Oprah Winfrey Found Her Life's 'Purpose And Meaning' After Humble Beginnings

Apr 25, 2022

Oprah Winfrey has become a business and media mogul, generating an incredible amount of money. With her name plastered all over her projects, Oprah has created a successful empire, bringing fans, fame and fortune. She is most known as a celebrated talk show host, as well as an actress, author, producer, and philanthropist. She has engaged herself in many projects and organizations over the years, helping build her empire while helping those in need.

Surprisingly, the television legend did not always have her well-known moniker. Oprah was born on Jan. 29, 1954, with the name Orpah Gail Winfrey. Her name was consistently mispronounced as "Oprah" by other people, causing the new name to stick. She grew up with humble beginnings starting in Kosciusko, Mississippi. Winfrey would wear dresses made of potato sacks and was forced to ride the bus to school. 

Winfrey got herself into trouble which resulted in her mother sending her to her father's in Nashville, Tennessee. Under her father's strictness, she quickly became an honor student and joined the East Nashville High School's speech team. Eventually, Winfrey was finally able to show off her talents, placing second in the nation in dramatic interpretation.

This victory would go on to plant a seed that would carry Winfrey onto a very successful career life. At age 68, she is one of the most well know people in the world. Yet, even though Winfrey sits at the very top of her game, she was not always in this position. Before having "it all," Oprah had to work her way to the very top from the bottom. 

At age 17, Winfrey entered in and ended up winning a Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant. This pageant also gained her recognition from a local radio station, WVOL, where she would end up working part-time. Winfrey continued to work at the station as she graduated high school and into college. She entered and won an oratory contest which granted her a full college scholarship to Tennesse State University. 

Stepping her game up, Winfrey reached a bigger audience after moving to Nashville's station WLAC-TV, now known as WTVF-TV. There she became both the youngest news anchor and the first black female news anchor at the station. She moved to Baltimore, Maryland, in 1976 to work for a station there before becoming the co-host of WJZ's local talk show "People Are Talking" two years later.

The rising star relocated once again and moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1983. She was signed on to host "A.M. Chicago," a somewhat popular morning talk show in the area. Within months of Winfrey serving as host, the show's ratings skyrocketed. Her talent was apparent to both viewers and head hunters, leading her to sign a syndication deal with King World Productions.

Signing this deal led to "The Oprah Winfrey Show," hitting television screens nationwide. Premiering in September 1986, the show would air for 25 seasons before ending in May 2011. The show won 34 Emmy Awards, with seven of those awards being specifically for Winfrey's hosting abilities. 

She told "Time" in 2017 that "The Oprah Winfrey Show" was based on her and her young women producers. "I built the show around myself and the producers. We were young women in our 30's trying to figure it out." 

These days, the star is working on many things. She hosts her own podcast called "Oprah's Super Soul," continues to run OWN, and works on philanthropic endeavors. 

In a sit-down interview with Stanford University in 2014, Winfrey opened up and said the secret to her long-running show's success was, "People could see themselves in me all over the world they could see themselves in me."

"In my early days I had a job until I could figure out what it was really- that gave my life its purpose and meaning," she said. 

"The moment I did the talk show I could be myself. That was Aug. 14, 1978 and that was the beginning of fulfilling the calling. And so since that time, since that time Aug. 14, 1978, I've never had a problem with energy. When I was news I used to be exhausted all the time, just exhausted all the time, because I hated it," Winfrey said. 

Forbes has ranked her on a litany of lists showcasing her success and net worth. As of April 2021, Oprah is ranked 9th on America's Self-Made Women of 2020 list, 20th on Power Women of 2020 and 1174th on Billionaires in 2021, according to Forbes. Her current net worth is $2.6 million.

Oprah started as a poor girl from the south who worked hard at her education and career, growing into the incredible success story she is today. Oprah is definitely one of the most successful women to date, with a beautiful home and empire to prove it.

How would you describe Oprah's life story leading up to now? If you are a fan of Oprah— pass this along to another fan too!