What Was Oprah Like?

[desura]

In a conversation the other day I mentioned that Oprah was once like Jerry Springer, overweight and hosting trashy fights on her show...but I think I might have been wrong because I can't find any trashy fights moderated by an obese Oprah...anywhere.

Am I wrong?

Like, the way I remember her is that she used to be the queen of trash tv during the 80's, then she decided to change her life and her show, and so she managed to control her weight and then started talking about empathy and so forth during the mid-90's.

Or was she always about empathy for victims? I never watched her show so I don't know.

 

[TwiceOver]

I don't think she was ever really in that market. You might be thinking of Ricki Lake.

 

[momeNt]

Never watched a 'sode of her show but I think it was more about woman troubles and trying to make their viewers cry. Not scream Jerry jerry Jerry.

 

[SamQuint]

You are right, she was more like Jerry when she first started. However her guests were definitely not as trashy and people didn't start fights and crap like that. However she had her share of trashy guests to exploit.

 

[blackdogdeek]

I don't ever remember her having trashy guests. She and Phil Donahue (sp?) had much classier shows than Maury and Jerry.

 

[smackababy]

"So, yesterday I made some statements, presented them as facts, when, in fact, I had zero information on the subject! Help me ATOT, you're my only hope!"

Does that about sum this up?

I have never seen or heard of Oprah has being the "Queen of trash TV" in any context. Her guests might not have been the classiest of people, but she was never at Jerry level. Hell, she wasn't even the black Ricki Lake.

 

[Printer Bandit]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCiqozFWzl0

 

[desura]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCiqozFWzl0

Well, yeah, I did find the infamous white supremacist show. But it is looking like she was about catharsis from the get-go, with a few exceptions like when the producers felt it was a good idea to book neo-nazis.

 

[poofyhairguy]

To be fair, I would say Jerry was once more like her. When his show started it was like any other daytime show. Then he got famous on the circus freaks and kept pushing it and pushing it until him an Maury made circus freaks the tentpole of daytime talk shows.

 

[zinfamous]

No, Donahue actually kinda started out that way but then decided to change the format early on, iirc.

 

[Printer Bandit]

donahue and ayn rand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzGFytGBDN8

 

[Rudee]

There was a time when Maury Povich was a credible television show where he actually interviewed people. Now it's absolute trash. Just trash.

 

[techs]

What Was Oprah Like?

She just lay there but afterwards she gave me a car.

 

[BladeVenom]

I think Oprah was known for crying.

 

[BoomerD]

Nope...you were right. When Oprah first started, she was the queen of trash TV...her shows were very similar to Jerry and the others.

 

[desura]

Nope...you were right. When Oprah first started, she was the queen of trash TV...her shows were very similar to Jerry and the others.

I dunno, I just found this on youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie0-OGnXyqo

is really far from the springer show AFAIKT

 

[NFS4]

What Was Oprah Like?

She just lay there but afterwards she gave me a car.