Post Your Oprah Winfrey Rumors & Gossip

I heard Oprah doesn't do stairs.

That's not strictly true.

Oprah does do stairs if you put a chocolate cake on the top step.

Just ask the staff at the Statue of Liberty.

In over twenty years Ms. Winfrey, despite being asked, did not care to contribute to a performing arts school in the Chicago Public School system.

Granted, she gets hit up a lot for money and time, but She never said yes.

OMG, R1 I don't think I'll be able to stop laughing any time soon!

WW x 1,000 4 U

[quote]One order that I had to verify was 60 dozen roses with a romantic message from Stedman but purchased with Oprah money.

Are you saying he had them sent to Oprah or to someone else?

R4. I think he's saying she sent them to herself "from" him.

R4, She had her people order them for herself and had them put on there that it was from Stedman, complete with a romantic message. He didn't order them and he didn't pay for them.

P.S. Lots of women do this around Valentine's day. However, with Oprah it's just far more pathetic.

Does Stedman live with her or does he have his own residence? Does he have a job?

"60 dozen roses with a romantic message from Stedman but purchased with Oprah money. "

Like there's Stedman money....

The reason I'll tell this is because,in our world we've known she is a lesbian for a LONG time. The way she denies being gay when asked infuriates me. She always says "I'm so supportive of gays. Why would I deny it ?". Framing her denial that way has always made me think she's purposely giving herself no room to ever renege (and come out).

Several months ago she had Joel Osteen "teaching" her "life class" on Oprah's Life Class! Just a few weeks before that I caught the last few minutes of his Sunday telecast (I was waiting for The CBS Sunday Morning Show). Osteen was telling his audience that, just because the culture, media & the entertainment industry was telling the world that the homosexual agenda was now acceptable, this was even more reason to not accept it. To remember that God does not condone it.

When I saw the ad for her ridiculous Life Class show featuring Osteen teaching her minions how to live, any respect I may have had for her was gone.

Anyhoo. About ten years ago her decorator bought several pieces of furniture from our business. When he & my husband were finalizing the order the decorator said about a group of items " these are for Oprah & Gayle's bedroom".

My friend was a nail tech at Marianne Strokirk salon as well as at Harpo and had to sign a ND agreement. But one time, drunk, friend spilled something about rose petals on the bed and Gayle....sorry this is lame non gossip. There was more detail to the story but this was around 1999 so I don't remember.

Ooh, lots of Chicago stories (mine is as well). I was bisexual in the 90s, and dated a guy who played for the white sox (I am now a lesbian). He went to a party at Oprah's house when she was just starting out in Chicago, and he said that she was in a relationship with a woman who was at the party. This stuck out in my mind, because I had never heard anything about her being a lesbian at the time. I don't think She was that discrete back in the day.

Hah!

Thanks OP.

Wow. Do you think the truth will ever come out? Honestly, considering how she denies so convincingly, especially with that liberal "I support gays" platform....and the Stedman beard for all the time she's been in the spotlight...this would be a mega-scandal. Her devotees would be shocked beyond belief.

I almost can't believe this can be true myself. What a lie to uphold, as one of the most recognizable and revered women in the world!

The last bit you posted, though, about the designer outright saying 'this is for Oprah and Gayle's bedroom,' ... Doesn't that sound kind of strange that he felt no qualms about revealing that?

So... Oprah (likely Harpo) has an account with a florist.

Oprah's staff places orders on behalf of Oprah and Stedman.

...and this is gossip?

[quote]The last bit you posted, though, about the designer outright saying 'this is for Oprah and Gayle's bedroom,'

Well to be fair, we were two heterosexual women sharing a bed back then.

[quote]and had to sign a ND agreement.

Plenty of celebs make hired help sign these. Yet, on DL, there are always people saying things like "it can't be true or somone would have told about it."

This ND info took 15 years to get here. So if you want info on the guys in bed with Tammy Cruise, come back here in 2029.

R13, It was Oprah's credit card that was used to purchase the 60 dozen roses. I'm not sure why you can't comprehend it. Oprah had her people order her flowers and faked it being sent from Stedman. She sent herself 60 dozen roses as if Stedman sent them to her.

A flight attendant told me Oprah was rude and that Gayle and Oprah had matching rings.

R12. I'm R9 (not the OP).

It was in Miami (for her place in northern Florida) ((horse country & a beautiful $$$$ part of the state)).

And R13? Were you a Glue Baby? JFC!!!

I heard she doesn't wipe thoroughly.

[quote][R13], It was Oprah's credit card

So?

I comprehend that you want this to be hot gossip, but there is just no "there" there.

[quote]Stedman Graham is chairman and CEO of S. Graham & Associates (SGA), a management and marketing consulting company that specializes in the corporate and educational markets. Clients include Merrill Lynch, The Apollo Group, DutchVersity, Monster.com, Manpower, Harvard and Wharton Business Schools, the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor and many more.

[quote]As a businessman, educator and speaker, he presents, consults and conducts training with corporations, organizations and nonprofits on the topics of identity development, maximizing leadership, achieving success, and personal and professional branding. His corporate seminars are driven by the Nine-Step Success Process®, a life and learning management system designed to organize your life around your identity.

[quote]Graham has authored eleven books, including two New York Times bestsellers, You Can Make It Happen: A Nine-Step Plan for Success and Teens Can Make It Happen: Nine Steps to Success. His latest release, Identity: Your Passport to Success, reached number six on the Wall Street Journal Bestseller list for Hardcover Business books.

[quote]Actively involved in education, he is a former adjunct professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago where he taught a leadership course based on his Nine-Step Process. At the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, he taught a management strategy course entitled “The Dynamics of Leadership.” He also founded and directed George Washington University’s Forum for Sport and Event Management and Marketing – the first of its kind in the country. Graham is a current adjunct professor for several universities around the country.

[quote]Graham holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Hardin-Simmons University. He received a master’s degree in Education from Ball State University and an honorary doctorate in Humanities from Coker College.

Ball State and Coke College--his resume is stacked!

[quote]She sent herself 60 dozen roses as if Stedman sent them to her.

Or Stedman uses HER money and people to buy her some flowers, because he won't use his own. Or doesn't have his own money.

Either way, it's hardly complimentary.

