Oprah Winfrey is obviously a legendary interviewer who has talked with many of the greats. But, we just learned something new about Oprah’s history with the late Whitney Houston. According to a new revelation from the game-changing TV personality, there was a time when she got an entire audience to keep a secret after the struggling pop star had a faux pas during a performance on her show in 2009.

Whitney Houston died at the age of 48 due to an accidental drowning in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton while she had drugs in her system. The singer behind one of the most iconic movie songs in Hollywood history and a ton of beloved hits struggled with drug addiction for 30 years, and apparently Winfrey and her audience once saw this firsthand. As the talk show host shared:

Winfrey revealed what happened while receiving the LionHeart Award at The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on Tuesday (via Variety). As she continued to say about the memorable interview:

During the in-depth sit down itself on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Whitney Houston spoke to Oprah about her drug addiction by getting honest about the ways in which substance abuse became a coping mechanism for her during her marriage with Bobby Brown. Houston also talked about how her own mother staged an intervention to get her to rehab. The singer ended up going to a 30-day program, but sadly the stint didn’t help reverse her decades of struggles.

While Winfrey says Houston was clean during the initial interview, when she came in to perform on the day of the show's taping with a live audience, she was reportedly under the influence again, and fell in front of everyone. As Winfrey added:

Looking back, it’s rather impressive that the audience stayed to their word and never let slip the incident. It perhaps speaks to the public's respect for both Oprah Winfrey and Whitney Houston. At the time, Houston was having a comeback moment with her album I Look To You, which ended up being her final record. In May 2011, she went back to rehab for drug and alcohol abuse before dying nine months later.

In 2022, Naomi Ackie portrayed Whitney Houston in the biopic, I Wanna Dance With Somebody. It’s currently available to stream with an Amazon Prime subscription. While The Oprah Winfrey Show may be long over, Winfrey continues to be a greatly decorated interviewer with her own podcast debuting new episodes every week.

We’re just over a month away from the final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and the last episode of The Late Show at all, for that matter. Colbert has said he hasn’t really had a chance to think about what he’ll do next, but he does know what he’s going to miss when it’s all over.

Oprah Winfrey was a guest on The Late Show recently, but she couldn’t help but start asking questions of the host. She began asking Colbert about his thoughts as the show is wrapping up, so the host actually switched seats with Winfrey so she could better interview him. The legendary journalist asked if there was anything he wanted to “release” as the show was wrapping up, but Colbert said his feelings were quite the opposite of that. He said…

The one thing that Colbert has been pretty open about through the entire cancellation fiasco has been the simple fact that he doesn’t want to go. He clearly enjoys the show, and if it were up to him, he would continue to do it. He’s clearly frustrated by the entire situation.

While Colbert says he misses the audience the most, this isn’t a play for applause, because applause actually has nothing to do with why the audience is so important. Colbert and Oprah discuss the way that the audience helps make the show better, and it’s actually quite interesting. Colbert said…

Colbert admits that, as an interviewer, he may not be paying 100% attention to what his guest is saying, because he’s also focused on making sure he asks all his questions (as somebody who occasionally conducts interviews, I feel this so hard it hurts). The audience then acts as a barometer, allowing him to know where the interview is going.

Colbert and Winfrey have more in common than just a history of interviewing people. Colbert recently made a voice cameo on Hulu's The Testaments, a franchise Winfrey has also vocally appeared on. Check out the full exchange between Oprah Winfrey and Stephen Colbert below.

If this exchange between Stephen Colbert and Oprah Winfrey is an example of what is to come during the final weeks of The Late Show, we are in for some incredible moments.

Errors, gaffes, and slip-ups are to be expected when working in Hollywood, but not all bloopers are created equal. Andy Cohen, creator of the Real Housewives franchise, admitted that one of his most unforgettable mishaps also involved one of the most influential women in TV history: Oprah Winfrey. After an excellent interview, everything went sideways due to one question, which relates to a long-standing rumor involving her best friend, Gayle King.

During a Fan Fest week episode of TODAY, Andy Cohen asked his peers whether or not they had ever had an unforgettable "oops" moment on set. After each anchor shared their personal misstep, the Watch What Happens Live! host revealed his moment included Oprah. After an above average formal sit down with the iconic former talk show host, Cohen inquired about her prior personal relations. The energy quickly changed, as he revealed how she responded:

Oof, that’s quite a doozy. Sure, plenty of people from Oscar winners to AGT participants experience bloopers, but it's easy to understand why the New Year's Eve Live co-host’s experience with Oprah Winfrey has stuck with him. It’s one thing to have a personal flub televised; it’s a whole other experience when it directly pertains to Oprah. And beyond all of that, to ask her about something that has shadowed her long-time friendship with King puts an awkward cherry on top.

Naturally, Cohen followed up quickly after the matter stating his regret and apologies, but clearly the interaction still haunts him. I can only assume he’s living through some triggers since he re-confessed his feelings about it amid the 2025 TV schedule. Or perhaps he’s made enough peace with it to at least share it as an example of where the line is with an interviewee.

But as mentioned, a fumble on set or in real time is pretty commonplace. It even happens to other pros in situations like when Jenna Bush Hager cursed live on air and Carson Daly mispronounced Leonardo DiCaprio’s name. At the end of the day, we’re all human and things going awry is inevitable. Most gaffes just don’t make it onto screens for millions of people to see! As for Andy Cohen’s bold question to Oprah, it’ll float around in blooper infamy.

If you'd like to watch whole episodes, catch TODAY weekdays starting at 7 a.m. EST or stream past episodes with a Peacock subscription. You can also catch Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live! on Bravo, weekday evenings at 10 p.m. EST.

While the podcasting market continues to expand, with everyone and their mom seeming to have one, there truly are some gems on the airwaves. Regardless of your familiarity and regularity in dabbling, where does one start? As someone who dabbles in a few series and loves a good pop culture injection of any form, a celebrity-hosted show can offer a lot! These stars’ pods cover plenty of ground from BTS on favorite sets to politics to emotionally forward conversations. If you’re lost, in a rut or just looking for another stellar title to add to your audio arsenal, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s dive in!

Oprah’s Super Soul - Oprah Winfrey

We know her, we love her, and the dynamic Oprah Winfrey continues to evolve and push interviewing bounds. Super Soul is more or less an adaptation of her inspiration and often a spiritual talk show that ran through the early 2020s. Be prepared to hear some deep conversations if you aren’t already, though we all know it tends to come with the unmistakable Hollywood giant.

Literally! With Rob Lowe - Rob Lowe

The 61-year-old Hollywood vet has wide-ranging conversations with plenty of well-known professionals. Whether it's well-established or rising stars in movies and TV, music or sports, Lowe jumps right in with them. And as a member of The Brat Pack, the pull he has with landing guests is pretty impressive and diverse.

Renegades: Born In The USA - Barak Obama, Bruce Springsteen

Though it only ran for one season and has 8 episodes to its name, the former president and The Boss’ collab rocked. Their conversations consisted of the changing dynamics of the USA through the lens of music, personal happenings, fatherhood and future revitalization. They also share their backstory on how the friendship and pod came to be.

