Oprah Winfrey: Humble Beginnings

O​Oprah Winfrey's childhood was thick with poverty, abuse, and disappointment.



Oprah Winfrey, born Orpah, was born on January 29th, 1954 in a rural town in Mississippi. Growing up in poverty, she underwent considerable hardships to survive.  Oprah was raised by a single mother and never knew who her father was.  She was sexually abused at a young age, claiming she was raped at the age of 9, and had her first child at the age of 14.  Her newborn son died days later.  In her high school days, she landed a job at a local radio station.  She was praised for her emotional delivery and personal ad-libs and later got a job at a Chicago morning talk-show.  After she joined “AM Chicago”, it went from the lowest rating to one of the most popular talk-shows in Chicago.  Eventually, Oprah left AM Chicago and started her own talk show... The Oprah Winfrey Show.