For millions of people, the sound of her voice was a daily comfort, a 4 p.m. ritual, a signal to gather around the television for an hour of connection. Now, a heartfelt new post from media mogul Oprah Winfrey, 71, is bringing all those cherished memories rushing back.
On Monday, the official Instagram accounts for Oprah and Oprah Daily were flooded with an incredible outpouring of love, congratulations, and joyous memories after she shared a deeply personal message with her millions of followers.
The post showed a series of incredible throwback photos of the star from the early days of her groundbreaking talk show. In the pictures, a vibrant Oprah, microphone in hand, engages with her live studio audience on the iconic set that became a daily destination for millions.
“Today, September 8, marks 39 years since ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ premiered,” Oprah wrote in the caption. “I’ve seen that clip at least a hundred times—the one where I burst onto the stage shouting, ‘Welcome to the very first National Oprah Winfrey Show!’ And every single time, I still feel that surge in my body.”
Almost immediately, the comments section lit up with an outpouring of love and memories. The post quickly garnered thousands of heartfelt responses from fans who were eager to share what the show meant to them.
“The blueprint! A woman who changed the world – for good! Best to ever do it!” wrote one enthusiastic fan.
Another declared her “irreplaceable, forever the Queen of Daytime Talk Show,” while multiple others pleaded, “Bring the Oprah Show back!!!”
Many shared how watching the show was a formative part of their lives. “I remember when I was 3 years old sitting in front of our black and white TV,” one fan shared. “I grew up listening to you miles away, but my heart feels like you are close to me. Thank you for saying YES.”
For others, it was the simple, daily ritual of tuning in that stood out in their memories, a shared cultural experience that has connected and stayed with viewers for decades.
“I remember rushing home to watch!” a fan commented.
Another commented with the air time like a loving mantra: “Weekdays at 4:00 PM on WBAL-TV 11.”
Multiple fans commented with memories of big giveaways and celebrity moments, but Oprah revealed in a corresponding article for Oprah Daily for “Oprah Insiders” that her most cherished memories are quite different. “Of the 4,561 shows we did, so many moments have blurred in my memory,” she wrote. “But the ones that stand out aren’t celebrity interviews. They are the real-life moments.”
She recounted several powerful stories, including meeting a woman named Sandra from Boston who told her that an episode about sexual abuse gave her and her sister the courage to speak their truth for the first time. That conversation, Sandra told Oprah, “changed the course of their lives.” In another instance, a woman in Sydney, Australia, told Oprah she was ready to end her life when an episode about gratitude came on, inspiring her to find three things to be grateful for, which was “enough to keep her alive.”
For Oprah, these moments are the true measure of the show’s impact. “These shows were never just television to me,” she explained. “They were a way to speak directly to the hearts, minds, and souls of people—and to call on the better angels of our nature.”
Now, Oprah is turning the question back to her audience. At the end of her heartfelt reflection, she made a direct request from the people whose lives she touched. “I’d love to hear from you,” she wrote in her “Insiders” via her Oprah Daily article. “Share your favorite memory from The Oprah Winfrey Show—especially if you watched it with your mom or your grandma.”
It was a beautiful invitation to continue the conversation she started 39 years ago, a call-and-response her fans answered with gusto on social media, proving that for Oprah and the people she inspired, “those moments” really do “live forever.”
This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 8, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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