Goop - Gwyneth Paltrow

Paltrow and Goop’s virality continues to regularly break the internet (especially those body-forward scented candles). But the Hollywood A-lister and her empire went to new heights with the addition of their own podcast, which she hosts. Naturally, it dives in holistically to grander topics with today’s ‘brightest thinkers and culture changers’ to dissect the conversation at hand.

Wiser Than Me - Julia Louis-Dreyfus

As always, when Louis-Dreyfus commits to a project, she knocks a role out of the park. One of her most recent titles as host of Wiser Than Me is no different; her interviewing women who are expert veterans in their given career is a true delight. She’s had everyone from Jane Goodall to Jane Fonda, and she’s just getting going.

Good Hang - Amy Poehler

Don’t overlook the Parks & Rec star’s Good Hang, even though it may be one of the newest entries on the list. Poehler’s sunshine bright vibes radiate through the show while she chats with A-list Hollywood names. But the most signature part shines through when she has a mini cameo from a friend of the guest who praises them ahead of the main convo. (If you haven’t seen or know where the viral clip of Rachel Dratch fumbling with headphones on a Zoom, now you do.)

Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend - Conan O’Brien

In the comedian’s corner of the interview world, you can certainly expect his signature smart silliness he has brought to the masses over the decades. But why did he jump into the world? As the title implies, and per his summary, O’Brien realized after years of interviewing celebs, ‘the only people at his holiday party are the men and women who work for him,’ and wanted to change that.

Fly On The Wall - David Spade, Dana Carvey

While not an outright Saturday Night Live podcast, two huge alums, Spade and Carvey, lead this industry-leaning show. The pair has their fair share of guests and covers plenty of Studio 8H lore depending on who’s with them that week. Beyond the sketch show conversations, they often jump into current pop culture, current events and even fan-submitted fare.

Bill Gates And Rashida Jones Ask Big Questions - Bill Gates, Rashida Jones

Gates and Jones came together at the beginning of the pandemic in search of musing about some big questions. Though there are only five episodes, nothing seems off the table, from climate change to the psychology behind lying. But the unexpected co-hosts tackle these larger sociological and worldly topics with intentionality and ease.

The Big Podcast With Shaq - Shaquille O'Neal

The dynamic retired basketball player continues to surprise us with his plays (he just confirmed he was a Swiftie on the Kelces’ pod), and did just that when he kicked off his new podcast network by way of his own. Aptly named, Shaq and co-host Adam Lefkoe, of course, talk sports among themselves and alongside guests, but also hit a range of topics.

Minnie Questions - Minnie Driver

The Good Will Hunting actress’ offering sets up each interview through seven thoughtful questions. Though each question is relatively simple, it’s proven time and again that it unearths quite a conversation. Her therapy session meets fireside chat structure stands apart from other celebrity podcasts since its intention dives into a soulful exploration of life’s questions.

All There Is With Anderson Cooper - Anderson Cooper

While plenty of entries on the list cover an array of subjects from casual conversations, behind-the-scenes Hollywood magic and love and relationships, Cooper dives into loss (which he’s experienced multiple times over since childhood). What started as the beloved CNN news anchor processing the passing of his mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, and the ins and outs that go along with it, has blossomed into something much more. He’s built a safe ground for guests and listeners alike to reflect and process the big topic.

Red Table Talk - Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, Adrienne Banfield-Norris

The multi-generational, familial women-hosted show has gone viral a few times over since its inception on Facebook. Nothing, as we’ve seen, is off limits in this conversational style show and doesn’t shy away when things get nitty gritty. Though the OG got the axe in 2023, it got going again with no ties to Facebook, and its episode catalog continues to rank with some of the best Hollywood fodder out there today.

The Weekly Show With Jon Stewart - Jon Stewart

The beloved TV host has a podcast that pairs with his regularly scheduled show. The Weekly Show offers a more expansive look into our ever-developing world with notable minds in essential roles across the professional field. If you’re looking for even more Stewart material, he had a short-lived but excellent 2 season show called The Problem with Jon Stewart that dove into topics that were ‘too big for TV.’ With either, you can count on a laugh paired with some big, thought-provoking discussions.

SmartLess - Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Sean Hayes

SmartLess is like an improv dinner party you weren’t invited to, but somehow snuck into. Each episode brings a surprise guest to the table, and with it comes comedy, curiosity, and the kind of bromantic chaos that three A-listers with zero filters can deliver. It’s part talk show, part therapy session, and all charm—who would’ve guessed the vibe would be achieved by the Michael and Gob Bluth actors with a dash of the Jack McFarland actor.

Armchair Expert - Dax Shepard

Maybe one of the most recognizable and longstanding on the list, Shepard started his series in 2018. Though the premise is relatively simple in terms of chatting with well-known faces, things can go deep quickly. The CHiPs alum has had ex-costars like Lauren Graham, incidentally spill about Parenthood peer, Mae Whitman’s baby daddy, and Oscar-nominated stars like Michelle Williams reflect about her late ex-partner, Heath Ledger. Needless to say, there’s a lot to work with here (and a 300+ episode backlog to sift through).

Office Ladies - Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fischer

Of course, there was bound to be at least one rewatch pod in the bunch, and with The Office ranking as one of the best sitcoms ever, it’s a natural pick to include. Kinsey (who played Angela Martin/Lipton/Schrute) and Fischer (who played Pam Beesly Halpert) recount excellent tidbits and memories as they rewatch the NBC classic while hosting Dunder Mifflin cast and crew members.

Life Is Short - Justin Long

First and foremost, I’ve got to give the Jeepers Creepers actor’s name for his show is A+ play on words (specifically short and long). But, behind the small chuckle the title of the pod offers is a surprisingly poignant base for Long and his brother, who co-hosts the show. The siblings jump in the deep end with their guests and discuss all there is about life, which includes everything from emojis to their perspective on life.

LeVar Burton Reads - LeVar Burton

Fiction lovers and previous PBS Kids unite! The beloved Reading Rainbow star’s pod is a modern-day take on the classic 26-year run show, but now catered toward adults. Short form stories are the main genre he dives into each week, and the whole thing feels just like a little bit of a time machine, for those who tuned in regularly to RR.

New Heights - Jason, Travis Kelce

No, I’m not talking about their mom, Donna Kelce, landing a spot on S4 of The Traitors US, but it’s worth mentioning. The NFL family show is full of BTS looks into being brothers while also playing football professionally. They also often go out of bounds of the shared ground and discuss everything from pop culture to UFOs.

The High Life - Ricki Lake

The former television host is getting back to her roots with The High Life. And while she still has plenty of Tinseltown names as guests, the focus with her offering is health and wellness. Nothing is off the table within the larger landscape; she hits everything from menopause to energy healing.

