Oprah Shares Emotional Memory From ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’

Not many people can say they had the No. 1 talk show for the majority of their 25-year run, unless you’re Oprah Winfrey. From 1986 until 2011, Oprah had women around the world glued to their televisions every weekday afternoon.

Recently, she began sharing some fond memories of her work. Several posts have been shared to the official Instagram accounts for Oprah and Oprah Daily, warming the hearts of its millions of followers.

In the pictures, Oprah is holding a microphone in hand as she engages with her live studio audience. The post marked the 39th anniversary of the talk show’s debut episode on September 8, 1986.

“Today, September 8, marks 39 years since ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ premiered,” Oprah captioned the photo carousel in part. “I’ve seen that clip at least a hundred times—the one where I burst onto the stage shouting, ‘Welcome to the very first National Oprah Winfrey Show!’ And every single time, I still feel that surge in my body.” 

In a reflection feature for Oprah Daily, she says the memories run deep and have a lasting impact due to how much others were inspired. It was speaking with every day people sharing their triumphs and tragedies that left an indelible mark. 

“Of the 4,561 shows we did, so many moments have blurred in my memory,” she wrote. “But the ones that stand out aren’t celebrity interviews. They are the real-life moments. These shows were never just television to me,” she explained. “They were a way to speak directly to the hearts, minds, and souls of people—and to call on the better angels of our nature.” 

A local journalist in Baltimore then Chicago, Oprah’s talk show journey began as a host for A.M. Chicago in 1984. Ratings were stellar for WLS-TV in Chicago. From there, with the help of film critic Roger Ebert, she secured a syndication deal with King World, which led to the national launch of The Oprah Winfrey Show.