Oprah: Don't Give Up The Platform! (Re-Release)

Summary

Podcast Summary: Let's Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa

Episode: Oprah: Don't Give Up The Platform! (Re-Release)
Host: Kelly Ripa
Guest: Oprah Winfrey
Release Date: March 11, 2026

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Overview

In this lively and heartfelt episode, Kelly Ripa sits down with the legendary Oprah Winfrey. The conversation covers Oprah’s transition away from her iconic talk show, reflections on building her career and fortune, the lasting connection with her audience, neighborhood adventures with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and profound advice about life, purpose, and platform. The tone is candid, warm, and full of wit—giving listeners a rare, off-camera look at both Kelly and Oprah.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Oprah’s Legacy and Audience Connection

• Oprah recalls the impact of her 25-year talk show and the unique lifelong bonds formed with her audience. The pair reflect on appointment television and how Oprah’s tactility and empathy were central to her hosting style.

• Notable Quote:

  “That show, when I said at the end of that show that this show has been the love of my life. That remains so true… I think about all the lives that were touched and changed by that show, and I'm reminded of it every single day.”
  (Oprah, 07:40)

• Kelly shares how Oprah influenced her own career, particularly about connecting authentically with guests and audience members.

  “You're very tactile and you touch them and you studied them and you embrace them. And that is something that I often rely on…”
  (Kelly, 08:51)

• Oprah identifies the universal human need to be heard and understood:

  “Everybody that sits in that seat opposite you is looking for the same thing. They want to know that what they said mattered and that they were heard.”
  (Oprah, 10:22)

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2. Knowing When to Step Away (And When Not To)

• Kelly, at her own 25-year milestone, asks Oprah how she knew when it was time to leave her show.

• Oprah advises Kelly not to step away yet, citing Kelly and Mark’s on-air “groove”:

  “First of all, it's not time for you to step away. And if I were advising you, I would say absolutely not, because you and Mark are a groove, and that groove continues to work.”
  (Oprah, 11:23)

• Oprah shares the emotional labor her show required, often dealing with heavy and serious topics:

  “You're doing cancer patients and people who've divorced and every major dysfunction in the world we have discussed… the nature of what we were doing every day became just so hard.”
  (Oprah, 12:05)

• The conversation explores the pressure of awards and finding value beyond accolades:

  “It's not going to be measured by an award at the end of the year. It's measured in every viewer response... your legacy is every life you touch.”
  (Oprah, 12:29 & 12:47)

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3. Breaking Through and the Myth of the “Next Oprah”

• Oprah reflects on breaking through in a Donahue-dominated era. She credits her boss for telling her to “just go on the air and be yourself,” which allowed her to focus on authenticity over competition.

  “If I had had that as an expectation... I would have felt like an imposter trying to be like Phil Donahue instead of being able to be myself.”
  (Oprah, 14:29)

• Both agree that authenticity is the key to success in talk television, not imitation:

  “You should be the best version of whoever you are. You should bring the most authentic parts of yourself to whatever it is you're doing.”
  (Kelly, 15:56)

  “There will never be another Kelly. There can’t be, because you bring to that space everything that's ever happened to you.”
  (Oprah, 16:17)

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4. From Humble Beginnings to Billionaire: Shattering Myths

• Oprah clarifies that her status as a billionaire was never a goal or even a thought. She describes her financial journey, early frugality, and family history with money:

  “I was honest to goodness. It had never, I had never thought about it. It had never occurred to me. It wasn't like a goal I was trying to reach… I attend every financial meeting, but half the time, I don't know what the hell they're talking about.”
  (Oprah, 18:53 & 19:21)

• Her first “splurge” was bath sheets from Ralph Lauren—a milestone after years of financial struggle.

• Oprah’s upbringing included growing up with an outhouse, no running water, and no electricity.

  “Grew up with no running water, no electricity... I have worked since I was 16 in my father’s store, and then moving into radio and then moving into television.”
  (Oprah, 22:02)

• Her father’s proud acknowledgment of her achievements shortly before his death is a poignant highlight.

  “Is it true what they say about you, that you were a billionaire? …Never thought it. Now, when you were a little girl, you used to always talk about you were going to be a millionaire and live in a house on a hill.”
  (Oprah, 24:16)

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5. The Power and Responsibility of Ownership and Platform

• Oprah credits her decision to own the rights to her show as life-changing:

  “The decision I made to own myself… That is what made all the difference. I believed that the show would work as a national show… people at the heart and core of ourselves, whether you're in Indiana... Massachusetts... New York, that the heart of us is the same.”
  (Oprah, 25:22)

• She identifies connection and authenticity as the universal wants of viewers/listeners.

  “You want to be able to have the fullest, purest expression of yourself as a human being and not have to pretend to be anything other than who you really are.”
  (Oprah, 26:00)

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6. What Oprah Would Have Been (If Not Oprah)

• Oprah’s conversation with Sidney Poitier (32:23) is a touching segment, illustrating that her gift for connection would find a way, no matter the era or setting.

  “He said, it wouldn’t matter if you were doing a talk show or if you were the village cobbler in 1879… people would be lined up outside your store coming for shoes, but really coming for the conversation and the community.”
  (Sidney Poitier, via Oprah, 32:36)

• Oprah always thought she'd be a fourth grade teacher, inspired by her own Mrs. Duncan.

  “The fourth grade is when I came into myself, because Mrs. Duncan really saw me. That's why I love teachers so much...”
  (Oprah, 33:14)

• She encourages Kelly to “not let go of the platform”:

  “The reach that you have, the audience that you’ve built, the family that you’ve created… is really more vital and important now.”
  (Oprah, 34:21)

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7. Joy, Home Life & Celebrity Neighbor Anecdotes

• Oprah shares a hilarious story about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle bringing over rescued ducklings after a call for help:

  “I get a call from Harry Prince Harry on Easter Saturday, and he says, sorry to b you o but we have a duck problem here… We’re chasing the mama duck who’s in the front yard and has flown to the other side. We’ve got her ducks… and for like a half an hour, we’re running around with the ducks in the box.”
  (Oprah, 50:15)

• Kelly’s idea for Oprah of gifting “fuzzy chickens” leads to more Montecito neighborly banter and a confession from Oprah that she’d regift them to the Sussexes (Harry and Meghan).

• On favorite places and being a homebody:

  “You know my favorite place to be? At home with my dogs… It's Santa Barbara. It's definitely Santa Barbara… I never ever ever complain about any kind of weather because you're alive to see it.”
  (Oprah, 38:40 & 38:55)

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8. Love and Loss: Dogs as Family

• Both discuss the pain of losing pets and the special role dogs play in their lives:

  “We lost our dog Chewy a couple of months ago… losing our dog was the hardest thing we've ever had to do.”
  (Kelly, 41:35) “I think it's one of the most crushing things I've ever been through. And although I've been through it multiple, multiple times…”
  (Oprah, 42:19)

• Oprah considers new dogs for the future and talks about her longtime canine companions, concluding that, “They're family members.”