Someone here once posted that a male member of Oprah's staff filed a sexual harassment suit against Stedman and received a settlement.

Oprah doesn't really bother me, so I don't know why I'm enjoying this thread so much. I've never been a fan, but I've also never been awaiting a take-down or anything.

Gayle just doesn't seem lesbionic to me. Oprah-yes, but Gayle always has come across as a man loving woman.

Oh good heavens! I certainly do hope Gayle and Oprah have never sent any "glamour photos" to the cloud.

"NEGROES IN THE HOUSE!"

I can't say too much - disclosure notices and all - but I've had the occasion to know a big media mogul quite intimately. I'll probably get in trouble if I name names, so I'll have to just provide hints. This powerful woman who I've carpet-munched hails from Chicago, and her name rhymes with Boprah Binfrey!

I still don't get ND agreements. How can they be enforced? Once it's out, it can't be put back, and going after the leaker just makes it bigger.

R30, Money. You get caught you pay out the ass.

I remember as a child I would jack off to photos of Steadman in a bikini fashion show.

Really!

I got the photos from the Enquirer.

R15, let's break it down.

A celebrity can reasonably require an employee or legitimate/ legal service provider to sign a confidentiality agreement. That is considered reasonable in law. Because, a celebrity faces risks to their security that most non-celebrities do not. And because access to the celebrity can also be unreasonably exploited for financial gain by those they employ or do business with.

So, if an employee, former employee, or legal service provider to a celebrity breaks a confidentiality agreement, a court will side with the celebrity employer.

UNLESS, the employee / legal service provider has evidence that the celebrity committed a criminal offence (like, soliciting prostitutes) or, evidence that the celebrity infringed their rights as a worker (say, by exposing them to criminal activity, such as prostitution).

For those reasons, the 'non-disclosure' contracts or 'confidentiality agreements' that Tom Cruise mythically forces his tricks and his pilot to sign, do not exist. They are an internet myth. It is not legally enforceable to insist on confidentiality regarding any illegal activity.

talk about

I just googled Stedman Graham and bikini R32 and I got a photo of Amy Poehler and Rachel Dratch !!!

Seriously.

[quote]For those reasons, the 'non-disclosure' contracts or 'confidentiality agreements' that Tom Cruise mythically forces his tricks and his pilot to sign, do not exist.

Do you really think his tricks, gardeners, pool boys, etc. would know the legality of a ND form? People will sign a ND form just to be next to a celeb. It doesn't include force. People will sign a ND form to get a big paycheck. There is no forcing needed. They'll just sign and stay away from talking to media about what they see and know.

...so what's the fallout from Gayle's slip up yesterday?

She clearly said "I'm gay" so is she denying that she said those words?

R29 Who are you talking about? What a mystery!

WHO CARES ABOUT OPRAH'S ROSES?????

I live near Harpo Studios. Post-Oprah show, lots of gossip trickled out here.

Not long after her show ended, the streets around the studio were torn up, even though they had JUST been paved a few months before. Oprah had multiple tunnels under the street built so that she could walk from the studio to other buildings on the Harpo campus (there were four in the course of about two blocks) without having to see people.

There's a really hideously ugly service station directly across the street from her studio. It's one of the few things that hasn't been gentrified in the area. The man who runs it is like 105 and makes Archie Bunker look pleasant. A decade or so ago, Harpo was apparently hounding him to sell his property so they could expand and he kept saying no. Apparently Oprah herself went there one day (yes, she deigned to be seen in public) to convince him, and that ended when he yelled "Get this fat dyke off my property!"

I know someone who owns a nearby cafe and he said he should have offered therapy sessions instead, as so many Harpo workers would eventually confide in him while waiting for their orders, especially at closing time. Most said she was Jekyll and Hyde, and you never knew who you were going to get. There was a real feeling of Oprah just being a raving lunatic cunt, but she could put on a smiley mask for a few hours.

I've known three different airline stewards/stewardesses, from three different airlines. All of them served her in first class at some point before she had a private plane, and all of them said that she ranked near the top of the most foul, unpleasant people they'd ever served. She reduced one of them to tears because the plane didn't have the kind of tea she wanted, an issue that apparently merited a call to the CEO of the airline (who luckily knew to let it go in one ear and out the other).

I know someone who worked for OWN. He no longer does but won't say a word about it or Oprah. The NDA is enforceable for life.

yes, but is she gay?

[quote] Not long after her show ended, the streets around the studio were torn up, even though they had JUST been paved a few months before. Oprah had multiple tunnels under the street built so that she could walk from the studio to other buildings on the Harpo campus (there were four in the course of about two blocks) without having to see people.

I should clarify, after the show ended they were removing these tunnels or closing them up. Worded a bit confusingly in my original post.

[quote]I should clarify, after the show ended they were removing these tunnels or closing them up.

Or maybe they were salting the earth.

Gayle said I'm gay. The bitch said it.

She claims she said Oh OK. Nonsense. Listen to the tape over and over. It's clear. I'm gay.

OMFG!!! R40!! That is why I LOVE THE DATALOUNGE.

[quote]There's a really hideously ugly service station directly across the street from her studio. It's one of the few things that hasn't been gentrified in the area. The man who runs it is like 105 and makes Archie Bunker look pleasant. A decade or so ago, Harpo was apparently hounding him to sell his property so they could expand and he kept saying no. Apparently Oprah herself went there one day...

That can't be true. "Oprah doesn't walk."

I assume she had her driver take her there, R47, even though you could literally stand in front of her studio and throw a stone into his parking lot.

R47... The Oprah doesn't do STAIRS.

Oprah also doesn't do cock.

Oprah also doesn't do COCK.

r26 I bet many women would turn gay for all that money and standard of living. Just like many gay men here and elsewhere would marry (or just be with) a rich woman and they would fuck her too!

It always amazes me how people here underestimate the power of money, power, opportunities and the ambition of people.

A friend of mine, a native Chicagoan, said Stedman only dated women with money. He used to go with a Chicago woman whose family owned a very successful funeral business. Funerals are big in black culture.

I met her at her birthday party when she was still just a Chicago personality and she was cold as ice.

Brrr!

Stedman was a prison guard dating a much more financially successful woman when he met O. He traded up.

I used to wait tables with a flight attendant and she said that Oprah demanded that if there was a black flight attendant on her plane, they were the only one allowed to serve her. I don't know if it's true, but that's what she said.