Las Culturistas - Bowen Yang, Matt Rogers

In case you’d like to know, this is my ride or die pick of the list. The college besties-turned-Hollywood-darling co-hosts have amassed a cult turned mainstream following thanks to culture catch-ups, regular bits they have A-list guests participate in (what sparked their interest in culture and their wry ‘I Don’t Think So Honey!’ critique of something) and their own award show. Clearly, I could go on about it, but if you need more proof, Tina Fey’s iconic advice to Yang speaks to why we, ‘readers, kayteighs, publicists, finalists and kyles,’ love it all.

WTF With Marc Maron - Marc Maron

The rough around the edges comedian and actor’s podcast is one of the most well-known celebrity series. As a blueprint of public figures' iterations to come, Maron got started in 2009 after his radio show got canned. In the decade-plus he’s been at it, he hosted writers, directors, comedians, actors and many more in the typical style that is commonplace today. But, heads up, he just announced his show will end this fall, so don’t miss out!

Podcrushed - Penn Badgley, Nava Kavelin, Sophie Ansari

The Gossip Girl alum’s shared show isn’t a far cry from the hit teen series fodder. They’ve just spun the clock a little further back to schoolyard drama and middle school crushes. Badgley, alongside Kavelin and Ansari, takes on listeners' stories, reads them and explores all the ins and outs of starting to grow up (and all the turmoil that tags along).

Broad Ideas - Rachel Bilson, Olivia Allen

While you may know of Bilson’s other pod, Beyond The O.C., involving ex-castmate Melinda Clarke, Broad Ideas includes her longtime bestie, Olivia Allen. The new duo essentially cover any ground two girlfriends would in any given conversation (mental health to ghosts are promised). But hosting a new guest to join in on the fun each week brings it to the next level.

The Mess Around With Hannah And Lamorne - Lamorne Morris, Hannah Simone

If you know anything about where these two co-hosts met, you can probably guess this is a New Girl rewatch series. And if you know that, you probably know they played CeCe and Winston (Bishop), respectively, and the title comes from a bit that the characters shared. Also, plenty of past cast and crew come through to reminisce about all the shenanigans that went down in 4D.

Films To Be Buried With With Brett Goldstein - Brett Goldstein

Though he’s still relatively new to the scene, the Ted Lasso star is hitting it big (and is now on Shrinking). With that success, his unique corner of the recording studio has only found more success. And while the title of Goldstein’s show is pretty straightforward and self-explanatory, it has me hooked. I think it’s safe to say he’s just getting started.

At Your Service - Dua Lipa

While I haven’t actually listened to the singer and actress’ show, it may be the hidden gem on the list. Heading into her third season, she continues to host a slew of knockout guests, and her collection of candid conversations runs the gamut of interesting fare. Everything from psychedelics to running Apple.

Getting Better With Jonathan Van Ness - Jonathan Van Ness

Ever since being introduced as the current generation’s hair & grooming lead on Queer Eye, JVN has been stealing the show as they help build up others. By natural curiosity and the drive to learn, the Getting Better podcast helps them grow and build spaces to learn even more. The weekly episodic content comes in all shapes and sizes–from finance lessons to discourse on culture, they’ve got it covered.

Why Won’t You Date Me? - Nicole Byer

The Nailed It! host is also a pro-podcaster. If you go looking for Byer’s love and relationship pod, you may find quite a slew aside from the aforementioned one (Best Friends!, 90 Day Bae and Newcomers). But this humorously titled one is the most well-known and long-standing one, where she has everyone from friends and experts to an occasional ex or two dish all about dating and love.

Lovett Or Leave It - Jon Lovett

While Jon Lovett’s beginnings aren’t traditional Hollywood standards material, the comedian was a former speech writer for Barack Obama. From there, he and fellow Obama peers (Dan Pfeiffer, Tommy Vietor and Jon Favreau–not to be confused with the A-lister) then co-hosted Pod Save America. His newest show is a hybrid of political news mixed with fun, well-known guests, and a bit of shenanigans all tied into one, always providing a laugh.

The Bald And The Beautiful - Trixie Mattel And Katya Zamolodchikova

One of RuPaul’s Drag Race’s biggest winners, Trixie and ride or die fellow queen, Katya, have taken the world by storm together. After meeting on season 7, they quickly went on their way to make creative projects together, starting with their viral cult followed series, UNHhhh, to their aptly titled pod. It’s a lot of the same banter, just funneled into discussing pop culture and Tinseltown-leaning topics.

A number of notable celebrities have remained mostly mum on Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex-trafficking trial and other legal woes. Nevertheless, several stars found themselves wrapped into the drama for one reason or another. Oprah Winfrey and Bishop T.D. Jakes are among the public figures who’ve been tied to the drama, as it’s been rumored that they attended Combs’ infamous Freak Offs. Now, Jakes and Winfrey are openly addressing the “salacious” chatter surrounding them.

Both Oprah and T.D. Jakes recently headlined a discussion as part of the latter’s annual Good Soil Forum. While the pair discussed a myriad of topics (including artificial intelligence), talk eventually turned to Diddy. That topic was sparked due to the 71-year-old former talk show host talking about a NSFW, A.I.-created image of her and the embattled rapper. Oprah (via The Dallas Morning News) directly stated that she did not attend any of the rapper’s parties and shared a point about how she usually handles shindigs:

After that, T.D. Jakes chimed in, saying that “people love salacious stories.” In 2024, the 68-year-old Texas-based bishop was at the center of various rumors in connection with Sean Combs. Some of the misinformation was spread by way of YouTube accounts, leading Jakes to seek legal assistance in combating the situation. During Good Soil Forum chat, Jakes had this to say about the rumors that swirled around him:

Diddy’s Freak Offs were allegedly parties that featured young women (who’d been weighed) performing sexual acts for attendees, with some of those being recorded. Additionally, Diddy held what have been referred to as Wild King Knights, which reportedly occurred in hotel rooms. Those events apparently involved drugs, baby oil and other items. Some of the people who’ve discussed the events recalled being on high alert during those parties.

Following Sean Combs’ arrest in September 2024, he was federally charged with counts of sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, and he faces up to life in prison if found guilty. Combs’ trial began in May and, since then, witnesses have provided testimony about his parties as well as his alleged sexual preferences, drug use and more. The “Shake Ya Tailfeather” performer is also facing numerous lawsuits involving claims of sexual assault, violence and more. Jay-Z was also named in rape allegations alongside Combs, though that case has since been dismissed.

As the trial remains ongoing, rumors are still circulating in regard to Diddy’s personal dealings. When it comes to the speculation that hounded them, Oprah and T.D. Jakes seem to be more amused by it now. Their panel discussion also saw them poke fun about being in the same position, with Jakes even joking, “Let’s get Jerry Seinfeld on there.”

Since television began, women have been an important part of its history. This is a list of many of the groundbreaking women who have made their mark not only for themselves but for all women in the industry. Women like Lucille Ball, Barbara Walters, Mary Tyler Moore, and many more.

Lucille Ball

I Love Lucy has been one of the most enduring hits in the history of television. It's been on TV both in the first run when it first aired in 1951 and in reruns ever since. Almost the entire time TV has been in people's homes. Of course, that's all because of the brilliant Lucille Ball's performance as Lucy. She's a one-of-kind legend we're unlikely to see the likes of again.