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9. The “Oprah Podcast” and Meaningful Conversations

• Oprah describes how her podcast evolved from the book club, and how she enjoys having meaningful, relational conversations with all types of guests.

  “It's now blossomed into something that I actually look forward to doing. And I love it because it's comfortable for me and meaningful for me, but also doesn't feel like a grind.”
  (Oprah, 52:40)

• Notable podcast highlights include talking with Jacinda Ardern on leadership and New Zealand’s rapid gun law reforms, as well as ordinary people’s near-death experience stories.

• Oprah re-emphasizes the role of genuine conversation and listening:

  “Our gift is being able to connect and communicate in a way that people can also feel the essence of our personalities. This is what we do, girl.”
  (Oprah, 55:51)

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10. On Listening and Human Connection

• The episode ends on the power and importance of truly listening:

  “You're not just a good conversationalist. You're a great listener. Which… as you know, is the key.”
  (Kelly, 56:17)

  “It's the thing that creates connection.”
  (Oprah, 56:31)

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Memorable Moments & Quotes (with Timestamps)

• "You get an Oprah, you get an Oprah.." (Kelly, 00:45) — Kelly’s irreverent, energetic opening sets the tone.

• Australia Audience Passport Chaos:

  “We had reached a point... that last year we took an entire audience to Australia... what we didn't realize is that 90% of the audience didn't have a passport.”
  (Oprah, 01:24 & 36:32)

• Sidney Poitier Birthday Meeting:

  “My dear, I have been longing to meet you, my dear. And I just burst into tears.”
  (Oprah, 32:23)

• Prince Harry’s Duck Rescue:

  “He says, sorry to b you o but we have a duck problem here... running around with the ducks in the box.”
  (Oprah, 50:15)

• On FOMO & Home:

  “Never. Not for anything do I have fomo. Because I'm a... I'm really... I'm such a stay at home body.”
  (Oprah, 38:40)

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Timestamps: Key Segments

• [07:00] – Oprah’s reflections on her audience and personal connection
• [11:06] – When is it time to leave a show?
• [14:29] – Beating Donahue and authenticity vs. imitation
• [18:40] – Oprah’s rise to billionaire status: realities vs. myths
• [25:22] – The power of ownership and betting on herself
• [32:23] – The Sidney Poitier story & being a “village cobbler”
• [36:26] – The Australia audience chaos
• [50:15] – Prince Harry, Meghan, and the duck drama
• [52:40] – Oprah’s podcast: intent, evolution, and favorite guests
• [55:51] – Final advice: Don’t give up the platform
• [56:17] – The art of listening and lasting impact

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Conclusion

This episode is an intimate, buoyant, and inspiring conversation between two television icons. For fans and newcomers, it offers insights into Oprah’s personal and professional journey, the philosophy of authentic connection, unforgettable celebrity neighbor stories, the joys (and heartbreaks) of pet ownership, and an unwavering commitment to platform, purpose, and people.

Takeaway:
Oprah’s enduring advice: “Don’t give up the platform.”
(Oprah, 55:51)

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Perfect for anyone seeking wisdom, career inspiration, nostalgia, or just a warm, honest laugh with two broadcasting legends.

Transcript

[Kelly Ripa]

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[Oprah Winfrey]

We had reached a point where, you know that last year we took an entire audience to Australia.

[Kelly Ripa]

You are going to Australia.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Okay. And then what we didn't realize is that 90% of the audience didn't have a passport. So the producers were, like, out of their minds trying to get passports for the people in time for the show.

[Kelly Ripa]

Somebody got to cue me. Or do I cue myself? Cue yourself. Okay, guys, this is big. I mean, I just want to make it announce. Announcement. Before we get into it, I'm wearing a brassiere today.

[Oprah Winfrey]

You are?

[Kelly Ripa]

I am. I put on a bra. I know you can't tell, but I'm just telling you. Look. You want to see it? Oh, yes, you are. It's a new bra. You're wearing a bra for this interview. This has got to be important. And you know who I credit for this booking? Moi, that's who. I did a.

[Oprah Winfrey]

How did you land this booking?

[Kelly Ripa]

How did I land this booking? I took full advantage of my access via my frothy morning talk show. You know what? Words sealed the steel.

[Oprah Winfrey]

What?

[Kelly Ripa]

Off camera. Oh, yes. And she said. What do you mean off camera? I said, there's no cameras. We are completely off camera. We are an all Sound podcast people. People do their podcasts from their bedrooms in the bathroom. I've had people in lounge chairs outside, people picking up their kids from school. And she goes, I would do that podcast. And I go, great. I'm gonna have Jan call you. Like, literally, as soon as Oprah left the set, everyone's like, jan, Kelly wants you. Yep.

[Oprah Winfrey]

It's a major. It is a major booking.

[Kelly Ripa]

Guess what, listeners? She's here today. That's right. Jan said it. Oprah. Oprah Winfrey. What? Oprah Winfrey is on this here podcast today. It's pretty big. Do you think I could call her Odubs? Oh, Dubs, I like it. What people call her, like, her, like, inner circle. What do they call her? I happen to know. I can't reveal it, but I know how she is listed in the phone contacts in Tyler Perry's phone. And you're not gonna. I can't reveal it. Cause I don't wanna. Like, that just seems. I was. I was. Remember when he called her on the show when he was co hosting with me, I peeked and I saw the name that popped up, and it was delicious. But I would never reveal that, because even though I was peeking at his phone, I would never reveal it. But it was very exciting. If you had to guess what her favorite curse word is, what would you think it is? Oprah's favorite curse word. She probably doesn't curse. I know she doesn't, but she does. Like, with. With Gail. She probably think she curses. Yeah, they must. You think? I'm gonna ask her. I'm gonna say, oprah, what's your favorite curse word? What's your favorite curse word? Yeah. Do you cuss. She's gon. And I'm gonna say, when you and Gayle used to take your road trips when the cameras weren't rolling, what words. What words came out? Are you gonna ask her if she would have liked the furry chicken? I'm gonna send her a furry chicken as a thank you. I just re. Listened to that when you were talking to Colman about it. Colman Domingo. Yeah. I wonder if he ever executed that plan. It's a good plan. I was talking to my boys about her being on, and it's funny because they don't know. They don't know the back. They don't know the backstory. It's amazing to me, like, they just. They don't know any of that. And it's. No, no.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Yeah.