Wasn't Oprah fucking John Tesh at one time early in their careers?

R56, then she must like black people in positions of servitude because most of the Harpo staff was white.

Do all of Stedman's books about becoming successful include chapters about dating rich chicks?

When she was friends with Luther Vandross, she told him she wanted him to sing "Here and Now" at her wedding...there was a flurry of wedding talk (Oprah's) for years and then, poof! No wedding talk at all, Does Stedman live with her does anyone know?

Thanks r40, that was hilarious. Especially the part about the tea.

But really, Oprah likely no worse than other celebrities with that much money power and influence. There has been so much outrageous gossip about O over the years, it like you don't know what to believe.

I want my PG Tips, dammit!

Wasn't it mentioned on the "Oprah doesn't do stairs" thread that she tried to court Diane Sawyer back in the day? Love to hear more about that.

I think I read that she put Gayle's kids through college. That's kind of husbandly, isn't it?

Gayle was a guest on the Meredith Viera show this week. They discovered recently that their sons who both live in China are good friends. Maybe they are a couple, too!

A friend had Miss Winfrey on a couple flights back when she flew commercial and he said she was a piece of work. It's true that she only wanted to be served by black crew members and was very rude. Stedman and Gayle apologized to the crew for her bad behavior one time.

It just goes to show that people who are always talking about their new-age spirituality (making it up as they go along) and acting so inspired by their new-age guests, are not, behind the scenes, the gentle souls they pretend to be

The black stewardess only thing was referenced several times by the National Enquirer. Totally believable.

Rosie O'Donnell on her Ask Rosie section also said she thought O was a lesbian, this was right before she worked for her.

The Enquirer also outted Stedman several times in the 90s as being gay.

It's pretty obvious that Oprah is bipolar & borderline and a horrible person.

NDA's in the UK are not enforceable.

Hired a former student to work full-time. No overtime and no health insurance.

lol, nice story, but OP you really need a better one. In a celebrity "relationship", the less rich half spends the rich half's money purchasing gift is nothing new. And if there is any issue, I doubt Oprah would waste her time on calling you or your colleagues, this is ordering flowers we are talking here, things of this nature are her handler's job, it's just too trivia to rise to the level Oprah herself needs to get involved, if for some reason she feels she has to speak out, it will be a personal phone call to your CEO.

Meanwhile, you have no gossip to offer, R70. Fuck off, will you?

Was about to say the same, R68: sounds BPD to me. Well, it served her professionally.

R70 by gossip, you mean lies? that's what it reads like.

I didn't know Oprah was that bad. I guess she is a very good actress after all.

R70, Do you actually read before you reply? Because I clearly wrote that we mainly dealt with her people unless there was a problem.

R75 I believe that's what being said in R70 - Oprah herself is very unlikely to call you guys or customer service to complain a bouquet, she would prefer a phone call to some executives instead.

Definitely comprehend that Oprah can be Gay or Bi - I say 2 or 3 on the Kinsey Scale. Two things come to mind, sure Stedman loathes participating in "Oprah World" activities, but he is only visible a few times a year it seems. Oprah cant help she has achieved this astounding success and wealth. Anyone else - say GAYLE - appreciates and applauds her achievements AND desire to leave the world a better place than she found it. So WTF with Stedman? Doesn't even make sense he is "in her life" in any capacity, and he simply cant be that "Bobby Brown draggin Whitney" thin skinned.

Gayle seems to be doing the BIG stuff with Oprah, unless she needs a beard, like the Kennedy Center Honors. Gayle also has a family and Career AND blends seamlessly into Oprahs world. I would add that even Best Girlfriends sometimes just bail on shit just for no reason - Gayle is not doing that ever.She ALONE is all of Oprah's GOOD TIMES friend.

There is one critical factor - the Black community is no diff about diversity - the only difference is that the Homophobes there will GUT and KILL anyone that says "so & so Icon/public figure is gay or bi" the church influence is historically huge in homophobia land. There are haters to rival any Anita Bryant, Pat Robertson. Oprah would be vilified by a vicious bunch that vent their spleen on progressives or LGBT people that would embrace her.

Oprahs good works in Africa with education would be demolished by the heavily "Christian" influenced, less enlightened governments that breed homophobia. Countries like Ghana that embraced progressive,brilliant oolitics of WEB Dubois, Marcus Garvey, Maya Angelous, are somehow poisonously homophobic. Her US fans that support her would be demolished by haters. With less income she would have less power and influence. GO to Lipstick Alley and see for yourself - a blog that is predominantly WONDERFUL, smart and beyond clever - a handful of homophobes cow the Administrator and many moderators. Very very pathetic.

O aint coming out, I wish she could. Gayle is clearly who she loves the most.

[quote]Or maybe they were salting the earth.

HA!

I recall an O show from years ago in which O and Cindy Crawford tried on clothes together in a store changing area. O saw Cindy in her underwear and exclaimed girl, you are really pretty. I mean, I don't look at women, I'm not a lesbian or anything, but you are PRETTY.

And there was the infamous Ellen interview on O's show when Ellen was just coming out. O said she had never received so much hate mail in her life as she did after that show aired.

O shared on the air the mail had rocked her - that people were even accusing her of being gay because she brought Ellen on the show.

O will never come out. Unless some former employee dishes the dirt or a photographer catches O and G in the act, this will go with O to the grave.

But GAYLE JUST CAME OUT!!

Oprah had a TV special years ago. It was insufferable, her talking on the phone in bed in her p.js. They closed the program with Oprah talking on the phone to Gayle, her last call of the night, Oprah saying to Gayle "I love ya', I can't live without ya'".

I don't have an opinion about her one way or the other, but the world is definitely a better place without her smothering influence. The grotesque, wild-eyed materialism around her Christmas show was memorably distasteful and very hard to forget, once seen.

Oh R83, I completely agree with you.

I've made identifying lesbians my life's work. I understand why most of you think she's gay. I just don't get that vibe from her...watched her for years. She may be an asshole, but in this dykes opinion, not a lesbiterian.

R85 I respect you opinion, but when Oprah and Gayle showed up to an event wearing matching pinky rings...

People in Chicago who have worked for Oprah do not talk about her at all. The only thing that I have heard repeatedly from random people in Chicago about Oprah and Harpo is that she allegedly "did not hire black."