Roxie Roker

Over the course of her incredible career, Roxie Roker broke new ground everywhere she acted, whether it be on the big screen, the Broadway stage, or, as Helen Willis on The Jeffersons, on television. The most important thing Roker did on TV seems so antiquated now that it's hard to believe, but when she was on a hit CBS show, she was actually the first Black actress to appear on a TV show in a relationship with a white man. It was a huge deal.

Carol Burnett

Not only is Carol Burnett one of the funniest women in TV history, but she's at or near the top of the list of the funniest people, period. Her eponymous show was a groundbreaking sketch comedy show and she not only paved the way for more female comedians to have their own show, she paved the way for enduring sketch comedy shows like Saturday Night Live

Betty White

There are few actors more beloved than Betty White. When she died just shy of her 100th birthday in 2021, the outpouring of grief from fans was incredible. It wasn't just for her roles on legendary shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Golden Girls, but for her whole career in television back to its earliest days.

Shonda Rhimes

Many of the women on this list are here for what they've done in front of the camera. Shonda Rhimes is here for what she does behind the scenes as one of the most prolific show creators of all time. Not only is she one of the first women to be so successful as a TV producer, but she's one of the first Black women to do it, making it doubly important and groundbreaking.

Ellen DeGeneres

It's obvious why Ellen DeGeneres is on this list, but that doesn't mean we should overlook the obvious. When DeGeneres came out as a lesbian on her sitcom in 1997 it was actually earthshattering. It shouldn't have been and today, something like that would hardly be blinked at and that's all because she had the guts to do it when she did.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Fleabag does something that few shows have done before it - it's an unflinching look at the life of a single woman and by doing that it, it automatically less of the cultural taboo it's been for far too long. It's weird that it's taken so long for something like this be a cultural stone, but at least we're here now.

Barbara Walters

In the TV news business, there is no more groundbreaking figure than the legendary Barbara Walters. As a news broadcaster, reporter, interviewer, and panel host, Walters did many things no woman before her had ever done. It's hard to downplay just how much of a trailblazer Walters was during her amazing career.

Marta Kauffman

As the producer and co-creator of Friends, Marta Kauffman showed the world that a woman could create what was, at the time, the biggest show in the world. It wasn't a show "for women," Friends was a show for everyone and few shows have seen the kind of popularity Friends had - and continues to have today with its endless life on streaming.

Mary Tyler Moore

Without The Mary Tyler Moore show, we might not have had other trailblazing shows like Murphy Brown, or Ellen, or Fleabag. Mary Tyler Moore did it first and, for many, still did it best. Before he blazed a trail on her own, she was also an early hero on The Dick Van Dyke Show. She truly made it on her own on TV.

Jane Curtain, Lorraine Newman, And Gilda Radner

It had to be hard for the three women in the original "Not Ready For Prime Time Players" on Saturday Night Live, Jane Curtain, Lorraine Newman, And Gilda Radner. The show felt like a frat house at times and there they were, consistently as funny or funnier than the frat bros that made up the rest of the amazing cast. Talk about groundbreaking.

Cicely Tyson

Cicely Tyson's first television role came in 1961 and her final appearance came just before her death in 2020. In between she starred in literally 100s of episodes of television and often was the first and only Black woman on those shows and episodes. There aren't enough words to explain how important she was for every Black woman who came after her on TV.

Peggy Charren

Activist Peggy Charren is different than most on this list. She wasn't an actress, nor did she even work in the television industry. Instead, she was an advocate for the children at home watching. It's because of the work of Charren that kids had the option to watch informative and educational TV, and not just corporate drivel made to sell more sugary cereal to them. Anyone who grew up loving Sesame Street or The Electric Company has Charren to thank, at least in large part.

Katie Couric

It's hard to believe that it took until 2006 for a major network to have a female lead anchor, but it's true. That woman was, of course, Katie Couric and for that alone, she should forever be remembered as a groundbreaker. She's done so much more as well, so it's not the only thing she'll be remembered and appreciated for.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Julia Louis-Dreyfus' career has been nothing short of spectacular. She is one of very few people, much less women, to have won more than 10 Emmy Awards, for her work on not one, not two, but three hit shows. Seinfeld, The Old Adventures of New Christine, and Veep have all been great in large part due to her talent and hard work.

Irna Phillips

On her Wikipedia page, Irna Phillips is described as a scriptwriter, screenwriter, casting agent, and actress. In reality, she kind of invented the entire genre of the soap opera in the 1940s, first on radio and later on TV. She was the first to really pinpoint women as a target audience and write and create shows geared towards them. Daytime TV would be very different if not for Phillips.

Diahann Carroll

Diahann Carroll isn't the most famous person on this list and that's kind of weird because her contribution to TV is huge. Her groundbreaking role as the lead in Julia showed that Black actors, especially Black women, could be a whole more than just maids or other stereotypical roles they typically played before Julia debuted in 1968.

Candice Bergen

Even before she blazed a new trail in Murphy Brown as the first woman on TV to express the desire to raise a child as a single mom, Candice Bergen was breaking ground on TV. She was the first female member of the SNL Five-Timers Club, for example. As the lead on Murphy Brown, she won so many Emmys (five) that she started declining invitations to give others a chance at the career boost a win provided.

Bea Arthur

Like her cast mates on Golden Girls, Bea Arthur was a true trailblazer. For starters, she is one of few women in Hollywood who served in the active military during World War II as a marine. Once she got to Hollywood, she played by her own rules which eventually landed her a recurring role on All In The Family in the early '70s, tackling some of the biggest issues of the day. That led to the spinoff Maude where she was unflinching in her pursuit of bringing women's liberation issues to the forefront on prime-time TV, including such political hot topics as sensitive as abortion in the early '70s.

Oprah Winfrey

Of all the entries on this list, the one who might need the least introduction is Oprah Winfrey. Starting with a small locally-produced talk show on TV called AM Chicago and later simply The Oprah Winfrey Show, Winfrey built a massive media empire and became one of the biggest moguls in television. Her empire reaches across all forms of media these days and she's among the richest people in the world. And then there are all the cars she's given away...

Nichelle Nichols

Nichelle Nichols was the sole woman in the original Star Trek cast and she more than held her own. Not only was she an equal member of the Enterprise crew, she was an equal member of the cast. On the show, Nichols' character Uhura shared an on-screen with Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) which was one of the first, and most famous example of an interracial kiss on network television. It seems simple, but it was incredibly groundbreaking at the time.

Donna Reed

There were plenty of family-focused sitcoms on 1950s television. What set The Donna Reed Show apart is evident by its name. It was one of the first shows that focused on the mother, played by Donna Reed, as the primary character of the show. This wasn't Father's Knows Best or My Three Sons. Reed was the star and the main character. Additionally, she was no mere wallflower. She was a strong, independent-minded mother and wife who had a full life as a homemaker and mother and audiences saw it all, not just June Cleaver doing the dishes while wearing her pearls.