[Kelly Ripa]

She. She went through hell. Yeah, I know. You know, and so, like. Well, I know, you know. She was so smart because she got ownership of her intellectual property. Like she took ownership of that show. She bought the rights to herself. I think she's still in New York because she was here for the Tonys. Oh, right. Yeah.

[Oprah Winfrey]

We think she's at a nearby hotel. We're hoping. Yeah. What if we take the mics and go over there?

[Kelly Ripa]

We think we're looking at your hotel.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Sounds like she might be on in a minute. Just giving you a heads up. Keep cool.

[Kelly Ripa]

Don't panic. Everybody stop panicking. Oprah's gonna think this is my house. It is your house. I mean, it is my house, but I have nothing to do with this room. Right. Look at the scary.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Wanna blur your background?

[Kelly Ripa]

Huh? No.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Okay, I can.

[Kelly Ripa]

It's better. She sees how other talk show host live. Maybe she'll start a foundation. I can hear. Ah, there they are. Hair done. Where are you going? Where's Oprah going?

[Oprah Winfrey]

Get my hair done over here.

[Kelly Ripa]

Hey. Hi. We just did an entire intro to you, and it was amazing. It was amazing. But everybody in this room is freaked out. We cannot believe this is happening.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Oh, my gosh.

[Kelly Ripa]

So we have lots of questions, so I'm just going to dive right in because I know your time is limited. You look gorgeous. What are you getting ready for?

[Oprah Winfrey]

Oh, I have a dinner this evening I'm going to. Okay.

[Kelly Ripa]

Who are you dining with?

[Oprah Winfrey]

Amy Griffin.

[Kelly Ripa]

Okay.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Powerhouse.

[Kelly Ripa]

Oh, so. Okay.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Excuse me.

[Kelly Ripa]

So is it like a. Is it a. Is it a formal dinner?

[Oprah Winfrey]

Oh, it's not even formal, but I was out. I was out shopping and my hair just. It's so humid outside that my hair just went. Shoot.

[Kelly Ripa]

Your hair looks great. You look gorgeous, by the way.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Well, thank you.

[Kelly Ripa]

Oh, I look like a monster. But this is an off camera podcast, so your beauty will kind of like. It doesn't even matter. Yeah, doesn't even matter. Let me just start by saying it was 25 years. You hit the 25 year mark. So after you step away from 25 years of your iconic talk show, the Oprah Winfrey show, which we were all. We were regaling each other with stories about which episodes of your show changed our lives or influenced our lives in unique ways. And Albert learned how to meditate because you were with Deepak Chopra. But it wasn't Deepak that drew him in. It was you that drew him in

[Oprah Winfrey]

those 21 day meditation programs. Oh, the 21 day meditations Albert. I did with. But Deepak, you know, when I think about that show, that show, when I said at the end of that show that this show has been the love of my life. That remains so true. And I think of it always with a sense of reverence because of the audience. You know, this every day, the connection to the audience. And I think about all the lives that were touched and changed by that show, and. And I'm reminded of it every single day. If I'm out of my house, if I leave the house, there is not a time I've ever left the house that somebody doesn't stop me and say, I watch with my mom. I watch with my grandmom. I grew up with you. I mean, just, you know, I was out on the street today, and this woman's like, oh, my gosh, I have loved you my whole life.

[Kelly Ripa]

And that was me.

[Oprah Winfrey]

So I stopped. I usually stop and say, so tell me what it was. Tell me what it is that moved you so and so I'd be curious for you. What was the thing?

[Kelly Ripa]

Oh, my gosh, there were two. I mean, for me, it was really just. It was appointment television. What I liked about you, always, and what I have taken from you and implemented into my own talk show hosting. And I've said this before, you were always very tactile with your audience members. You're very tactile, and you touch them and you studied them and you embrace them. And that is something that I often rely on, because sometimes people become overwhelmed in a moment, or they become like. I don't know. I wouldn't necessarily apply this to myself. I wouldn't say starstruck, but they become flummoxed.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Yes, the word is flummoxed, and it's not starstruck. It's just like.

[Kelly Ripa]

They're just flummoxed.

[Oprah Winfrey]

You know what? It's that moment they suddenly realize I am on television. I'm talking about myself, particularly people who are not accustomed to doing it, you know?

[Kelly Ripa]

Right.

[Oprah Winfrey]

And yes, I would say that being able to steady the person in the chair. And, you know, I've said this. I actually used this in a speech at graduation at Harvard many years ago. Is that the common denominator I always heard and received was was that okay in one form or another? People would say that after every show, even if they didn't say the words. They would look at me like, was that all right?

[Kelly Ripa]

Even celebrities. Celebrities, major movie stars are like movie

[Oprah Winfrey]

stars, and presidents of countries would. Would say the same thing. Is that all right? That's okay? And so that, to me, was the common thread of understanding that everybody that sits in that seat opposite you is looking for the same thing. They want to know that what they said mattered and that they were heard and that it was felt and that it was okay. And that is also a metaphor for life. That's what your children want. That's what Mark wants. That's what all of your encounters with everybody, every argument, is about. Do you hear me?

[Kelly Ripa]

Every argument.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Do you. Are you hearing me correct? And is what I'm saying meaning anything to you?

[Kelly Ripa]

Well, I hear half of what Mark says, but I still think that, you know, we've been married a long time, so that's more of a survival tactic. I've been at the talk show now for 25 years, so I'm asking for a friend. How did you know it was time to step away?

[Oprah Winfrey]

First of all, it's not time for you to step away. And if I were advising you, I would say absolutely not, because you and Mark are a groove, and that groove continues to work.

[Kelly Ripa]

And we have fun.

[Oprah Winfrey]

You have fun. And it's easy, and it's light enough and serious enough when it needs to be, and it's not a grind. And as much as I loved being on a part of the show every day and as much as I loved the audience, I'm telling you, the nature of what we were doing every day became just so hard.

[Kelly Ripa]

Well, you were dealing in very serious topics.

[Oprah Winfrey]

A lot of times, you know, you're doing cancer patients and people who've divorced and every major dysfunction in the world we have discussed. And every year we were, you know, I pulled myself out of the Emmys, I think after the first eight or nine years. Of winning.

[Kelly Ripa]

Of winning. I have to bring that out.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Of winning. Of winning.