Like Streisand, Oprah is one who's talent was the right talent and the right time, and they just skyrocketed. (Granted, Oprah's only talent is that the camera loves her, but that is a real talent in our age.) And like Streisand, she slowly surrounded herself with people who wouldn't say no, and the air got thinner and thinner, and she just got crazier and crazier. The money will do that to anyone. Its more than anyone can handle. The Stedman thing is hilarious. I met him once. One of the dumbest people I've ever met. Couldn't string two thoughts together. Everything was a platitude. And because of his girlfriend, he's now this management consultant. Only in America. Since she left the show, two things have happened: 1) She's getting fatter and fatter, which suggests depression; and 2) her Savior complex has gotten out of control and her passion for snake oil sale men and gurus is over the top. Its sad but typical. For the most part, she's a has been with the American public. I can't believe how many people would make cracks at Starbucks about Oprah's tea. Everyone thought it was ridiculous.

[quote]The Stedman thing is hilarious. I met him once. One of the dumbest people I've ever met. Couldn't string two thoughts together.

I've heard something similar from people who once dealt with him professionally. They didn't call him one of the dumber people they've ever met, but they were expecting a brighter bulb.

My sister used to occasionally run into Oprah and Stedman as they vacationed at the same places. She said the whole time they were at a certain place together, Oprah never once said thank you to a staff member. Their host was appalled at her behavior.

Stedman hit on my (male) partner years ago.

Oprah is a top.

Stedman may not be the brightest bulb, but he's smart enough to keep Oprah's money pouring into his bank account.

[quote] For the most part, she's a has been with the American public.

Oprah's popularity has not changed. Her once struggling network has found success, her academy for girls is going strong and her magazine is still going strong. Not to mention she's worth an estimated 2.9 billion. She is far from a has been and I'm sure that you know that. I'm not going to bother to address your idiotic comments about talent.

[quote]April 1, 2014 at 5:06 PM Own the first, and so far only, network inspired by a single individual, scored its most-watched quarter in network history, averaging 508,000 total viewers and delivering double-digit growth across all demos versus the previous quarter, making OWN the fastest-growing cable network for women 25-54. Additionally, quarter 1 marked the network’s highest quarterly rank in women 25-54 among all ad-supported cable networks and #4 for African-American women ages 25 to 54.

[quote]Tyler Perry's new scripted series for the Oprah Winfrey Network, If Loving You is Wrong, is a certified hit! If Loving You is Wrong broke records delivering 1.93 million viewers making it the most watched series premiere in network history. The episode delivered a 1.47 rating in the key W25-54 demo up triple digits (+206%) vs. one year ago, and built every quarter hour among W25-54 climbing +13% over the course of the hour.

Out of 100 American magazines O magazine ranks number 21, with 2,386,601 subscribers. O has more subscribers than Martha Stewart Living, Forbes, Money, Redbook, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, Food Network Magazine, Vanity Fair and the list goes on and on. t

Good friends are extremely tough to come by and some could only hope that they’re lucky enough to form a bond like the one Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King share someday. But their bond is certainly not one that developed overnight. According to the media maven, she met Gayle back in the 70s during her days working as a news anchor.

“Back a lifetime ago, 1976, Baltimore. We were both on a local TV station. She was a production assistant,” Winfrey told Page Six. “I was an anchor.”

It turns out that an extreme snow storm assisted their relationship in progressing from co-workers to friends.

“We became friends, especially after a big snow storm.” “When she couldn’t go out, get home and didn’t have enough clothes, I said, ‘OK, you can have my underwear.’

I have no doubt that Oprah and Gayle are like my wonderful straight female friends. Sex, love, and relationships are more effort than they are worth to them. They are very happy with their lives as they are.

They did meet in Baltimore, they were talking about "Baltimore days" and from what Oprah said it was a dark time in her life.

she sounds like she is saying "I'm not gay" in the clip

I have listened to it five times.

Who let R98 out of mothballs?

That's my sense too, R85.

why doesn't Gates push for healthcare in the US?

Kitty Kelley, who interviewed hundreds of people for her Oprah biography, said that as far she could tell Oprah was asexual and Stedman was somewhere between gay and asexual himself. Even Oprah's friends said they didn't have a physical relationship.

Rosie told Howard Stern that Oprah and Gayle were the "emotional equivalent" of a gay couple, but left it at that.

Get a load of the unfrozen caveman @ R98.

I had a friend who worked in downtown Chicago back in the 90's. He was getting his hair cut at lunchtime and the barber's window was right on the street.

He saw Oprah (he called her "Oaf-rah") march by with an assistant behind her, carrying a large potted plant. I am imagining a rubber tree plant, but I'm not sure about that.

Anyway, the plant hit one of those covered drain pipes that jut out of the side of the buildings and fell down with the plant on top of her.

He said Oaf-rah didn't even turn around, and just kept going. Passersby had to help the woman up and helped gather her things.

She sounds awful. What a fake.

Okay, here's my opinion:

Oprah is asexual, due to years of sexual abuse when younger.

Stedman is her beard, as in she's using him to give the impression that she is a normal, sexual woman.

Oprah, though asexual, is also homoromantic and homo-emotional, meaning she is romantically attracted to women and is closer to women, seeking women out for emotionally fulfillment.

That's my 2 cents. Take it or trash it as you seem fit.

[quote]Oprah, though asexual, is also homoromantic and homo-emotional, meaning she is romantically attracted to women and is closer to women, seeking women out for emotionally fulfillment.

Generally speaking, heterosexual women often have very intimate relationships with their female friends. That is nothing new or unusual about that.

Correction: There is nothing new or unusual about that.

r93/r107/r108

get killed bitch

R106 I think that's actually quite a valid possibility.

[quote]get killed bitch

Fuck you! R109

Oprah's turn to pseudospirituality has been utterly ridiculous. That bitch farts and calls it aromatherapy!

I don't think she's gay, she gets all goo goo eyes over men she finds attractive, you don't see Ellen do that.

I know a guy who worked for her in Chicago, he said she is exactly what you see on TV when it comes to being low key. He liked her because she is not emotional.

[quote]It turns out that an extreme snow storm assisted their relationship in progressing from co-workers to lovers.

There. Fixed that for you.