Laverne Cox

Orange Is The New Black star Laverne Cox wasn't the first transgender woman on TV, but she was one of the most visible as part of such a huge hit. Cox, and her character were remarkable not only because she was was transgender but because her character Sophia dealt with problems that weren't just because she was transgender, but because she was also human locked up in prison. Sophia wasn't simply a one dimensional character, she was much more than her gender. That was, and still is, rare.

Jodie Whittaker

If she does nothing else in her career (and that is unlikely), Jodie Whittaker will forever be known for being the first female Doctor on Doctor Who. That alone makes her incredibly groundbreaking and worthy of inclusion on this list. There was even a time when critics and fans thought that such a thing would be impossible. Whittaker has been remarkably popular and has proven all the doubters wrong.

Marlo Thomas

Like many instances on this list, it's hard to believe that there was ever a time when it was shocking to even consider an entire television show focused on an unmarried woman. Of course, there was a time when that was true, but that was before Marlo Thomas starred in That Girl starting in 1968. The show, which was actually a little controversial at the time was all about Thomas' character moving to New York to try to make it in show business.

Debbie Allen

Debbie Allen is probably best known as the star of the TV version of Fame (and a small role as the same character in the movie), as well as a judge of So You Think You Can Dance. But Allen's accomplishments run so much deeper than that. She is one of the most prolific TV directors of the last few decades and was the choreographer for the Oscars for a decade. She's had an amazing career on both sides of the camera.

Kerry Washington

It's really hard to wrap one's head around the fact that between Julia, starring Diahann Carroll, which ended in 1971, and Scandal when it started in 2012 (created by Shonda Rhimes), there were no TV shows with a Black female lead. Kerry Washington changed all that when Scandal became a huge hit and ran for six seasons on ABC.

Lynda Carter

Who says girls can't be superheroes? Well, today we know all too well that women can not only be superheroes, but they can lead franchises as such. Back in the late '70s, that was an open question that was answered by Lynda Carter who helped turn Wonder Woman into a hit show that ran for three seasons and then became a staple of syndication for years after.

Sandra Oh

It seems like Sandra Oh has been around forever. She got her big break as part of the cast of Arliss on HBO, then found more fame as a member of the cast of Grey's Anatomy. Her groundbreaking moment came in the titular character in Killing Eve. When she did, she became the first woman of Asian descent to lead a show in the United States. Remarkably it took until 2018 for that to happen. Like all the other women on this is, she proved there are still trails to be blazed.

Pauline Frederick

Pauline Frederick was a groundbreaking female reporter with ABC and NBC during her career. She covered major events like World War II and the Vietnam War, first on radio and then as one of the first female reporters on TV.

Mary Kay Stearns

Like the TV network it was first broadcast on, The DuMont Network, Mary Kay Stearns, and her sitcom Mary Kay And Johnny has mostly been lost to time. Few people remember the show or the network and that's too bad, because both were groundbreaking. In fact, Mary Kay And Johnny was the very first sitcom ever aired on broadcast TV when it debuted in 1948. Mary Kay Stearns starred with her real-life husband Johnny Stearns and not only was it the first sitcom, but it was the first show to feature a pregnant woman and the first to show a married couple sleeping in the same bed.

Viola Davis

As an EGOT winner, Viola Davis has proven over and over what a powerhouse actor she is, no matter where it is. Whether on stage, in film, or on television, she is one of the best to ever do it.

Sometimes an actor just explodes on the scene with their first movie. Many of the people on this list have even been nominated and won awards for their first roles. Most, of course, have gone on to have long, successful careers, so let's look back at these actors who absolutely crushed it in their first roles. 

Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years A Slave

It didn't take long for Kenyan native Lupita Nyong'o to make a huge splash in Hollywood. After a little time working on movie sets behind the camera, she studied acting at Yale and landed her seminal role in 12 Years A Slave almost immediately after graduating. The performance speaks for itself, and Nyong'o deservingly took home an Oscar for it. Amazingly, three years later, she won a Tony in her Broadway debut in Eclipsed.

Sean Penn - Taps

Sean Penn has had a long, storied career and while many may assume his breakout role came as the stoner Spicoli in Fast Times At Ridgemont High, but a year before cracking up audiences in that cult classic, he played a very different role as a would-be soldier at a military academy in Taps. Notably, Tom Cruise also made his breakthrough role in the movie alongside Penn. 

Reese Witherspoon - The Man In The Moon

Over the last 4 decades or so, Reese Witherspoon has not only become one of the most acclaimed actresses in Hollywood, but a major force behind the scenes as a producer. It all started for the Nashville native with her debut in The Man In The Moon in 1991. It's always impressive when a newcomer can lead a personal film like this, and Witherspoon showed early how good she is by doing so. 

Natalie Portman - Leon: The Professional

There are a few actors in Hollywood who broke big when they were very young. From the moment you see Natalie Portman on screen in her first role as Mathilda in Leon: The Professional, you know she's going to be big. Yeah, it's an uncomfortable movie to watch for obvious reasons - Portman was just 13 - but seeing how brave she was to take on a complicated role like that, it was clear she was destined for greatness. 

Edward Norton - Primal Fear

Has there ever been a more terrifying and convincing debut performance from an actor than Edward Norton in Primal Fear? It's one of the all-time great grifter films and Norton's performance is the major reason why. He's scary, both in character and in talent. 

Florence Pugh - The Falling

It's hard to believe Florence Pugh made her debut in The Falling in 2014. It seems like the actress has been around forever as she keeps picking amazing roles and crushing the performances, just like her first. 

Kevin Bacon - National Lampoon's Animal House

Every actor in Hollywood is connected to Kevin Bacon, as the game claims, and that's because for more than five decades he's been giving amazing performance and amazing performance. His first movie, the classic comedy National Lampoon's Animal House is certainly no exception as he plays a snobby, snarky, frat boy to perfection. There is nothing he can't do.  

Halle Berry - Jungle Fever

In 2001 Halle Berry became the first African-American woman to win the Best Picture Oscar for Monster's Ball. That was just 10 short years after she made he incredible debut in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever. The former beauty pageant contestant has been one of the most reliably great stars in the years since, starring in some of the biggest franchises in Hollywood including the X-Men, James Bond, John Wick, and much more. 

Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls

After finishing seventh in the third season of American Idol, we all knew Jennifer Hudson could sing. When she was cast as Aretha Frankin-like Effie White in Dreamgirls, it didn't surprise anyone. At least, we weren't surprised until we all saw just how her powerful voice was matched by her powerful acting. She took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in her big-screen debut. 

Eddie Murphy - 48 Hrs.

By the time Eddie Murphy starred in 48 Hrs. alongside Nick Nolte in 1982, he was already a bonafide TV star from his time on SNL. Known for his great characters and hilarious lines on SNL, it wasn't clear if he could carry a movie. 48 Hrs. settled that, he definitely could and he's been leading them ever since. 

Marlee Matlin - Children Of A Lesser God

Marlee Matlin has been breaking down barriers since the very beginning of her career. Deaf from the time she was a small child, there must have been many people who told her she could pursue her dreams. Instead, she became not only the deaf actor to win an Oscar in his debut movie, Children Of A Lesser God, but the youngest woman to take home the statue as well. 