[Kelly Ripa]

She ran out of shelf space, Albert,

[Oprah Winfrey]

just because, you know, every time we would come to New York for the Emmys, the producers would be, like, overwhelmed when we lost. And I just thought not even worth that because, you know, you're doing the best work possible. You know, you're. You're putting out the effort to do good things, to be a force for good in the world. And it's not going to be measured by an award at the end of the year. It's measured in every viewer response. It's measured as Maya. Now, I've said many times, your legacy is every life you touch. So it's measured in all the lives that are being affected by what you're doing and saying. So I have to say that I still hold in reverence all the opportunities we had to reach into people's lives and be there for them in ways that Mattered. And you are right when you say, Kelly, it was appointment television at a time when that was a real thing.

[Kelly Ripa]

You know, I mean, I remember I had a part time job after school and what I would do is I would rush home and while I was changing into my outfit for my part time job, I would turn on your show. And I knew that I had like 45 minutes of viewing. I could watch 45 minutes and only be like 8 minutes late to work. And they just got sort of used to me being late for work. And then they would say, why are you late? And I would say, Oprah had on, you know, and I would just like, I would just sort of lead with Oprah. But what, what do you think it is? Because so few people, I, I think every year there's another dozen talk shows that are launched. So few people are able to break through. And you broke through at a time when it seemed almost impossible to break through. It was all soap operas, it was all game. It was not. There was, you know, a couple. Phil Donahue and you.

[Oprah Winfrey]

At the time that I came, when I first came to Chicago, my boss at the time, Dennis Swanson, said, listen, we know there's no way you're ever gonna beat Phil Donahue, so just go on the air and be yourself. Thank goodness he didn't say, we have brought you here to local Chicago am, Chicago to beat Phil Donahue, because I wouldn't have known. How do you do that? Because Phil Donahue was the king. He was the word. He was the beginning in the alpha and the omega in talk shows. So I didn't have any expectation for beating him. But the first time we went on the air, we did. So that was a surprise. And I was just like, oh, okay, whatever that means. And then the first, you know, when rating sweeps were always in February or November or maybe so that first February sweeps, we also beat him. And then people started to talk about, whoa, what is going on in Chicago. And because it never was a goal of mine to beat him or anybody, but just to every day go on the air and be as much of myself as I could be. I was never bothered by it or never had any kind of expectation that I had to live up to anything. Because if I had had that as an expectation. I hear a lot of people talk about imposter syndrome. I would have felt like an imposter trying to be like Phil Donahue instead of being able to be myself.

[Kelly Ripa]

That makes so much sense to me. Every year when they launch the new talk shows, everybody is the next Oprah, or they fashion themselves after being the next Oprah. And I always say to myself, there can only, there will only ever be one Oprah. But you should be the best version of whoever you are. You should bring the most authentic parts

[Oprah Winfrey]

of yourself to whatever it is you're doing. Well, I feel that, too. I feel like there will never be another Kelly. There can't be, because you bring to that space everything that's ever happened to you. You're not just sitting up there chitty chatting. You bring everything that's ever happened to you and that part of your personality that relates and connects in a way that only you can. So the I remember when around the 20th year, I had one of my attorneys who was helping me run the company said, you know, we need to figure out what are we going to do to find the next Oprah. We need to figure out how we're going to create the next Oprah. And I said, well, we didn't even figure out how to create this one. So I think this is going to be really hard. You know, I now look at the talk shows that are on now, and every era has its own person. But what is remarkable is that you have remained fresh and continue to refresh no matter who you're with. And I actually think I like you and Mark together.

[Kelly Ripa]

It's like an old married couple. And it is because for many, many years when I was working at All My Children, they would just leave the ABC shows on. So I would see Regis and Kathie Lee, and for many years I thought they were married. I had no idea they weren't, that they were not married, that they were not married. And so, and then one day Joy came on and I was like, who is this woman that looks like Regis, kind of looks like Regis wife, but not really.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Yeah.

[Kelly Ripa]

And then everybody said, no, that's, that's his wife. That's his actual wife. And my mind was blown. So what do you say? Because Jan was telling me this fascinating thing. She's got two young, young sons. They're young adults, and they only know you as Oprah Winfrey, the billionaire. What do you say to the generation of people that think that you were born Oprah Winfrey, the billionaire?

[Oprah Winfrey]

I remember the day my financial person called and said, well, you hit the big B, right?

[Kelly Ripa]

And I were you trying to figure out what that meant?

[Oprah Winfrey]

I was honest to goodness. It had never, I had never thought about it. It had never occurred to me. I never, it wasn't like a goal. I was trying to reach like, now that's all people talk about. And so I said, what is mean? You know, because I'm one of those people who are. I. I attend every financial meeting, but half the time, I don't know what the hell they're talking about.

[Kelly Ripa]

Don't you zone out? It's like a zone out session, but

[Oprah Winfrey]

you have to show up and ask a question so that they know you're interested.

[Kelly Ripa]

Correct.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Okay. So when I was told that, I was like, whoa, okay, that sounds like a lot. And do you know, did you go.

[Kelly Ripa]

Did you buy something? Like, did you immediately buy something?

[Oprah Winfrey]

No, I did not. I remember going shopping when I first recognized I was a millionaire. And I mean, like, mini millionaire. And I remember being in a Tiffany store on Chicago Avenue, and one of my producers was with me, and I was in the store looking at plates, and I was like, wow, look at these plates. These are so amazing. And she was. And I was, like, holding up one pattern versus another. And she said to me. I said, I don't even know which one to get. And she said, can't you get both? And it was the first time it had occurred. I went, oh, yeah, I could get both. Of course you can. Of course I can. But when I first started to make enough money, y', all, just to, you know. Because I'd come from Baltimore, where I was always loaning money to my family and, you know, sending out. When I first started, I would pay the electric. This is when you had to actually write checks and send money out and pay the electric bill. And I wouldn't sign it because I know that it would take a week to come back. And then they'd say for you to sign it. You can only do that trick a couple of times. But if you were low on rent or.

[Kelly Ripa]

I know these tricks. I know them very well.

[Oprah Winfrey]

So I had all those. Those little tricks. So when I first. I used to go in the Ralph Lauren store on Michigan Avenue, and I used to, like, walk through the home section and look at all the towels. And I'd be like, wow, one day I'm gonna get bath sheets. One day I'm gonna get bath sheets. And so when I first started to make enough money that I could actually pay the rent at the end of the month and have something left over, the first big thing I got was bath sheets. And my very first interview with Barbara Walters, when she said, what is it that you, you know, you like to spend? I said, barbara, would you like to see my towels? I did.

[Kelly Ripa]

What did she say? Did she go to look at your towels.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Yeah. And she did. And she was like, oh, now I know. She was like, oh, lovely. I know. No, see how they're folded like the department store?

[Kelly Ripa]

Right.

[Oprah Winfrey]

But, you know, that means so much to somebody like me who grew up with an outhouse.

[Kelly Ripa]

Okay, No, I. I understand.