R9 is full of shit- Oprah lives in Chicago and King in NYC. Gayle King is not a lesbian- sheesh. And nothing wrong with it if she was- but she's not. Neither is Oprah. Oprah has had quite a roller coaster ride in her life via a vis men- not women.

[quote]Oprah has had quite a roller coaster ride in her life via a vis men

You sure have that right. She's been with that hunk Steadman Graham since 1986. That mucho macho stud has been riding her all these years. A real roller coaster ride!!!!!!

r116 stop it, Oprah. You're embarrassing yourself.

Liz Smith's column from 1997

[quote]From Liz Smith's column today (4/28) THEY DO say that one of the biggest and longest-running TV stars is seriously contemplating making the same move that put Ellen DeGeneres on the cover of every magazine in the country and in the nation's newspapers. The star's sexual orientation has been hidden under a glare of publicity for years. But when - OK, if - this announcement occurs, it will make the seismic tremors of Ellen's "Yep, I'm gay" statement look like small potatoes. It will be the furor to end all furors. (This celeb is an icon and role model to millions.) Remember, you heard it here first, even if we don't want to say the name. People should be allowed to "out" themselves.

R118, That was Rosie. She wanted to come out in 1992 but was told not to by her management. She finally did in 2002. Even though anyone with a brain already knew.

If I was famous I wouldn't want to interact with fans and people on the street either, but it's hard to reconcile Oprah's moody private persona with the same Oprah who, every day for years, encouraged her studio audience to lose its shit every time she appeared on stage. That's someone who who loves and expects adoration.

It can't be Rosie r119. It says "longest-running TV stars"

Rosie was only on TV a few months at that point.

[quote]It can't be Rosie [R119]. It says "longest-running TV stars"

While it does say "TV stars"; it does not specify talk show host. It does reference Ellen but Ellen was not a talk show host in 1997. Longest running TV stars could refer to any number of people.

there was nothing "seismic" about rosie o'donnell coming out. even little old ladies who thought liberace was straight knew rosie was gay...

Carol Burnett

Carol Burnett is a good guess, but I don't think she would have been described as a role model.

[quote]Carol Burnett received the 16th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday evening at the Kennedy Center in D.C. Carol Burnett is seen as a role model to comedians past and present, such as Tina Fey, after she paved the way for women in comedy.

Okay, I get it now R126. My first thought with "role model" was a sports figure or someone who inspires youth. (I meant no disrespect to Carol.)

OMG, R123, so true! My grandma loved Rosie's show. One day she asked me if Rosie was a lesbian! We never talked about such things as sexuality. I wasn't out to her, but I think she was trying to break the ice with me about it.

That Liz Smith rumor was about Oprah and it was one of many rumors swirling about her at the time. Oprah once said on her show, possibly when interviewing Ellen, that people thought she was coming out after Ellen, that her appearance on Ellen's sitcom had meant she was aligning herself with Ellen politically, etc.

To r66 67 68. I had the pleasure to work with Oprah. I've written about it before here. When I worked with her she never showed any preference to Black or White people. It was clear however that she only dealt with people she naturally (for whatever reason) gravitated to. Some people she just did not like from the start and would not deal with.

The PA that was assigned exclusively to Oprah (she is White) and would make sure she "got through the works" which in movie speak means makes sure Oprah got through hair, make up and wardrobe in a timely fashion and got her to and from set, was given diamond stud earrings at the end of the show. Oprah also showed generosity to others through out the entire production.

So from my experience, which lasted several months, I didn't see any bigotry from O. But she did on occasion on her TV show admit that she is not a nice person. She has always told people that Gayle is the nice one and she wasn't lying about that. But she is generous and sincere even though that means she may sincerely not like you.

r86 I know two Black people that worked at Harpo. I say worked because that was a while ago and I've lost touch with them so I don't know what happened with them past '95 or so. They never mentioned anything about Oprah not hiring Black. But like your Chicago friends they never talked about her.

I will say this, I am Black and my father was a business owner and it is difficult to find good Black employees for a variety of reasons. Some Black job seekers may not want to work for a Black company because they are afraid it limits their exposure to greater opportunity. Some are self hating and if they did work for some one Black they would not respect the job the way they would for a White employer. Some Blacks are self hating and would enjoy tearing their Black employer down. They might resent their employer and show up with attitude and do things to sabotage him/her. (known as crab barrel mentality)

The pool of ambitious, well adjusted, intelligent Black professionals isn't huge and most of them probably aren't looking to work with Oprah anyway.

r118 Yeah I think we know it was Rosie. In 97 Oprah was filming Beloved and gearing up for her big trial with the cattlemen after her "stopped me cold from eating another hamburger" remark during her show about mad cow disease.

It is Oprah, how much more money does she need? If she comes out there will be some fall-out but big deal. It's not like she's struggling to get her career going.

r133 I doubt it's about money for her at this stage. Her money makes tons of money now even if she does nothing.

R56, I have a friend who was an American Airlines flight attendant during the days when American was one of the Oprah show's sponsors and Oprah used American exclusively for her charter flights.

My friend said Oprah demanded (and got) all-black flight attendants on her charters, because she didn't want to give the white flight attendants overtime pay.

R94, Oprah has said on many occasions that Gayle is the one person she trust the most. In fact she said they only one argument ever - that was over Tina Turner. She states Gayle was upset that Oprah had not invited her to the show the first time Tina was a guest.

BTW - what is up with Oprah and Tina Turner?

r106 - I agree.

Yes, R106 is accurate I believe.

I agree with 106 too.

[quote] BTW - what is up with Oprah and Tina Turner?

Both of them have been abused, perhaps they have bonded over being survivors.

R149, Sure but her only fight with Gayle was over Tina Turner and the Hermes incident occurred because she was trying to buy a gift for Tina Turner.

...well, fwiw, i have heard more than once that tina turner is a lesbian...

R135 How would your friend know Oprah's motivation?

Sounds like sour grapes.

The blind item at R118 obviously sounds like Oprah

icon/role model: Oprah.

seismic tremors...furor to end all furors: Oprah - her dumb conservative homophobic/clueless audience who imagined she was their friend would have gone nuts

Rosie: not a role model, not as long-running as Oprah (esp at that time) her coming out was not seismic; Carol Burnett is a comedy icon, but not a role model in the sense that Oprah is, and if she came out it would not cause tremors and furor.

