CHICAGO (Reuters) – "The Oprah Winfrey Show" airs its last original episode on Wednesday, bringing to a close 25 years of the top-rated talk program on U.S. television.
Winfrey, 57, was a pioneer in the art of confessional television and in promoting discussion of formerly taboo subjects including incest, rape, sexual abuse and depression.
"The Oprah Winfrey Show" also became the go-to place for celebrities and politicians to promote new ventures and to apologize publicly for their indiscretions.
Following are some highlights from the past 25 years of "The Oprah Winfrey Show":
* Approximately 30,000 guests have appeared on the show, including presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
* Singer Celine Dion (27 times) and comedian Chris Rock (26 times) are the celebrities with the most appearances.
* November 1986; Winfrey revealed she was sexually abused and raped by a relative at age 9.
* November 1988; Winfrey shows off her new, slimmer figure and brings on a wagon holding 67 pounds of fat representing her weight loss.
* February 1993; Michael Jackson, in first TV interview for 14 years, said he had skin condition vitiligo, talked of physical abuse from his father and said he often cried out of loneliness.
* April 1996; Comments by a guest about mad cow disease prompt Winfrey to say she won't eat hamburger, triggering a drop in beef prices and a lawsuit against her by Texas cattlemen. A jury later sides with Winfrey.
* November 1997; Comedian Ellen DeGeneres talks about coming out as a lesbian.
* May 2005; Tom Cruise jumps on Oprah's couch, proclaiming his love for new girlfriend Katie Holmes.
* January 2006; Winfrey scolds author James Frey, a recent Book Club pick, for faking parts of his memoir "A Million Little Pieces".
* September 2009; Former child star Mackenzie Philips reveals incestuous relationship with her father, "The Mamas and the Papas" singer John Phillips.
* June 2010; Britain's Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, publicly apologizes for trying to sell access to Prince Andrew.
* September 2010; Winfrey announces free trip to Australia for studio audience of about 300 people.
* January 2011; Winfrey holds reunion with her newly-discovered half sister.
* May 23, 24, 2011; Tom Cruise, Aretha Franklin, Beyonce, Michael Jordan, Madonna, Usher, Will Smith, Tom Hanks, Jerry Seinfeld, Stevie Wonder, Jamie Fox, Halle Berry and many other celebrities bid farewell to Winfrey in surprise show.
(Sources; Harpo Inc, Reuters)
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; editing by Chris Michaud)
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