[Oprah Winfrey]

I grew up with an outhouse with a grandmother. So for the kids who, you know, think I was. When you just said that, I went, oh, really? Is that. That never occurred to me that people just think that I was born with money? No. Grew up with no running water, no electricity, to the point where. When I used to go to speak in schools, like fourth and fifth graders would say, do you know Abraham Lincoln? Because my story sounds like I grew up in. In the days of Abraham Lincoln. So I never had, like, an imposter syndrome about it because I have worked since I was 16 in my father's store, and then moving into radio and then moving into television making. The reason why I have such a great appreciation for what I have, y', all, is cause I have earned every salary. I worked for my father in the store for three years for nothing. I worked. Then my first job, I remember making a hundred dollars a week and thinking, oh, is it $100 a week? And then when I was 22, I was making 22,000. That's when I met Gayle King in Baltimore. And Gail said, can you imagine if you're 30 and you're making 30,000, then you're 40 and you're making 40,000. So I have come up the ranks of every salary. So by the time I got to the point where I could call myself a millionaire, not something I never expected, even though my father. I will tell you this, that. That my father, in his last dying days, like two days before he passed, he and I were sitting on the porch and he said, is it true what they say about you that you were a billionaire? And I said, yes, that's true. And he said, never thought it. Now, when you were a little girl, you used to always talk about you were going to be a millionaire and live in a house on a hill. That's what my father said to me. And I remember telling him once, I'm a millionaire. I'm going to buy you a house. Which I did.

[Kelly Ripa]

And

[Oprah Winfrey]

I ended up living in a house on a hill. So that vision that I had for myself as a kid did not extend to the bounty and abundance that I have been able to earn for myself in. In this lifetime. But my father, recognizing that it's something that I had dreamed about since a little girl in his dying days, but also not even understanding. He didn't understand the B word either. You know, he didn't.

[Kelly Ripa]

When you became a billionaire, I cried tears of happiness for you because I was. Did you? Yeah. I was so familiar with your story, and I know that you earned everything, and it wasn't easy and nobody handed you anything. And I just, like. I was very moved for you. I just felt like, now here's a girl who was given nothing and really made her own way in a landscape that's often hostile to women. Very hostile to women.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Well, yes. And the reason this is what I know for sure, that the decision I made to own myself. So when my attorney, Jeff Jacobs, came to me and said, do you want to own the show? I go, what does that mean? It means you're going to have to take less money now. But if the show really takes off, then you will have half of it. You will earn the same thing as the syndicator earns. And I was like, okay, I bet on myself for that. And that is what made all the difference. I believed that the show would work as a national show because it had already worked in Chicago. And by that time, I had a real connection and understanding to the audiences who were coming every day. And I knew that people at the heart and core of ourselves, whether you're in Indiana, whether you're in Massachusetts, whether you're in Tennessee, whether you're in Chicago, Louisiana, New York, that the heart of us is the same. We all want the same things. I now can better articulate what that thing is, having spent hours and hours and hours listening to people. And what I know is that what we all are striving for is to be able to be true to ourselves and live up to the values that we hold for ourselves, and to be able to have the fullest expression of ourselves as human beings. You want that. I want that. Everybody listening to us, that's what you want. You want to be able to have the fullest, purest expression of yourself as a human being and not have to pretend to be anything other than who you really are.

[Kelly Ripa]

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[Oprah Winfrey]

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[Kelly Ripa]

If you didn't go into broadcast television. Is there one thing? A career? A job like one other thing that you're like, you know, I bet you my talents could have been, I don't name it X.

[Oprah Winfrey]

You know, I had a wonderful conversation with Sidney Poitier once. Sidney Poitier, who was my role model and idol and all that. And I ended up having people who had been my role models as a kid as friends in my life. I mean, that's one of the great gifts I've been given. And so I love Sidney Poitier since I saw him at 10 years old and he won the Oscar for Lilies of the Fields. And I couldn't imagine that I would ever meet him, not to mention be able to consider him as a friend. But anyway, we became friends. My 42nd birthday, Quincy Jones, who discovered me for the Color Purple, had a birthday party for me and invited Sidney Poitier. And I'm telling you, I walked down the stairs. I'm gonna start crying now. I walked down the stairs and I saw him at the bottom. I turned and he was at the bottom of the stairs. And he said, my dear, I have been longing to meet you, my dear. And I just burst into tears. And I told him the story of being the 10 year old watching me. And he said, I have been. Been longing to meet you. And from that day forward, we became really good friends. He came on the. On the Oprah show and I interviewed him. I've never been more nervous. I've never felt more like a schlump Adinka. I've never felt. I felt. And after he left, Kelly, after he left, I went into the control room and I bawled. I just bawled into a towel. I just. I just was like, I was. I never asked. I didn't have one coherent question. I don't remember a thing. I am so. I was so nervous. I was so out of my body. I don't know what happened. And he called me the next day and said, my dear, I would love the chance to sit down and talk to you, because I did not feel completely myself. I did not feel that I gave you what you needed. And I'm like, oh, no, no, no, no. I was the one. Can you imagine?

[Kelly Ripa]

No, I can't. I would have passed out at the. The first. My dear. At the birthday party.

[Oprah Winfrey]

The first. Yes.

[Kelly Ripa]

Okay.

[Oprah Winfrey]

So Sidney Poitier said to me, after we became great friends, he said, it wouldn't matter if you were doing a talk show or if you were the village cobbler in 1879 and people were coming to your store to get their shoes. He said, People would be lined up outside your store coming for shoes, but really coming for the conversation and the community. No matter what you were doing, you would be.

[Kelly Ripa]

You're still going to be that thing that you would be the person who

[Oprah Winfrey]

would be gathering people together in conversation. And so as he said that, it resonated so deeply with me. I thought, you're right. I always thought I was going to be a fourth grade teacher because of Mrs. Duncan was such a powerful influence in my belief in myself. I mean, the fourth grade is when I came into myself, because Mrs. Duncan really saw me. That's why I love teachers so much, because of what I was given by my teachers. And I always had thought before I got into radio at 16, that the thing I was going to do with my life was be the best fourth grade teacher anybody had ever seen. And I thought, I'm going to win all the teacher awards because. Because all the students are gonna say, that's the best fourth grade teacher. So I ended up having a platform that became a teaching. An empowering and enlightening platform.

[Kelly Ripa]

That's what I was gonna say. You literally taught millions and millions and millions and millions of people every day for. And still do. And still do.

[Oprah Winfrey]

And still do. I think the podcast does that in its own way, but I think. Listen, listen, I know. This is why I'm telling you, don't let go of the platform that you have. Do not do it. Don't even consider it. Because I feel that the reach that you have, the audience that you've built, the family that you've created, both inside the studio and in the rest of the world, is really more vital and important now.