Anne Hathaway - The Princess Diaries

From the very beginning, Anne Hathaway has been wowing audiences. Her first movie is still one of her most beloved, The Princess Diaries. She even got to star alongside true film royalty. Julie Andrews. She didn't seem intimidated then, and she never has been since. 

Tim Curry - The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Tim Curry's first movie has become the dictionary definition of a cult classic. The Rocky Horror Picture Show was a flop when it was released, but in the decades since, it's become one of the most popular movies of all time with a fanbase that is not just dedicated, but rabid in its love for the movie and for Curry's character, Frank-N-Furter.

Emma Stone - Superbad

Superbad is one of those comedies that very really gets old, especially if you grew up with it as a staple of your DVD rotation. Emma Stone's character Jules is not the kind of character you'd expect to be as funny as she is, which makes Stone pretty much perfect for the role, as she is as effortlessly funny as she is effortlessly beautiful. She's gone on to tackle some characters with incredible depth, but she set the foundation in Superbad. 

Oprah Winfrey - The Color Purple

There is really nothing Oprah Winfrey can't accomplish. She was already on her way to becoming the biggest daytime talk show in history by the time she landed a role in Steven Speilberg's classic The Color Purple. It turns out Winfrey can do a whole more than coax the most out of guests on her talk show, she can act really act, earning an Oscar nomination in her film debut. 

Julie Andrews - Mary Poppins

It's really hard to believe that Julie Andrews didn't make her true film debut until she was nearly 30 years old, when she appeared as the legendary Mary Poppins in the film of the same name. Of course, Andrews was well-established as a stage actor at that point, but still, it was the golden age of Hollywood, you'd think she would have been cast in something well before Mary Poppins. At least we can be grateful she was cast here. 

Alan Rickman - Die Hard

Hans Gruber in Die Hard is, without a doubt, one of the greatest villains of the 1980s. Knowing that it was the film debut of the incredible Alan Rickman makes it all that more impressive. He plays the role with such confidence and panache, that it's almost too much to believe it was his first movie role, but it was. 

Anna Paquin - The Piano

Anna Paquin won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The Piano. She was just 11 years old! Anyone who does that deserves a spot on any list like that. She's the second youngest ever to win an Oscar and in the years since she's continued to wow us with her work. 

Jamie Lee Curtis - Halloween

Jamie Lee Curtis basically invented the modern scream queen in horror movies in her debut in Halloween. It's a genre she's only returned to a few times in her long, impressive career, but we're sure glad it's where she got her start. 

Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit

It's a little remarkable how many young girls pop up on a list like this. One of the most recent examples of a teenager just crushing her film debut is Hailee Steinfeld. Not only did she have the pressure of playing a beloved literary character like Mattie Ross in True Grit, but she also had to act alongside legends like Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin. She doesn't just hold her own, either, she steals the movie. She rightly received an Oscar nomination for her work.  

Glenn Close - The World According To Garp

Glenn Close burst on the scene with award-winning performances on Broadway before transitioning to film with her debut on the silver screen in The World According To Garp where she picked up where she left off on the stage, getting nominated for an Oscar. She would earn Oscar nominations (but sadly no wins) for her next two movies as well, The Big Chill and The Natural. 

Robert Duvall - To Kill A Mockingbird

Robert Duvall's career goes all the way back to the 1950s, when he first appeared as Boo Radley in one of the most beloved movies about the American South, To Kill A Mockingbird. He only has a small role, as the character with an outsized effect on the plot who is only seen at the end, but he embodies the character so many kids learn to love when they first read the book in high school. 

John Malkovich - Places In The Heart

There is no question that John Malkovich is one of the finest actors of his generation. He's completely fearless in all the roles he plays and that's true going all the way back to his first role as a blind World War I vet in the Depression-era film Places in the Heart alongside Sally Field, Danny Glover, and Ed Harris. 

Lily Tomlin - Nashville

Though she was already a comedic legend on TV, having appeared on Laugh-In and The Carol Burnett Show, Lily Tomlin showed what range she really had as a gospel singer and mother to two in Nashville. She's continued to show those skills over and over in the decades since. 

Gal Gadot - Fast & Furious

Gal Gadot is best known as Wonder Woman these days, but she made her debut in another giant Hollywood franchise when she appeared in Fast & Furious, the fourth installment of the Fast And Furious series. The ex-Israeli army veteran has impressed fans of the movies in each of her 3 appearances by performing most of her own stunts.  

Kerry Washington - Our Song

Our Song is an underrated movie that is everything great about independent filmmaking. It's an intensely personal story about a unique moment in time for the characters and the audience. Kerry Washington simply blows audiences out of the water with her powerful and heartfelt performance. It's incredible how good she was in her first movie. 

Dustin Hoffman - The Graduate

So, technically Dustin Hoffman had already had a small role in a film before The Graduate (a movie called The Tiger Makes Out). For all intents and purposes, he introduced himself to the world with an Oscar-nominated performance in one of the most iconic movies in Hollywood history, The Graduate. It's a movie people still love talking about and lauding, even nearly 60 years later. 

John Cazale - The Godfather

The incredible and tragic story of actor John Cazale is well-known among movie buffs. Cazale only starred in five movies before he died of cancer at just age 42. All five of those movies won the Oscar for Best Picture The first, his first, was, of course, The Godfather. Though his character, Fredo, would play a larger role in the sequel, he still established himself as one of the greatest of his generation before we all lost him too soon.  

Gabrielle Union - She's All That

Actor Gabrielle Union has definitely made her mark not only on Hollywood but on the world with her stellar performances and her charity work outside of film. HE burst onto the scene in She's All That and she's never slowed down since. 

James Dean - East Of Eden

The great James Dean is one of the biggest "what ifs" in Hollywood history. Though he did have some uncredited roles in a few movies, the young actor starred in just three movies, including his first East Of Eden. For that role, he would receive an Oscar nomination, though he wouldn't live to see it, as he was killed in a car crash before being nominated. A feat that would be repeated the next year with Giant.

Jason Schwartzman - Rushmore

Though Jason Schwartzman comes from a prominent Hollywood family, that didn't guarantee success. Instead, he went out in his first movie role, in Rushmore, and absolutely embodied his character of Max. It's every bit as impressive as anything his mom Talia Shire has done, and that is no small feat. 

Keisha Castle-Hughes - The Whale Rider

When Keisha Castle-Hughes was nominated for an Oscar at just 12 years old for The Whale Rider, you knew she was one to watch for. She was, at the time, the second-youngest person nominated for an Oscar and not only was the nomination well-deserved, but she's continued to justify the voters' confidence in her with her roles over the last couple of decades. 

As the Democratic National Convention airs on the 2024 TV schedule, viral moments are flying around left and right. Now, after instances like Lil Jon showing up to rap “Turn Down For What” got the internet talking, they’re sharing their thoughts about the cameraman who cut to a poor random woman after Oprah Winfrey made a comment about childless cat ladies.

