Born into deep poverty in rural Mississippi and raised by a single teenage mother, Oprah Winfrey’s early life was marked by unimaginable trauma—including abuse and a tragic pregnancy at just 14. But that didn’t stop her.
Sent to live with the man she calls her father, she found purpose—and a radio job—while still in high school. By 19, she was already making headlines as a co-anchor on local news.
Her raw, emotional storytelling would soon change daytime television forever—catapulting a struggling Chicago talk show to #1… and laying the foundation for her own media empire.