[Kelly Ripa]

Thank you. I, you know, I agree with you. I often think, like, you know, in my fantasy world, the Oprah Winfrey show comes back on the air, Right? Because I feel like if somebody could get us through the dark times that we currently seem to be stuck in, it would be you sort of guiding us. But I do know that what you are saying about our show happens to be true. Because if you spend any time in hospital with people, and I have several family members who are going through things, and so I've been in hospitals a lot lately. And when you host a talk show or talk show like ours, where we don't really cover heavy topics, it is appointment viewing in all of those chemotherapy labs and all of those rooms where people receive their treatments because it's not anxiety inducing. And so I have to remember when I'm thinking, is it time? Is it time? I have to Remember that there are certain people that I will never know who count on me right now, who are counting on me and counting on

[Oprah Winfrey]

you through appointment television. Are counting on you right now. Yes, But I don't miss the show. You and Mark asked me this when I was there. I don't miss the show. I miss the connection to the audience. I miss the everyday conversation. I miss the conversations afterwards. Because I'm just telling you, we had reached a point where, you know that last year we took an entire audience to Australia.

[Kelly Ripa]

You are going to Australia.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Yes. Okay. And then what we didn't realize is that 90% of the audience didn't have a pet passport. So the producers were like, out of their minds trying to get passports for the people in time for the show in Australia. And I remember going into a meeting and someone saying, well, I think what we should do is try to get people on a spaceship or we should be able to take an audience or some audience members up on the spaceship. And we're always trying to act, outdo ourselves. And I was like, it is time to bring it down.

[Kelly Ripa]

I would go to sp. I would go to space. Like, when I saw Gail go up there, I was like. And I was watching. It was so funny because I was watching, not me. I know. I noticed.

[Oprah Winfrey]

You were, you're going to send an audience to space. I will not be there. After Gail's trip and into space, I became so. I would never do it, but I became very interested in the whole process. So for days afterwards, I would just put myself to sleep at night looking at the space station, traveling around the globe, like making multiple trips. And then every 42 minutes or 37 minutes, I can't remember what it was. You get another sunrise and it's like 16, 17 times a day. And so it really changed. Changed the way I looked at the world and what happens when I look up at the sky at night watching Gail do it. And I was so happy and proud for her, also relieved, because if she'd asked one more time, what should I do? Do you think I should go? I. From the beginning, I was like, you should do it because you want to do it.

[Kelly Ripa]

You'll regret it. If you don't do it.

[Oprah Winfrey]

You will regret it. And what you don't want is living with the regret. I said, and don't let Katy Perry come down and say, was really great fun. You're going to be then really saying, I should have done it. The minute somebody says, oh, my God, like a life changing experience, you're going to Go. Oh, I should have done it. So I don't have that. So I was just so proud to be there for her.

[Kelly Ripa]

But you don't have fomo. You never suffer from fomo.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Never. Not for anything do I have fomo Because I'm a. I'm. I'm really. I'm such a stay at home body. You know my favorite place to be? At home with my dogs.

[Kelly Ripa]

Which home? Give me the number one Oprah Winfrey favorite home.

[Oprah Winfrey]

It's Santa Barbara. It's definitely Santa Barbara. And it's being in front of. And I can be anywhere. I don't care if it's raining. I don't care if it's snowing. I don't care if it's sleeting. I don't care if it's fog, if it's June gloom, if you can't see out. I never, ever, ever complain about any kind of weather because you're alive to see it. So take that. That's what it is. Nothing you can do about it.

[Kelly Ripa]

That's how I start looking at the New York weather. I'm alive to see. That's how I'm gonna start the game.

[Oprah Winfrey]

I'm alive to see it. And I. You know, my favorite day is it's misty outside. I have a fireplace going. Whether that's summer or winter or whatever. And, you know, being there by myself or not with the dog. I now only have one dog, Sadie.

[Kelly Ripa]

Oh, my gosh, Sadie. I never understood because when I had three young kids and they were begging for a dog, everybody was like, like, oh, the dog's like your fourth child. The dog's like, your fourth child dog is not like your fourth child dog is so much better than your child dog does not give you bullshit the way children do. Yeah. They are just constant sources of affection and love and companionship. And they're very steadfast, you know.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Well, I'm preparing myself. I mean, Sadie's in great health. Sadie is 16 and a half. Let me just say. She still looks like she. She could pass for 10.

[Kelly Ripa]

Yeah.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Or 12. And the moment you say how old the dog is, people go, oh, yeah, yeah. So I remember being at the Bellair Hotel once, and I was sitting next to a woman and I said, oh, such a cute dog. Actually, somebody wrote a book about this dog, so Happy at the Bel Air. And I said to her, how's the dog? And she said, seven. And later she came to me and said, oprah, I didn't want to lie to you, but he's really 10. But I didn't want to say that because he couldn't get work in this town. I'm not kidding. Now. I understand, though, because the moment you go into double digits, people start that. So Sadie's 16 and a half. She's lived longer than any dog I've had. 21. She's lived longer than any dog I've ever had. And so I know it's coming. And, you know, it can happen like that. You know, they're perfectly fine. And then one day, something shows up. My last golden retriever, Luke, we got a diagnosis for cancer on a Tuesday. They said, you have two months maybe. And by Friday, he was gone. So I've been through it so many times.

[Kelly Ripa]

We lost. We lost our dog Chewy a couple of months ago, and she was 18 years old. I can honestly tell you that Mark and I, we've been very fortunate. Let me start by saying we haven't had a lot of loss in our lives. We've been very fortunate. So we understand that. But losing our dog was the hardest thing we've ever had to do. Cause we had to put her down. And it was. I begged the vet. I said to her. Cause she came to the house, and I said, can you put me down, too? And she said, you'd be amazed at how many people ask that of me.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Yeah.

[Kelly Ripa]

Because it was just crushing. It was really crushing.

[Oprah Winfrey]

I think it's one of the most crushing things I've ever been through. And although I've been through it multiple. Multiple times. And it's so interesting, because I grew up and my father didn't allow me to have a dog. Dog in the house. And when I first moved to Baltimore, Gail was. Was. Was. Was working in Baltimore. I was the anchor woman, and Gail was a production assistant. And one day she didn't come into work. And I said, what happened? And she said, our dog died. And I was like, your dog died? I never heard of somebody not coming to work because their dog died.

[Kelly Ripa]

Right. And.

