Round birthday of a symbol | Oprah Winfrey Turns 70: America's Mother Celebrates Her Birthday

If it's too important, celebrities in America go to Oprah Winfrey's TV bed: Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan after leaving Britain, Barack Obama on his way to the White House or professional cyclist Lance Armstrong accused of doping. Out loud to him. The presenter, who turned 70 on Monday (January 29), is almost a kind of mother of the nation.

Oprah had a difficult childhood

In her sensitive, gentle and patient manner, Winfrey encourages her guests to expand and open up even on unpleasant topics – and in doing so draws millions of viewers to their screens. But she doesn't want to be president, and Winfrey has made that clear time and time again — even if many of her fans long for it. Winfrey has in recent years strongly supported her favorites, such as Obama or Democrat Stacey Abrams, but has always ruled out running for office.

Winfrey, who also works as an actress and producer and has her own television channel, OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network), is one of the most influential women in America and beyond. “Forbes” magazine puts his wealth at 2.8 billion dollars (about 2.6 billion euros). His network of friends includes dozens of influential and famous people.
Winfrey was born in 1954 in the US state of Mississippi to a single mother, raised in poverty, who was raped at the age of nine, became pregnant at the age of 14 and lost her son soon after birth. But Winfrey didn't give up, moving to Tennessee and getting a job in radio while still in high school. After school he became a news anchor for a local TV station.

Winfrey's forte from the start has been emotional interviews, which is why she moved from news anchor to talk studio. She later got her own “Oprah Winfrey Show,” which would become the most successful talk show in American television history. When the show ended in 2011 after 25 years as host, countless fans mourned her. Even then, he remained a voice of sorts for the American conscience.

A leading voice for black people

Winfrey is a leading voice, especially for black people in America. He sees his victory as “compensation” for all those who suffered more than he suffered in the long struggle for equality in America. More recently, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington unveiled a portrait of Winfrey in a purple dress by artist Shawn Michael Warren. “Here I am on the brink of my 70th birthday, with my portrait in the National Portrait Gallery: Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Ida B. Wells, Michelle and Barack Obama, Leanne Horn, John F. Kennedy, Oprah Winfrey.

The award-winning Winfrey, who has been dating writer Stedman Graham for a long time, is now privileged to focus only on the things that matter to her. She produced a new version of “The Color Purple” for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1986. Winfrey, noticeably thinner, made headlines on red carpets. “It's not one thing, it's everything,” she says in response to questions about her weight loss recipe. “I want to keep it that way.”