Oprah Winfrey through the years

A look back at the career of daytime talk queen and media mogul Oprah Winfrey.

Oprah, with her boots up: Winfrey spends a relaxing moment in her office back in 1985, when "The Oprah Winfrey Show" aired on a station in Chicago. The queen of afternoon conversation has announced that her series -- which became a nationally syndicated phenomenon in 1986 -- will end in 2011.

Charlie Knoblock-AP

An ultra-slim Oprah Winfrey shows off her svelte figure back in 1988, when she famously lost 67 pounds by sticking to a liquid diet.

Charles Bennett-AP

Bob Hope chats with Winfrey during a 1990 taping of her show.

Charles Bennett-AP

Heart-to-hearts with celebrities have been a hallmark of "The Oprah Winfrey Show"; here, she sits down with Michael Jackson in 1993.

Then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton joins Winfrey during a 1995 show. Winfrey already plans to establish her own cable network called the Oprah Winfrey Network, but it's unclear whether she will move her talk show format to that new platform.

Richard Shay-AP

Known for her ability to snag interviews with movie stars, medical experts and political figures -- like Nelson Mandela, who appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 2000 -- Winfrey has become a master of the "good get."

George Burns-AP

Former President Bill Clinton takes a seat next to Winfrey while promoting his autobiography, "My Life," in 2004.

George Burns-AP

The media icon has developed a reputation for giving back to her viewers, one that was bolstered by her decision to give away a Pontiac G6 to each of the 276 people in her Chicago studio audience as part of an event sponsored by the motor company.

Bob Davis-AP

And who could forget the couch-jumping moment analyzed 'round the world, when Tom Cruise leapt onto Oprah's sofa in 2005 and proclaimed his love for Katie Holmes?

From Tv-Screengrab from TV

For all her successes, Winfrey has gotten mud on her face on a few occasions. One example: when James Frey, author of Oprah Book Club pick "A Million Little Pieces," revealed that portions of his memoir were untrue.

George Burns-Harpo Productions via AP

Overall, Oprah's Book Club has been regarded as an enormous success, pumping up sales and attention for novels and non-fiction works -- like Sidney Poitier's "The Measure of a Man" -- that might otherwise have been overlooked.

George Burns-AP

"The Oprah Winfrey Show" has long been the first place people appear when they are dealing with the aftermath of a scandal (and, simultaneously, promoting a book). Hence, this appearance in 2007 by former New Jersey first lady Dina Matos McGreevey, who divorced her husband, Jim McGreevey, after he very publicly came out and resigned as governor.

George Burns-AP

Winfrey cowboys up during a taping last month at the State Fair of Texas.

George Burns-AP

One's memory doesn't need to be rock-solid to remember the headlines made by Winfrey's fall 2009 interview with Sarah Palin, accompanied here by daughters Willow and Piper.

Reuters

Winfrey's historic announcement that "The Oprah Winfrey Show" would end in 2011 after 25 seasons on the air.

George Burns-AP

Oprah Winfrey, top, stands with audience members after making the announcement she will be taking the studio audience on a trip to Australia during taping of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in Chicago on Sept. 9, 2010. The premiere of the 25th and final season aired Monday, Sept. 13.

George Burns, Harpo Productions, Inc.-AP

Winfrey, along with Paul McCartney, Bill T. Jones, Merle Haggard and Jerry Herman, was a recipient of the 33rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors award.

Linda Davidson-The Washington Post

The queen of daytime talk during a taping of the "Oprah Winfrey Show" at the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia.

Brendon Thorne-Getty Images

Gallery Credits:
Photo Editor Dan Murano

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Oprah Winfrey through the years

A look back at the career of daytime talk queen and media mogul Oprah Winfrey.

Network News