[quote]The blind item at [R118] obviously sounds like Oprah icon/role model: Oprah. seismic tremors...furor to end all furors: Oprah - her dumb conservative homophobic/clueless audience who imagined she was their friend would have gone nuts Rosie: not a role model, not as long-running as Oprah (esp at that time) her coming out was not seismic; Carol Burnett is a comedy icon, but not a role model in the sense that Oprah is, and if she came out it would not cause tremors and furor.

[quote]From Liz Smith's column today (4/28) THEY DO say that one of the biggest and longest-running TV stars is seriously contemplating making the same move that put Ellen DeGeneres on the cover of every magazine in the country and in the nation's newspapers. The star's sexual orientation has been hidden under a glare of publicity for years. But when

The phrase "Longest-running TV stars" could have been used to refer to any number of people male or female. It silly to assume that just because Smith referenced Ellen that she was referring to a female star. Who else would Smith have referenced in 1998; with Degeneres have come out a few months earlier. Again that blind item could be any number of people male or female. "Television star" does not necessarily mean talk show host.

My Oprah gossip is that she has no idea I exist and I like to keep it that way.

Howard Stern once announced in a day or two a major media figure would come out as lesbian. He meant Oprah. It never happened. This was at least a decade ago, maybe the same time.

Stern used to frequently talk about Oprah and Gayle being an item. He figured they hated him because of it and was nervous once when he met Gayle at a party, sans Oprah, but she was charming to him.

Will Oprah be the first celebrity to get Ebola? If not, who will be the first Ebola celebrity?

R149, Do you have natural immunity, Courtney? I've figured with all the diseases you've had you've built up quite the tolerance.

It seemed like Oprah had a crush on Tina Turner, maybe Gayle was jealous?

Oprah sure did have a crush on Tina, plain as day. Who wouldn't? Oprah does have LOTS of Girl Crushes - Maya Angelou and Whitney Houston over the years for sure. She is sophisticated enough to be cool about something like that in her private life - but no, she would definitely not make anyone's business. Very homoerotic - I agree.

FYI Liz Smith is the Grand Dame of Lesbians - she is not about to out one of her own unless it is true. Liz will also keep her mouth shut. Just look and see who is around. Went to closing night of a Broadway show several years ago- the biggest of Broadway musical stars - it looked like Lesbian Night at the Theater, closeted women rumored to be for years- and Liz was present. That was all I needed to know.

If she is dropping hints about Oprah - believe it.

[quote]FYI Liz Smith is the Grand Dame of Lesbians - she is not about to out one of her own unless it is true. Liz will also keep her mouth shut. Just look and see who is around. Went to closing night of a Broadway show several years ago- the biggest of Broadway musical stars - it looked like Lesbian Night at the Theater, closeted women rumored to be for years- and Liz was present. That was all I needed to know. If she is dropping hints about Oprah - believe it.

That blind item gives no indication of gender. She didn't drop any "hints" that somehow uniquely relate to Oprah.

[quote]went to closing night of a Broadway show several years ago- the biggest of Broadway musical stars - it looked like Lesbian Night at the Theater, closeted women rumored to be for years-

who!!!!

R 153 Getting all upset with the idea that someone might actually be gay? You are in the wrong Blog.

Yes, LSmiths comments could just as well have been referring to Oprah - that leaves few options. Sorry Rosie was already generally out. She has been out well before her pronouncement - that was a formality only. Ellen was already out.

R95 and R107 - I lean towards the same thinking.

I am a straight female. I don't think men - gay or straight - get that women can be in close relationships like Oprah and Gayle and not be lovers. If I had half the riches and circumstances that Oprah has, I would surround myself with my closest friends, who happen to mostly be women. They'd work for me, travel with me, hang with me - just like Oprah and Gayle did in going camping! I would be generous with pay, perks, whatever. These women are kind, smart, funny and loyal. They are part of my humble life now, and would be even more so if I was blessed with a life like Oprah has.

I am not rich but am financially comfortable. I have a high school girlfriend near retirement who has nothing. Another girlfriend (married) and I have discussed how we we will help her financially and make sure she is taken care of. She doesn't know this. It's just what women do - we take care of each other. I have another girlfriend I will take to Paris, a place she has dreamed of going for years. We'll share a room. We aren't lovers. I actually don't know about her sexual orientation - don't care. She's just a very nice person who has become a close friend.

My point is this: just because someone hangs with or it generous with same sex friends doesn't mean they're gay.

R109 - You are an ass.

[quote]I am a straight female.

Then go away r156. This is a gay website.

R 156 As a straight person you also have no clue that same sex "friendships" are frequently fraught with sexual tensions. As a Lesbian I do recognize what you dont - Boston Marriages like Oprah and Gayle are very few degrees from fully actualized intimate relationships. I agree w R 157 why do you need to be in a GAY site lecturing about how you "Straight people are?"

R156, Hi, Oprah!

R156 is right.

R 156 is R 160 . Pathetically repping her own posts.

Stedman has inbreeding in his family.

R156 has no idea what the sexual orientation of her very, very close friend is. Right.

[quote]Apparently Oprah herself went there one day (yes, she deigned to be seen in public) to convince him, and that ended when he yelled "Get this fat dyke off my property!"

I'd have given anything to have witnessed this!

R2, was the CPS school the one that has the principal from the scandalous ACT Charter School? If so, I'm sure Oprah's "people" know the connection and know that principal is a crook. Ergo, no money for her and her minions.

r156 doesn't understand the difference between having a group of supportive, friends - a sisterhood if you will, and having ONE very close friend with whom you do everything.

My husband had a loft at 1000 W. Washington with a view into Oprah's office. He had a telescope set up by his window and turned it toward her office frequently. He said he never saw anything newsworthy other than the fact she ate ALL of the time.

If Okrah had a crush on TT, TT appears to have dealt with it gracefully by keeping O at arms length.

TT didn't seem to buy in to the craziness that was O's Legends Ball. Yes, she attended, but on camera was much less enthusiastic about the event and the participants than the rest of the group.

She seemed to graciously accept O's incessant fawning over her, at times even appearing embarrassed by it. TT declined to participate in a few events O was arranging later.

r156, I think you have an interesting theory, but I respectfully disagree about Oprah and Gayle.