[Oprah Winfrey]

And now I understand. I mean, I would not come to work. I would take off, and. Except when Sadie. When Sophie died, I did. I showed up the next day. But it's one of the most devastating losses, I think, particularly the first time it happens. Particularly the first time it happens because they're family members. They are family members. And only people who have had pets understand that it is a family member. And I understand it if you don't that. That you don't get it. So that's okay. And don't you see? Don't you see Chewy everywhere.

[Kelly Ripa]

I mean, clouds. I see her in clouds. I see her everywhere I go.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Yeah. We had Sophie and Solomon for many years, for 13 and 14 years during the Oprah Show. And like a week after Sophie died, Stedman came home and he was just standing in the hallway crying. And I said, what? What just happened? What just happened? And he said, sophie always came down the stairs right here. And so you see them in spaces, you know, you see where they used to chew on their ball. You see where they used to throw the ball. I said, and then I turn a corner where I used to throw the ball, and I'd be hit. All of a sudden. It's just, it's just like any other family member dying. I mean, it comes to you in waves, you know, it took me a year and a half to get over Sophie. I was really, really, really shaken by that.

[Kelly Ripa]

Yeah, I, I, I really get it. Are you going to get another dog?

[Oprah Winfrey]

I think I am going to get another dog and I'm probably going to try a completely different breed. I'm thinking about a Burma Doodle. I'm thinking about it.

[Kelly Ripa]

Recommend a shih tzu. I'm gonna tell you.

[Oprah Winfrey]

You do?

[Kelly Ripa]

Yes, these do. Dogs are little love balls. They don't, they don't shed at all. They're really surprisingly low maintenance. The only, the only problem with a shih tzu is a lot of them have, like, eating, I don't want to say eating disorders, but we had one shih tzu, Chewy, who passed away, who would eat anything and everything, literally. Candle wax, if she, if she thought

[Oprah Winfrey]

the candle wax would chewy. Eat, eat, eat his own poo.

[Kelly Ripa]

No, she wouldn't eat her own poo, but she would, like, jump. She would jump onto the dining room table at Thanksgiving and ate the turkey while we were all, like, saying hello to, you know, people in the hallway. And she was there standing on the dining room table.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Oh, my goodness.

[Kelly Ripa]

Whereas Lena, the little one, she doesn't eat anything. And I have seen Mark Consuelos spoon feeding this dog Greek yogurt in the morning.

[Oprah Winfrey]

He's a convert.

[Kelly Ripa]

He's a big convert. He said, do not bring that dog into this house. We already have a dog. We don't need two dogs. You're not bringing that dog in.

[Oprah Winfrey]

I think you do need two dogs. I actually do think you need two dogs. I think for people who are not at home all day, it's very sad for the dog to be alone all day. So I think having two dogs is fine. I mean, I've had 11 dogs at one time, but I also had a farm in Indiana to put all the dogs. But the most I've had at home in Santa Barbara at one time is five. And I've had all five in the bedroom at night.

[Kelly Ripa]

And those dogs must be like, can you look at us?

[Oprah Winfrey]

Can you believe they go to the dog park?

[Kelly Ripa]

And they're like, oprah's my mom. Who's your mom?

[Oprah Winfrey]

We don't have to lie about our age.

[Kelly Ripa]

Do you have chickens in Montecito?

[Oprah Winfrey]

I do not have chickens in Montecito. My neighbor has chickens in Montecito right across the fence. So I get.

[Kelly Ripa]

You get your eggs.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Eggs. Eggs from.

[Kelly Ripa]

And then do you do, like, a trade? Because I know you've got that vegetable garden. Do you go over.

[Oprah Winfrey]

And I sometimes take over avocados, or I take over lemons, or I take over tomatoes, or I take over.

[Kelly Ripa]

So my gift would have been. My gift would have been a bad gift. I don't know. Maybe.

[Oprah Winfrey]

What was your gift?

[Kelly Ripa]

So we were. We interviewed Colman Domingo, and he was telling us, like, incredible Oprah Winfrey stories about how his mom used to send you, like, fan letters and all this. He wound up, like, walking with you at your home in Montecito, telling me

[Oprah Winfrey]

that his mom had written me letters for years saying, you should know my son. You should help my son. Yes, he's somebody.

[Kelly Ripa]

Yeah. Colman Domingo writing it into the universe. But he. So I said, what did you bring Oprah as a hostess gift? And I think he brought you what was. Books. His. His. His. His manuscript. Yes, his manuscript.

[Oprah Winfrey]

His manuscript, yes.

[Kelly Ripa]

And I said, that's not what I would have gotten for Oprah. And he goes, what would. If you have gotten for Oprah? I said, well, she's in Montecito, so she probably is a chicken coop. I would have gotten her fuzzy chickens. You know, the chickens with the little fuzzy feet? Have you ever seen those chickens?

[Oprah Winfrey]

Yes, I have.

[Kelly Ripa]

Would you have liked that gift?

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[Oprah Winfrey]

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[Kelly Ripa]

I would have gotten her fuzzy chickens. You know, the chickens with the little fuzzy feet? Have you ever seen those chickens?

[Oprah Winfrey]

Yes, I have.

[Kelly Ripa]

Would you have liked that gift?

[Oprah Winfrey]

Not particularly. Settled right here.

[Kelly Ripa]

Damn it.

[Oprah Winfrey]

I would have just said, oh,

[Kelly Ripa]

I told you. I said with complete confidence to Coleman Domingo.

[Oprah Winfrey]

She would have bought the fuzzy chickens, and I would have gone, oh, you know what I would have done? I would have taken them over, you know, as chickens is the Sussexes, right? They have them. So I would have taken the Sussexes.

[Kelly Ripa]

Wait, you mean my gift would have been nobody.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Nobody knows the story, guys. Nobody know this story. So I get a call from Harry Prince Harry on Easter Saturday, and he says, sorry to b you o but we have a duck problem here. Some baby ducks. A duck had come into their yard and had laid the eggs and had these ducks, like eight other chicks. And he says, you know, our pond is a stream. We don't have a pond. So can we bring the ducks over to your pond? And I said, sure, but could you wait? Because Gail's grandkids were there. Kirby. And Kirby was there with her family. I said, wait until I can get the kids down to the pond to come come to see you put the ducks in the pond. So he goes, no, we're coming right away. We're coming over. Okay, so we have the kids all waiting for the ducks to come to the pond. Harry pulls up, and I say, no, the pond is that way. He opens the door. He goes, what? Which way? I go. Pond is that way. And as he opens the door, the mama duck flies out, and he's got all the baby ducks in a box. She goes, oh, no, the mama duck has flown away.

[Kelly Ripa]

They.

