The Curtain Falls on Oprah

A quarter-century of celebrity interviews, tear-filled human-interest stories, and crazy product giveaways draws to a close.

The final episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show aired this afternoon, bringing the daytime program's storied 25-year run to an end in the Chicago studio made famous around the world. Oprah's rise from run-of-the-mill talk-show host to international media maven, political asset, rights activist, and book-club innovator over the course of 4,561 episodes is truly one of the most remarkable in the history of television. The show has dominated talk-show ratings since its debut, giving hope to Maury Povich that he can now finally ascend to that coveted spot. We will also overlook that she hosted Celine Dion a record 20 times and that she unleashed Dr. Phil on the world, mostly because if you don't like Oprah, even to modest degree, you're probably a sad, cruel, human.