They are in love in the romantic sense, whether they have fooled around physically or not.

R 169 Nails it. Exactly in Love. Thank you.

r156 I know what you are saying. I was friends for years with two girls I became friends with in high school. We all stayed in touch through college and several years after. The girls were best friends. Anyone who has seen Grey's Anatomy knows the main character Meredith Grey and her "person" aka best friend Christina Yang. The girls I knew were like them.

They both were very promiscuous. They slept with a lot of guys and some women but they never fucked each other. I never fucked them either. In high school I'm sure everyone thought there was crazy stuff going on between us but we were all just good slutty friends who loved each other and hanging out together.

Women form crazy close relationships that have nothing to do with sex. I guess we all should be more like that.

r156 - would you, if you had the money to do so, purchase multiple homes? Of course you would.

Would you then make sure to have a special bedroom in each of those homes for your special friend Gayle?

Even if you were married to a man -- you would basically say to your husband - there will be a dedicated bedroom in each of our residences for my BFF Gayle. She will accompany us on all of our travels. And when we go from place to place - she will be with us. Always.

Woud you do that? Really. Think about it. It's not like your special straight girlfriend Gayle is nearly homeless and needs to be financially taken care of...your friend Gayle is quite well off.

Let's talk about Gayle for a moment. She's pretty and successful - yet she doesn't want to get married to a man. She doesn't want a long term relationship with a man. She would much much much rather travel with YOU everywhere you go, staying with you and your husband everywhere the two of you go.

Do you really think this is what a healthy, straight man and woman do? Do you think you straight husband would allow this? Do you think a healthy straight female would do this?

I look forward to hearing your answers.

R172, I am not R156 but I do think some females have what is called "sister-friends". They know that men (and women) will come and go but their friendship and bond is forever. I am bi-sexual and I have a friend like this. She is straight and is not my type sexually though when we were in college people swore we were a couple. We both married. I am divorced; she is still with her same husband of 24 years. However, we trust each other with our lives. She is my POA and I am hers because we only trust the other to do what is necessary if we can no longer make decisions for ourselves. We also have told our kids since they were toddlers that the two of us hope to grow old together and wish to be roommates in the same nursing homes. Her spouse has finally accepted (or maybe tolerates our friendship and I will not allow any person in my life as a partner who wont. And we have never as much as kissed even when drunk. But yes if we were wealthy enough we would rooms a in our house for the other.

[quote]R 156 As a straight person you also have no clue that same sex "friendships" are frequently fraught with sexual tensions. As a Lesbian I do recognize what you dont - Boston Marriages like Oprah and Gayle are very few degrees from fully actualized intimate relationships.

That the words "Boston marriage" won't mean anything to many straight women makes their self-styled expertise on analyzing unusually close relationships between women all the more comical.

true.

r173 - your experience is completely different from the one I described.

I understand that women form close bonds and powerful friendships.

However, what you are not recognizing is that your "Gayle" married a man and had kids and doesn't travel with you everywhere you go and doesn't invite you to travel with her every where she goes.

Unlike Oprah and Gayle - you are far down her list of priorities. It's her kids first, then her husband, then her, then you.

And that's what a healthy straight woman does. Oprah and Gayle have made none of the same choices that your friend has.

Straight woman who claim Oprah and Gayle are straight connect with their strong bond of friendship and put all of thier the day to day lifestyle choices in a blindspot because they have nothing in common with them. And it has noting to do with money.

It's just rich with irony because Oprah made her fortune creating a forum in which she encouraged (and forced) suffering people to confide, collapse into tears, admit and confess - while she hides in plan sight, spends her money, and perpetuates lies.

R 171 we are discussing two women in their late 50's and fabulously wealthy - not high school. Doris Duke was just a fun loving gal too!

Perhaps R173 is a closet case, the rationalization is so strained. Perhaps she is hanging around a gay website to convince herself she isn't. Otherwise what does it say about them for loving these women they build their lives around?

I also have a cousin like that, married and wishing all of her life to have taken a different direction.

R 174 This.

[quote]If I had half the riches and circumstances that Oprah has, I would surround myself with my closest friends, who happen to mostly be women. They'd work for me, travel with me, hang with me - just like Oprah and Gayle did in going camping!

You sound like a horny Sultan and his harem.

Stop attacking the straight woman. There's some merit in her post.

That said, I always thought there was something weird about O. At the very least, she's asexual. At most she's gay.

It does seem weird to me she never had kids. She could have had them herself or by surrogate. Obviously, not all people want kids and that's fine but I'm surprised she didn't.

Was she really molested as a girl? Is that verified or is it one of her lies?

[quote]I will say this, I am Black and my father was a business owner and it is difficult to find good Black employees for a variety of reasons. Some Black job seekers may not want to work for a Black company because they are afraid it limits their exposure to greater opportunity. Some are self hating and if they did work for some one Black they would not respect the job the way they would for a White employer. Some Blacks are self hating and would enjoy tearing their Black employer down. They might resent their employer and show up with attitude and do things to sabotage him/her. (known as crab barrel mentality) The pool of ambitious, well adjusted, intelligent Black professionals isn't huge and most of them probably aren't looking to work with Oprah anyway.

Based upon your limited second hand knowledge of your father's limited experience; you believe that you are qualified to assess the talent and capabilities of the entire nationwide black population. If your father was even 1 half of the ignorant "self hating" ass hole that you are; I certainly understand why black people did not want to work for him.

R156 here. I'll take them as I saw them.

R95 / R107 - Definitely in agreement.

R109 - Asshole

R161 - Nope. This is my second posting to this thread. Check it out.

R163 - I have never outright asked the sexuality of my friend due to circumstances too long to go into. Don't frankly care . . .

R166 / R169 - Definitely possible.

R172 - LOL. My first thought was, no, I would not set aside a bedroom, named for a friend. But, if I had Oprah-type money, why not? There would be one for my parents room, so why not friends? "Assigned" guest rooms would have their own baths, which would be stocked with their favorite things. Why not, given my fabulous pretend wealth?

R174 - Why wouldn't I know what a Boston Marriage is? Straight women aren't educated? Don't read? Don't read Datalounge?

R174 sure cherishes her little nuggets of knowledge, but even I, a gay man who was born and raised in the Netherlands, am familiar with the term "Boston marriage" and have been for years. It's really not all that obscure.