[Oprah Winfrey]

We're chasing the mama duck who's in the front yard and has flown to the other side. We've got her ducks. Harry's running after Megan gets out. She's running after chasing the mom and trying to get the mom to come back for their ducks. And for like a half an hour, we're running around with the ducks in the box. And we're all. And we have video. It's the tiniest thing up every single stars.

[Kelly Ripa]

Stars. They're just like us. I mean, I would have been like,

[Oprah Winfrey]

they're going, where are the ducks?

[Kelly Ripa]

Where are the ducks? The kids just want to see the ducks. Listen, those ducks also hit the jackpot. They're like, wait a minute. We show up at Prince Harry's house, and now we're at Oprah's. Excuse me.

[Oprah Winfrey]

We're in Oprah's pond.

[Kelly Ripa]

Yeah. That duck knew what it was doing when it laid its eggs. And your furry chicken would have had a nice home. Your furry chicken would have had a nice. My fairy chicken would have been rehomed. Royal re gift. I love it. So before we let you go, we need to talk about your podcast, the Oprah Podcast. You know what? We made a mistake. We should have named this podcast the Oprah Podcast. That would have been a way bigger sell.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Well, the Oprah Podcast, I love doing it. It started because I was doing the Oprah Book Club, and we were going to put the book club on. Sponsored by Starbucks. We're going to put that on YouTube. And when we talked to the team at YouTube, they said, well, you know, if you're going to do a book club once a month, you're not going to have any viewers because you need, you know, engagement, a regular continuity in order to get people to show up. And so I said, okay, well, I've been thinking about this idea of having important conversations about, you know, relationships, about money and kids and social media and anxiety and all of those things. And so not hard for me to have a conversation. And that's how it started. And it's now blossomed into something that I actually look forward to doing. And I love it because it's comfortable for me and meaningful for me, but also doesn't feel like a grind.

[Kelly Ripa]

Gotta go to work.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Gotta make it work. Yes. Cause I'm doing it right in my own backyard. Literally. Dorothy.

[Kelly Ripa]

Yeah, that's the best part about a podcast, is that you can. This is my son's former bedroom. I don't know if you can tell from all the weird shit he has in here, but this is like. This is his former bedroom. He now.

[Oprah Winfrey]

And you're just now using his bedroom?

[Kelly Ripa]

You know, it's so funny. I kept thinking I would transform it into a proper studio, but I like him knowing that we've sort of kept it his bedroom, even though he. He's 28 years old and I should probably like, actually.

[Oprah Winfrey]

And it's the same.

[Kelly Ripa]

It's exactly the same as when he was in high school and lived here.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Wow. I think that's cool.

[Kelly Ripa]

So is there a person that has been on your podcast that absolutely left you gobsmacked?

[Oprah Winfrey]

Well, I tell you, it's always never like a celebrity. It's always these stories. Most recently, we were talking about it when I was on with you and Mark about these near death experiences and having people talk about what it was like going to the other side. I always love personal stories that are meaningful and relate to people in a way that they feel connected or they feel like they got their own aha moment. And so I love having, you know, Melody Hopson on talking to Gen Zers about money because so many are, you know, struggling with what it means and not being able to believe that they're going to be able to fulfill the same life and lifestyle that they've seen their parents. I really appreciate, appreciated Jacinda Adorn recently coming on, talking about a different kind of power. I thought she was really, really exactly what I had imagined her to be. She's one of the women that I've admired, you know, when the way she handles that whole, you know, tragedy in

[Kelly Ripa]

New Zealand truly like changed gun laws

[Oprah Winfrey]

instantly in like 10 days. 10 days, they turned it around.

[Kelly Ripa]

There's something about women, women leadership in countries that should be studied and learned.

[Oprah Winfrey]

I agree. So having the opportunity to do that is still meaningful to me. But I would say to you again, don't give up the platform. Don't give it up. Don't give it up. This is our gift. Our gift is being able to connect and communicate in a way that people can also feel the essence of our personalities. This is what we do, girl.

[Kelly Ripa]

Yeah. Well, you set the benchmark. And you're not just a good conversationalist. You're a great listener. Which. Thank you, as you know, is the key.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Yes.

[Kelly Ripa]

People like you said, and, and it's

[Oprah Winfrey]

the thing that creates connection.

[Kelly Ripa]

Yes.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Yeah.

[Kelly Ripa]

It's funny, when Mark turned 40, we threw him a birthday party and we had, we made a video where friends talk about, we call him Daddy. What makes Daddy cool. Right. And Andy Cohen said the funniest thing. He goes, daddy listens to me. And we all just want to be listened to. Oprah says, and it's just so funny in this now very vintage video. In the very vintage video. It's so funny to hear him go. We all just want to be listened to.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Opinion. That's so cool. Thank you.

[Kelly Ripa]

Well, thank you so much for doing this podcast and we really, really appreciate everything you've given to all of us.

[Oprah Winfrey]

I just love just getting ready, just being able to talk. Let's talk.

[Kelly Ripa]

Listen. Anytime you want to do this podcast, you have a place and the.

[Oprah Winfrey]

In your son's bedroom.

[Kelly Ripa]

In our son's bedroom, which is, by the way, look, I can probably look at your hotel room. I'm not kidding. I'm not kidding. That's how close I am to you.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Should have brought the mics over.

[Kelly Ripa]

Yep. It's the Oprah podcast, everybody. Oprah Winfrey, thank you so much for being here.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Thanks, Kelly. Thanks, Kelly.

[Kelly Ripa]

Have fun tonight. All right.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Bye.

[Kelly Ripa]

Bye. That was exciting. That was amazing. Albert, you got it. This is a very special Oprah episode. So you have to. We're like. We are, like, freaking out. She gave the whole Australia. That was amazing.

[Oprah Winfrey]

Well, that's it. Can't wait to talk to all of you off camera next week. Bye, everybody.

[Kelly Ripa]

Let's talk off camera with kelly ripa is a production of malojo productions. From malojo, our team is kelly ripa, mar consuelos, albert bianchini, jan chile, seth bronquist, ross therian, devin schneider, michael halperin, juliet desch, and team radio andy lisa mantineo, scott marlowe, jake getz.

[Commercial/Announcer]

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[Oprah Winfrey]

Why have I asked my electrician I found on Angie.com to bury my pet hamster Nibbles in our yard for me? Because I was so moved by how carefully he buried my electrical wires, I knew I could trust him to bury my sweet Nibbles after his untimely end.

[Kelly Ripa]

Huh?

[Oprah Winfrey]

Nibbles gone too soon. May he scurry in peace. Hey, sorry about your pet, but I just wire stuff. Nibbles would have loved you like a brother. Connecting homeowners with skilled pros for over 30 years, Angie. The one you trust to find the ones you trust. Find pros for all your home [e-mail].