During her speech at the DNC, Oprah explained that if a house was on fire, we wouldn’t ask about the victim's race, religion, sexuality or political leanings. She then said, as you can see in the video from CBS News below, that “if the place belonged to a childless cat lady” they’d try to save the cat too.

Notably, when she said “childless cat lady,” the camera cut to a random young woman named Teresa Woorman in the audience. It’s unclear why that happened. However, the internet sure does have thoughts about it, as viral reactions like this one from @SpencerAlthouse are flying around X:

For a bit of context, back in 2021, Donald Trump’s vice presidential candidate JD Vance made comments on Fox News (via NBC News) about Kamala Harris and how she was among “childless cat ladies” who “want to make the rest of the country miserable too.” He then went on to name a few other prominent Democrats who don’t have children – Pete Buttigieg and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – and explain that the party is “controlled by people without children.”

In the comments of the viral video where Oprah referenced Vance’s statement, many shared their thoughts about that random woman being shown on camera. Quite a few referenced Beyoncé as they posted things like this:

Others felt bad for her because of the choice the cameraman made, and they expressed that through comments like:

• Omg I was thinking the same thing. And even the way the poor girl turns around -@nickelgeetweets
• Ok cuz I was like???? Why tho 😭😂😂😂😂 -@ladidaix
• I did the same thing! Like why’d yall cut to her like thaaaat?!?! 😂🙃 -@IPProfEvans
• Randomly drafting someone to be the face of childless cat ladies is wicked work -@slimerothstein

The woman shown in the video, as I mentioned earlier, is Teresa Woorman, and she’s a delegate from District 16 in Maryland, The Guardian reported. She also responded to this viral moment. However, she didn’t shy away from it, she leaned into it, and wrote this on X:

While many felt bad for Woorman, clearly, she got a kick out of the situation, and it’s another major viral instance to come out of the DNC.

Honestly, it’s kind of a bummer Saturday Night Live isn’t on right now. The sketch comedy show (which you can stream with a Peacock subscription) probably would have had a heyday with a situation like this. However, the series, those signature presidential impressions, and Maya Rudolph’s Kamala Harris impression, specifically, come back on September 28, so the DNC will have been over for a while.

Although, if the presidential race has proven anything, it’s that we need to expect the unexpected. There have already been so many viral instances, and there will surely be more to come.

So much Black talent has made unforgettable movie breakthrough performances with a positive impact on TV, music, sports, television creation, and more. Outside of the roles you know them for, many Black celebrities created businesses to make things better for the masses with a sharp focus on people of color. In honor of Black Business Month, here are 15 celebrities who’ve come up with successful businesses.

Tracee Ellis Ross

You know Tracee Ellis Ross for starring in one of the best sitcoms of all time, black-ish, and as the daughter of famous celebrity parent Diana Ross. What you may not know is that she founded Pattern Beauty in late 2019. Inspired by her hairstylist’s suggestion for clients to wear wigs to look like Ross, she was instead focused on creating products for textured, curly hair. 

Ross' Pattern Beauty started with four people, seven products, and Macy’s as the only retail partner. It has since grown to 30 employees, over 50 products, and 10 retail partners, including Sephora and Ulta Beauty. The High Note actress credits her business’s marketing strategy with focusing on celebrating hair compared to solving problems using standout products like the Pattern Blow Dryer specifically for textured hair.

Kevin Hart

American comedian Kevin Hart, known for making us laugh in his best movies, founded Laugh Out Loud Productions in 2007 to create and distribute comedy content. Originally a subscription comedy streaming service, it partnered with platforms like Plex, Pluto TV, Peacock, YouTube, and more. Taking a big career step, Hartbeat Productions merged with LOL Productions to create Hartbeat to diversify global comedy. Hartbeat Studios produces films like Netflix’s Lift and Hartbeat Media focuses on digital content, music, and events. 

In 2022, Kevin Hart also entered the alcohol industry, teaming up with 11th-generation tequila producer Juan Domingo Beckman to create the tequila brand, Gran Coramino. Inspired by his experiences in Mexico, the Fatherhood actor’s goal was to make a smooth tequila that consumers would love. $1 from every smooth-flavored tequila bottle sold is donated to support diverse entrepreneurs and small businesses across the U.S. and Mexico.

Gabrielle Union

When Gabrielle Union noticed that on-set hair stylists didn’t know what to do with her hair, she took mental notes on effective hair products and launched Flawless by Gabrielle Union in 2017. Once those ten successful products of hers sold out, the Bring it On actress revamped the business to be “100% Black-owned, Black-led and Black-marketed.” Union worked with a team of chemists to develop new products for textured hair using naturally derived ingredients. 

Inspired by her daughter Kaavia’s skincare struggles when she was three, Union also decided to create Proudly, with her husband Dwyane Wade, to make products for children with melanated skin. Launched online in April 2022, Proudly expanded nationwide to Target in September of that year.

Snoop Dogg

The Grammy nominee responsible for singles like “Gin and Juice” and “Drop It Like It’s Hot” has embraced being typecast as a weed enthusiast to create many cannabis-based businesses. Snoop Dogg founded the cannabis-focused digital platform Merry Jane which normalizes discussions about the business and politics of the cannabis industry. 

The brand Leafs by Snoop provides fine-quality cannabis like flowers, concentrates, and edibles. The rapper made history as the first celebrity to brand and market legal marijuana products. In July 2024, Snoop Dogg launched L.A.’s first legal marijuana shop S.W.E.D (Smoke Weed Everyday) to provide top-shelf premium products and services for cannabis experts, with August plans to expand in Amsterdam.

Serena Williams

Grand Slam winner Serena Williams, who retired from tennis in 2022, successfully transitioned into the business world with Serena Ventures. This venture capital firm came about after discovering only 2% of venture capital went to women and less to people of color. 

Through Serena Ventures, the former athlete has invested in more than 85 companies with 79% under-represented founders, 54% women founders, 47% Black founders, and 11% Latino founders. Serena Williams' portfolio includes innovative companies like AI-platform custom wig company Parfait, plant-based meat company Impossible Foods, weight loss app Noom, and more. Remarkably, 14 of these businesses have even reached Unicorn status, being valued at $1 billion or more.

Jay-Z

Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter is widely considered one of the best rappers of all time, not only because of his chart-topping music but for shaping the entertainment industry with his businesses. After parting ways with Def Jam Records, he founded Roc Nation in 2008 which evolved from a record label into artist management, supporting athletes, and music publishing and distribution. A lot of musicians have benefited from Roc Nation, like Rihanna, Demi Lovato, DJ Khaled, and more. 

Jay-Z is also the first rapper to own a champagne label, acquiring full ownership of Armand de Brignac. In 2014, the “99 Problems” rapper bought the remaining stake and it sold more than 500,000 bottles five years later.

Oprah Winfrey

You see trailblazing media mogul Oprah Winfrey’s name all over the place whether it’s on TV, in movies, on book covers, the radio, and more. A fun fact about Winfrey is that she’s the first Black billionaire, which is unsurprising considering her success with The Oprah Winfrey Show, O Magazine, and Harpo Films. With all of the other businesses Winfrey has, why not have her own television network called…OWN? 

