Since 1986, Oprah has been entertaining the nation with commentary and interviews in that infamous 4pm time slot. We have seen here through smiles and tears, through many weight changes, and many major events. She is a world renowned philanthropist, and many people take what Oprah reports as the gospel truth. She has, like many others, also has had her fair share of controversies. Here is a look back at some of them:
*2008- This was a big year for change. During Barack Obama's road to the white house, Oprah openly endorsed him on the campaign trail and she even had him on the show (but he was on the show well before he announced he was running for president). The controversy lay in who she chose not to have on the show: Sarah Palin. She was on the Republican ticket as Vice President Candidate with John McCain. Everyone assumed that Oprah would invite Palin on the show because she was a little known governor from Wasilla, Alaska. Oprah then released a statement that she did not want to use her show as a political platform, which obviously outraged many Republican women, since she openly and repeatedly endorsed Barack Obama. Finally, in November of 2009, Palin was on the Oprah show to endorse her new memoir, Going Rogue.
*2002-2003- During the height of the war in Iraq, Oprah aired many shows showing the negative effects of having entered Iraq post 9/11. Many anti-war advocates praised Oprah for her openness to express her feelings about the war, while the the government was not happy at all. The government knew how many people tune into Oprah and follow her claims, and they felt that she may be stirring up unneeded anti-war sentiments.
The above are just two of the major controversies that involved Winfrey this decade, but think back to 1996 during the height of the Mad Cow Disease controversy, when Oprah vowed never to eat red meat again. She had a show all about the treatment of the cows at the farms, she invited on Howard Lyman, a retired cattle rancher (now vegetarian!!) to explain further what really goes on. After her shows, sales of beef plummeted. The beef business tried to sue Oprah after that show, but loss. The court declared she had just used her freedom of speech.
So just from these few examples, we can see that Oprah has been a HUGE gatekeeper for the past few decades. Who will be able to fill her shoes? And now who will the general public listen to?
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