There were few dry eyes in the house (or at home) when Oprah Winfrey bid farewell to millions of viewers during her final show, which aired yesterday. There were no stars jockeying for position next to her onstage. Just Oprah alone in front of a select audience with her thoughts and memories of the last 25 years of the most influential daytime TV talk show in history.
“The Oprah Winfrey Show” ended its storied run on May 25, after 25 years, and millions of her fans gathered in homes and lounges around America to watch the final show.
Oprah acknowledged that she owes much of the success of her show to her loyal viewers who kept her at the top of the ratings heap consistently.
“You and this show have been the great love of my life,” she told the lucky audience near the end of the episode.
Later, she talked about the transformation the show took from featuring “people making bad choices” to the lifestyle and star-studded format it became.
Oprah talked about one of her biggest regrets — taking her production staff to Forsyth County, Georgia to “confront racism”, when in fact she was confronting her own insecurities in her bid to attract worldwide attention. The response to that show was immediate and devastating as blacks abandoned Oprah in droves.
“What is all life? What is every flower, every rock, every tree, every human being? Energy. And you’re responsible for the energy you create for yourself, and you’re responsible for the energy that you bring to others,” she said.
Towards the end of the hour, Oprah says ending her legendary talk show is “all sweet, no bitter” and that she nothing but gratitude for the time she spent with us.
“I thank you for being as much of a sweet inspiration for me as I’ve tried to be for you,” she said. “I won’t say goodbye. I’ll just say, Until we meet again. To God be the glory.”