I had several friends who worked for Oprah in Chicago, circa late '80s/early '90s. One of the more boring tasks on filming days was getting Oprah to tape idents for all of the local affiliates. To keep her focused and driven through the task, the producers always prepared a special reward when she was finished: they'd blast Jennifer Holliday's And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going, which she would lip synch to, and bring her a bucket of chicken.

I didn't comment on you, R182, although the poster I replied to did. My words were merely "many straight women."

R184 That is the funniest thing I've ever heard! I never heard THAT one before!

Oprah Winfrey is eating a meatball sandwich right out in class. And, she's been passing notes.

R177, you posted exactly why I resent her. I posted at R9 about her decorator buying furniture from us. Her whole "thing" is about truth,trust,honesty & spirituality (blah, blah, blah!).

Every time I've thought about her calling James Frey a liar etc. I imagine how amazing it would have been if he'd turned the tables & said "given the fact that YOU are actually LIVING a lie,I find your trying to publicly shame ME, the height of irony!"

Interesting....she really DOES seem to be starting her own religion, about herself, with her as deity.

R189, The religions of the future will be Oprahism, Voodoo and the Robot Religion.

I agree with R174!

I think a straight woman's definition of a close friendship is not the same a lesbian close friendship/relationship.

There are exceptions (I hope!), but a lot of straight women do not seem to have close friendships with other women. They depend on their husbands for companionship and distrust/are competitive with other females including their so-called friends. They seem distant and exist on the surface, even though they may seem them regularly.

She has been. R89 For a few years now that I've noticed.

Think for a moment about the fact that she is THE ONLY person that is EVER on the cover of her magazine........

Cuckoo!!!......Cuckoo!!!.........Cuckoo!!!....

Edit:r189

The straight women are all like "sure if we had the money we'd get extra bedrooms for our friends"...

but they conveniently skip the part where they'd be like "sure I'd have my bff travel with me and my husband every single place we went."

They just refuse to visualize that because it's impossible for them.

It's not just Oprah who has such a strange celeb relationship. There's Mr. and Mrs. Mark Consuelos who spend their vacations with a group of gay men.

Just walked by Harpo today. Looks like they are getting ready for another big event there. Probably a Fix My Life seminar.

Massive amounts of water bottles, swag bags, etc. were being unloaded. They also had worker bees re-potting the flower basins with the winter mix.

I bet Oprah will be coming for a visit soon!

She's just boring and has been boring for years. I don't care if she's gay, straight, asexual or fucking a Yeti, she's dull as dishwater. Her money doesn't make her more interesting.

Her real name is "Orpah" but everyone mispronounced it as "Oprah" and it stuck. True story.

r184 isn't lying, I found some video of this!

R197, Her real name is Oprah. Her parents wanted to name her off of the biblical character but misunderstood the name. The biblical name is Orpah but they mistook it for Oprah. Oprah is what is on her birth certificate.

Good article, R189. Thanks.

I BELIEVE IN OPRAH!

I'll take opera over Oprah any day of the week.

Thanks for that funny story R184.

R197 and R199, her name was misspelled on her birth certificate. Her mother(parents) did not make the mistake, the registrar made the mistake.

R204, I've heard Oprah say that her parents made the mistake.

Specifically her father, R205.

I stand corrected, R205. I'm no Oprah aficionado, but I thought she said the birth cert. was incorrect.

[quote]Oprah sure did have a crush on Tina, plain as day. Who wouldn't?

Exactly. If I was in a position to be friends with Tina Turner, you'd bet your ass I would be.

Have any of you idiots figured out that OP is Witchiepoo? Our resident psychic, "real Southern witch," government-sponsored UFOlogist and Bigfoot expert was also once Oprah Winfrey's florist.

Quite a life.

I wonder if Oprah's fans are still fans or if they no longer care about her since she's not on TV every afternoon. In all the years she was on, I only watched one show -- when she has the "Sound of Music" cast reunion (minus Elsa).

My guess is that a most of her fans remain. The cost of cable for OWN may be prohibitive now for a small portion of viewers. Hers was the BEST afternoon program in television history. It was very intelligent conversation, and the best guests.

Not Ellen, not anyone can equal Oprah's hour in the afternoon. I hear that with some frequency.

x

Don't believe any rumors nor gossips. Oprah is loving caring person, who loves to help and care. And she is straight.

Oprah doesn't have a straight bone in her body

I vote for "nonsexual." I think that, for a long time, she has had no use for people other than as employees or props.

Sherman and Gayle provide her with a way to present herself as capable of human relationships. They're her props. She's their cash-cow.

She is mortally afraid of pooping in a public bathroom.

Well then who is Stedman's lover?

She didn't anoint Tatum and Ryan.

black celebs must not be criticized

She drinks and she pees.

She likes to make meals for her man.

Steadman is living in the guest house because of coronavirus.

Joel Osteen is a boil on the ass of humanity. A total fraud and charlatan.

[quote] Do you really think his tricks, gardeners, pool boys, etc. would know the legality of a ND form? People will sign a ND form just to be next to a celeb. It doesn't include force. People will sign a ND form to get a big paycheck.

The point isn't whether or not they'll sign it; even if they sign it and the celebrity asks something illegal of the people who sign it, the signer can break confidentiality and juries will side with them instead of the celebrity.

R 40 - LMAO — sounds like Miss O was in pre-Ellen degenerate stage. I can just see her waddling through those tunnels with Stedman pulling the rickshaw. “Faster, I gotta get to that mini mart at the gas station for a snickers before it closes”

There was always something unseemly about those “0prahs Favorite Things” episodes where the audience got cars, etc.

All the hysteria — almost like the Queen was watching the gladiators fight each other to the death for who could scream the loudest — even though they all got the same stuff.

I permanently hated her when she made this big proclamation that life had such great meaning a la life class and it was NEVER ABOUT THE STUFF

Did anybody mention Richard Simmons giving her dolls and being an early supporter of hers and her later ghosting him or something like that?

She screwed over an Oscar winner.

She eats her hair.

My friend told me that Oprah has never learned all of the lyrics to a song.

I watched Entertainment Tonight (by accident), and the show said that Gayle has moved in with Oprah. To "work from home" there while riding out the coronavirus scare. How convenient.