere outside the USA]]. It has been noted that Oprah's message of empowerment clearly involves a chemical component, to use as a fall-back for when self-reliance and self-belief fail. If in doubt ask your doctor.

However, there's been some controversy where Oprah is concerned. When Mad Cow Disease fears were at their peak in the '90s, she said that the fears stopped her from eating meat, which caused the beef industry to sue her for defamation. As a result, her show moved to Texas for a month so she could continue filming during the trial. Another such incident was the Book Club endorsement of books that were ''extremely'' dubiou, like James Frey's supposedly-autobiographical ''A Million Little Pieces'': when it turned out that [[BasedOnAGreatBigLie Frey had made it all up]], she had him on and [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome tore]] [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech him]] [[JustForPun to pieces]].

However, there's been some controversy where Oprah is concerned. When Mad Cow Disease fears were at their peak in the '90s, she said that the fears stopped her from eating meat, which caused the beef industry to sue her for defamation. As a result, her show moved to Texas for a month so she could continue filming during the trial. Another such incident was the Book Club endorsement of James Frey's supposedly-autobiographical ''A Million Little Pieces''. When it turned out that [[BasedOnAGreatBigLie Frey had made it all up]], she had him on and [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome tore him]] [[JustForPun to pieces]].

This show turned Oprah into a merchandising juggernaut. Whenever she sticks her Book Club sticker on a piece of literature, rest assured that the book in question will [[ColbertBump shoot to the top of the bestseller list]] (though this has caused her some controversy before). She's turned Series/DoctorPhil, [[Series/TheDoctorOzShow Dr. Oz]], Creator/RachaelRay, and Nate Berkus into successful talk show hosts in their own right. Finally, she's had some episodes over the years, including Creator/TomCruise's couch-leaping, the "Weight Wagon" show (where she wheeled out a wagon of fat to demonstrate the weight she had lost), and the infamous episode where everybody in the audience received a new car.

!!This TV show provides examples of the following:

* HideYourGays: Averted when she had an entire audience of gay people.

This show turned Oprah into a merchandising juggernaut. Whenever she sticks her Book Club sticker on a piece of literature, rest assured that the book in question will [[ColbertBump shoot to the top of the bestseller list]] (though this has caused her some controversy before). She's turned Series/DoctorPhil, [[Series/TheDoctorOzShow Dr. Oz]], Creator/RachaelRay, and Nate Berkus into successful talk show hosts in their own right. Finally, she's had some notable episodes over the years, including Creator/TomCruise's couch-leaping, the "Weight Wagon" show (where she wheeled out a wagon of fat to demonstrate the weight she had lost), and the infamous episode where everybody in the audience received a new car.

* BleachedUnderpants: ''Oprah'' was much more of a PointAndLaughShow in its early years (much like ''Donahue'', its direct inspiration), but the decision was made to go "upmarket" shortly after a glut of new point-and-laugh shows emerged in [[TheNineties the mid-nineties]], most notably ''Series/TheJerrySpringerShow'' and ''Ricki Lake'', and began to threaten her ratings dominance. It worked; she would survive all of those rivals except for ''Springer'' and ''Maury Povich''.

* DisproportionateRetribution: Subjective, but what happened to James Frey.

* ReunionShow: The Farewell Season has a lot of these, including a reunion with all of her former competitors (Ricki Lake, Donahue, etc.)
** And, quite notably, Iyanla [=VanZant=], whom she had a massive falling-out with after she became the subject of Oprah's first SpinOff (yes, even before Dr. Phil).

* [[TrademarkFavoriteFood Trademark Favorite Plant]]: Oprah loves oak trees, so the signature shoes she got from Nike have oak trees on them, and 25 libraries are getting oak trees in addition to new books and furniture.
* {{Troll}}: Anonymous posted a joke on the site's message board saying he was part of a pedophile ring with [[MemeticMutation over nine thousand]] penises all raping children, and she fell for it. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slDAPms8Tvs Witness the lulz.]]

''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' (1986-2011), which (along with its host) was often called simply ''Oprah'', was one of the most (if not the most) popular and influential daytime talk shows in the history of television, to the point where [[TropeCodifier most people probably think about Oprah when they think of a daytime talk show]]. It's also the longest-running and highest-rated show in that genre. Basically, just about everybody in the United States and no small number of people elsewhere know who Oprah is.

* LongRunner: 25 years or so (1986-2011). The last season is one big MilestoneCelebration.

''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' (1986-2011) was one of the most (if not the most) popular and influential daytime talk shows in the history of television, to the point where [[TropeCodifier most people probably think about Oprah when they think of a daytime talk show]]. It's also the longest-running and highest-rated show in that genre. Basically, just about everybody in the United States and no small number of people elsewhere know who Oprah is.

* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: Oprah's favorite young poet/prophet/inspirational figure [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mattie_Stepanek Mattie Stepanek]], who died at the age of 13 from muscular dystrophy and was the only one of his equally-afflicted siblings to survive past the age of four, is on the path to sainthood.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: "Besties" Oprah and Gayle. Also FatAndSkinny (Oprah's shorter and chubbier while Gayle is taller and slimmer) with a bit RedOniBlueOni as Oprah is an adventerous person born into poverty and is/was constantly dieting while Gayle is a BigEater who had a very comfy childhood and has a phobia of heights and an intense dislike of camping.

This show turned Oprah into a merchandising juggernaut. Whenever she sticks her Book Club sticker on a piece of literature, rest assured that the book in question will [[ColbertBump shoot to the top of the bestseller list]] (though this has caused her some controversy before). She's turned Series/DoctorPhil, [[Series/TheDoctorOzShow Dr. Oz]], RachaelRay, and Nate Berkus into successful talk show hosts in their own right. Finally, she's had some notable episodes over the years, including Creator/TomCruise's couch-leaping, the "Weight Wagon" show (where she wheeled out a wagon of fat to demonstrate the weight she had lost), and the infamous episode where everybody in the audience received a new car.

* CallBack: Oprah once surprised an ''AmericanIdol'' finalist with Music/StevieWonder appearing behind him, so naturally at her farewell concert Jamie Foxx surprised Oprah with Stevie Wonder appearing behind her.

* ColbertBump: Arguably the TropeCodifier.

** ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' rip-off ''The Argyle Sweater'' included Steadman in a collection of famous [[TheBeard beards]] (that's silly, [[ComicallyMissingThePoint he only has a moustache]]).

* ThrowItIn: allegedly, her mother named her "Orpah" but it was written down incorrectly on her birth certificate.
** For the record, Orpah is a name from [[Literature/TheBible the book of Ruth]]; Orpah and the eponymous Ruth were native Moabite women who married the sons of Naomi.