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Oprah Winfrey has only one regret in her decades-long reign as a media mogul. Winfrey is widely recognized for her tenure as a successful journalist who went on to host and produce “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” After departing from Nashville, TN, to pursue a career in Baltimore, MD, working local news, she landed her own syndicated show. According to CBS News, she was just 22 years old when she transferred cities and spent eight years working as a 6 p.m. anchor at WJZ-TV. Winfrey later landed her talk show, “A.M. Chicago,” which was renamed “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 1986. It became the top-rated show, overtaking Phil Donahue, who had maintained the status for nearly 20 years. “For a long time, I wondered why it took so long for someone to copy us,” Donahue said, per CoastTV. “Then along came Oprah Winfrey. It is not possible to overstate the enormity of her impact on the daytime television game.” The success of Winfrey’s show is proven in its number. It reportedly was the top show for...
A popular chicken spot loved by Oprah Winfrey is spreading its wings. Ezell’s Famous Chicken, a Seattle, WA-based chain co-founded by Lewis Rudd in 1984 is preparing to bring the business to Kirkland, WA. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Rudd opened the restaurant with his sister, Faye Rudd, and a high school friend Ezell Stephens, according to Oregon Live. Then in 1989, it scored two visits from Oprah Winfrey. The media mogul was impressed with the menu, featuring Louisiana-style fried chicken made fresh daily in pure vegetable oil, baked rolls, barbecue beans, and mac and cheese. She even hired Ezell’s Famous Chicken to cater her 36th birthday celebration in Chicago, IL. The exposure from Winfrey led to an increase in customers for Ezell’s Famous Chicken. “We had people literally driving from Longview, Washington, to get chicken,” Rudd said, according to Oregon Live. “We couldn’t keep up with the demand.” Over the years, other notable names have stopped by to support the...
In 2022, Megan Thee Stallion penned the song “Her.” It is an unapologetic anthem about authenticity, being a boss, and having complete ownership over the things in life. And considering her massive life, Gayle King personifies the song’s deeper meaning. Originally from Chevy Chase, MD, King has spent many years in front of the screen as one of journalism’s who’s who. According to PBS, King’s early work included her 18-year run as an on-air news anchor for WFSB-TV, a Hartford, CT, affiliate of CBS . During that time, she also had a syndicated daytime program. The acclaimed journalist has also partnered with her high-profile best friend, Oprah Winfrey, previously hosting “The Gayle King Show,” which aired on OWN and SiriusXM. King still works as editor at large for Oprah Daily. However, her spot as co-host on “CBS Mornings” has had the most significant impact on her career. She has engaged in several high-profile interviews, targeting major pop culture topics with people such as Tina...
When discussing the timeline of successful talk shows, it’s impossible not to mention Oprah Winfrey. In September 1986, Winfrey launched “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” On the trailblazing syndicated daytime show, she interviewed some of the biggest public figures, as well as everyday people. After running for 25 seasons, it remains the highest-rated daytime talk show in American television history , according to the Television Academy Foundation.
Oprah Winfrey’s company has filed a trademark infringement suit against the hosts of the Oprahdemics podcast. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Kellie Carter Jackson and Leah Wright Rigueur are being sued by Harpo Inc. for their Oprahdemics podcast. Harpo Inc., which owns Winfrey’s trademark, believes users are being misled under the notion that Winfrey is involved with their platform. “Her fame is so extensive that she is instantly recognized by her first name Oprah alone,” wrote attorney Tamara Carmichael of Dorsey & Whitney in the complaint.
The origin story of Oprah Winfrey is nothing if not a true testimony. Born into poverty in Mississippi, Winfrey — who was raised in the inner city of Milwaukee — got her start as a local television journalist before transitioning into acting and, eventually, into her own eponymous talk show. That talk show would, eventually, jettison Oprah Winfrey into the stratosphere — and today, her $2.6 billion brand has made her the richest Black American woman in the world. She has consistently made Forbes’ lists of the world’s richest entertainers and business people and has earned several accolades including Emmys, Tonys, and Peabody awards. Yet, Oprah Winfrey continues to remain as humble and as graceful as she always has been. “Don’t worry about being ‘successful,'” she said to Inc. when asked about the key to her success. “Strive for the truest, highest expression of yourself … and then use that expression in service to the world. If the paradigm for which you see the world is, ‘How can I...
Some celebrities go back to school after they become famous — and some teach college courses. More than just “stunt casting,” though, these celebrities take their roles as “professors” very seriously. They hold office hours, design full curriculums and throw themselves head-first into the work they do for the next generation of leaders. Sometimes, too, the celebrities who teach these college courses are living legends all on their own. For example, AfroTech recently reported about Grandmaster Flash, the Hip-Hop pioneer, teaching courses at the University of Buffalo. He’s also an artist in residency at the school in upstate New York. “The residency at UB gives me a chance to tell Hip-Hop’s whole story. The sights. The sounds. The places and the moments,” he said, according to the University of Buffalo. “It’s important that we get this history right. For the next generation to take music and art in new directions, they have to know where that music and art came from, who made it and...
When Megan Thee Stallion announced she was going back to school, fans of the Hip-Hop superstar were shocked at the announcement. After all, what would be the need for her to go back to school when her career on the charts was in full swing? But, as AfroTech previously reported, that’s exactly what she’s doing. She’s attending Texas Southern University as of this writing and plans to finish her degree in healthcare administration. Additionally, she’s making it easier for other Black women to go to school to pursue their dreams: in addition to making a huge donation toward a full-tuition, four-year scholarship to attend the Roc Nation School of Music, Sports, and Entertainment at Long Island University (LIU), she’s opening up her own healthcare facility for recent graduates to work at, as well. “Come and get your experience over here,” Megan told Glamour. “Generations taking care of generations, making people feel like they are still at home, still with their families.” But Megan Thee...
There’s certainly no shortage of billion-dollar empires, but Black billion-dollar empires are a different level of #Goals. According to Forbes, despite all the strides Black men and women have made in the field of business, less than 1 percent of all billionaires in the world identify as Black. That said, though, the United States has the world’s largest concentration of billionaires. “The number of billionaires on Forbes’ 35th annual list of the world’s wealthiest exploded to an unprecedented 2,755–660 more than a year ago. Altogether these billionaires are worth $13.1 trillion, up from $8 trillion in 2020. The U.S. still has the most, with 724, followed by China (including Hong Kong and Macao) with 698,” reports Forbes. So, if ever there was to be a renaissance of Black billion-dollar empires, it would definitely happen in the United States. That’s why these seven Black billion-dollar empires are worth taking special note of. Whether they’re in the world of business, media, or...