10 Things We Learned about Oprah on ‘Piers Morgan’
10 Things We Learned about Oprah
Last night CNN host Piers Morgan kicked off his new talk show with a huge “get.” None other than queen of talk herself, Oprah Winfrey. As usual, Oprah was in full control, though she did throw the new boy in town a few bones by sharing details of her personal life, a huge feat for any interviewer. Take a look at 10 things we learned about one of the most influential Black women in the world.
She only trusts five people in her life
Asked how many people in her life she absolutely trusts, Oprah says there are five people. Not surprisingly, BFF Gayle King and longtime partner Stedman Graham are her trusted confidantes, but she wouldn’t name the other three. She added that she would feel “stripped” were any of these people to betray her.
She didn’t immediately fall in love with Stedman Graham
Oprah and Stedman have been been together for 25 years, but the media mogul says she didn’t immediately fall in love. It was only when a family member betrayed her by selling a story to the tabloids that she realized it was love. “I’m really sorry. You don’t deserve this,” Oprah recalled Stedman saying at the time. “When someone is willing to stand in and stand up for you,” she added, “that’s what love is.”
‘Beloved’ was her greatest failure
The media mogul says she was so disappointed with her screen adaptation of Toni Morrison’s book “Beloved” that she fell into a tailspin of depression and ate 30 pounds of mac n’ cheese. “It was the only time in my life that I was ever depressed,” she told Morgan.
She still signs her checks
Oprah says she still signs all checks over $100,000 and the one to the IRS is often the biggest. For that occasion, her employees come in with a bottle of tequila.
She plans to donate her fortune to charity
Oprah’s generosity is by now legendary, and she hopes it won’t end with her death. The billionaire talk show host says she will donate her fortune to charity when she dies.
She knows how to stay in her lane
Asked if she has ever entertained any presidential aspirations, Oprah told Morgan that one thing she knows about herself is how to stay in her lane. “This what I admire about myself," she said. "I know what my lane is and I know to stay in my lane.”
She contemplated suicide as a pregnant teen
Oprah said she contemplated suicide after finding out she was pregnant at 14 years old. The stigma of being an unwed mom was too much for her to handle. “So when the baby died, I knew it was my second chance,” she said.
She’s not marriage material
“I’m not the marrying type,” said Oprah when Morgan asked why she’s never married. “I am a different kind of woman in that I am pretty assured that had I been married I wouldn’t have stayed married because it takes a different kind of person to put up with all of this.” She said her relationship with Stedman has worked with Stedman because they each got to define themselves in their relationship. “Nothing about our relationship is traditional,” she added.
Her heart’s been broken, only twice
Lucky girl. Oprah told Morgan that she’s been in love three times and her heart has only been broken twice. Now if only she could share the names of those heartbreakers. Bet they’re feeling like sore losers now.
Her talk show is her therapy
Oprah credits her talk show guests and audience with providing her with the therapy she so needed, to which Morgan quipped, "You’re America’s therapist. We couldn’t agree more.