In 1992 after a conversation with her life partner Stedman Graham, Winfrey immediately envisioned OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network). Although she co-founded Oxygen, The Color Purple actress wanted complete control of her network. In 2007, Discovery head David Zaslav loved Winfrey’s magazine and proposed to create a channel with a similar vibe. The network launched in 2011 with its first shows The Haves and the Have Nots and Love Thy Neighbor.

Dwayne Johnson

Moana’s Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, known for blowing up the entertainment industry with his top-ranked movies and as a professional wrestler, expanded his influence into business. For example, he merged the XFL with the United States Football League to form the United Football League and co-founded ZOA Energy Drink. 

However, Johnson's most significant project was Teremana Tequila, a brand named after the Polynesian word “teremana” meaning “Spirit of the Earth.” Despite launching during the pandemic, the tequila quickly gained popularity, selling 30,000 cases in 2020, 600,000 cases a year later, and the wild stat of selling a million cases last year within the past 12 months.

Patti LaBelle

“Godmother of Soul” Patti LaBelle is acknowledged for her seven-decade-long singing career. But, her first passion has always been cooking. The “Stir It Up” singer would offer to cook for various musicians like Prince, Elton John, and the Rolling Stones and would label her dishes so people would know they were hers. 

Fifteen years ago, LaBelle launched her own food brand, Patti’s Good Life, starting with homemade hot sauces and barbecue sauces. The food brand has since expanded to frozen meals and baked goods like sweet potato pie, mac n’ cheese, collard greens, and peach cobbler. With plans to introduce a breakfast line soon, Patti’s Good Life grossed nearly $200 million in sales through partnerships with Target and Walmart in 2022.

Dr. Dre

Seven-time Grammy winner Dr. Dre has made his mark on the music industry as a rapper, the founder of Aftermath Entertainment and Death Row Records, and a record producer helping other artists make a name for themselves. In 2006, The Super Bowl LVI halftime show performer helped music enthusiasts listen to music the way he does in the studio with Beats by Dre. 

Collaborating with Interscope Records co-founder Jimmy Iovine, the “Let Me Ride” rapper’s dream of bringing the sound in a professional recording studio to his premium headphones came true. By 2011, Beats dominated over 64% of the $100+ premium headphone market and was acquired by Apple in 2014. 

Rihanna

Chart-topping artist Rihanna, one of the best-selling female artists of the 21st century, has made a great impact on the beauty industry with Fenty Beauty. Launched in 2017 and named after her surname, Fenty made history as one of the first brands to cater to all kinds of skin tones with its 50 shades of foundation. The business has since expanded to haircare, lipstick, eye makeup, skincare, and more. 

In 2018, Rihanna expanded her beauty services to fashion with Savage x Fenty, a lingerie brand designed to empower men and women “to feel sexy and have fun doing it.” There were even eight limited edition items that were Super Bowl LVII themed when the R&B singer performed for the halftime show. With Fenty Beauty worth $2.8 billion and Savage x Fenty worth $1 billion, the Grammy winner’s business ventures have put her at billionaire status.

Lenny Kravitz

American singer-songwriter Lenny Kravitz, known for his catchy music and unique style, has home designing talent through Kravitz Design Inc. As The Hunger Games actor said that he’d be a designer if music didn’t work out, Kravitz decided to put his designer skills to the test by creating a relaxing atmosphere for his clients with his interior and furniture designs. Kravitz Design Inc.'s clients include Morgans Hotel Group, The Setai Resort and Residences, Delano South Beach, and more.

Berry Gordy Jr.

Before Berry Gordy Jr. became a renowned music industry entrepreneur, he worked a lot of jobs like boxing, assembly line worker, record store owner and more. While already a songwriter, Gordy Jr. set out in 1959 to use the lessons he learned in his previous careers to create and manage musical groups and solo artists. 

He founded Motown Records in Detroit in 1960 with just $800 from his family’s savings, combining the words “motor” and “town” to represent the city. Berry Gordy Jr. used his great ear to make music a universal language, breaking down racial barriers with chart-topping songs like “Money (That's What I Want),” “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “Dancing in the Street,” and more.

Shonda Rhimes

Award-winning television creator and producer Shonda Rhimes took the television world by storm with her global media company Shondaland, creating the best shows to binge-watch on Netflix like Grey’s Anatomy and Bridgerton. Launched in 2005, Shondaland broke new ground by featuring strong female lead characters and prioritizing diversity and inclusion for people of color and the LGBTQ+ community. 

Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, and Scandal made Rhimes the first woman to have three TV dramas achieve the 100-episode milestone. Her company has since expanded to shondaland.com, a platform providing articles to empower women and TV show updates, and Shonda Audio, which offers scripted and unscripted podcasts.

Tyler Perry

Inspired after watching an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show that spoke of the therapeutic power of journaling, Tyler Perry discovered his writing talent and transitioned from stage productions to founding Tyler Perry Studios in 2005. The studio now rests on 330 acres of the former Fort McPherson army base in the heart of Atlanta, which he bought in 2015. 

Perry’s films, starting with the Diary of a Mad Black Woman, have opened doors to aspiring actors, writers, and film directors of color. On a busy day, Bloomberg reports that nearly 5,000 people work at the studio, providing plenty of employment. The cast of his BET+ series, Ruthless, said there’s “beauty” and “freedom” working at Tyler Perry Studios in representing people of color and feeling unstoppable on the property. He is seen as the first African-American to own a major film production studio.

These empowering Black celebrities have used their big names and fame to build empires that service the world outside of entertainment. Through their innovative ideas, A-listers have found ways to promote diversity to ensure that everyone benefits from services like hair care, skincare, entertainment networks, venture capital for businesses, and more. The lesson that everyone can learn from their inspirational stories is that if you see an industry where the change you make can have a positive impact on humanity, don’t hesitate to make a difference. 

Make sure to look at our 2024 movie schedule and our 2024 TV releases so you’re updated on the following celebrities’ future projects.

There has been a lot of talk about "nepo babies" over the last few years, and while it may seem like every actor has famous parents. That is hardly the case though, of course. Many of our favorite actors come from much more humble roots. So let's celebrate those stars with this list of actors who came from blue-collar backgrounds. 

Sarah Jessica Parker

Growing up in Ohio Sarah Jessica Parker had a huge family, with seven siblings and step-siblings. She's talked about how there were times her parents struggled to pay the bills and were even on welfare for a time. Though her mom ran a nursery and her stepdad was a truck driver, they still found a way to support Parker's show business dreams and eventually moved to New York so she could star on Broadway. 

James Dean

James Dean is one of the most tragic stories in Hollywood history, and his upbringing was pretty rough too. His father left when he was a toddler and his mother supported the two of them as a single mother during The Depression. That is until she passed away when Dean was only nine. He moved to Ohio and lived with his aunt and uncle where things stabilized for him. After graduating high school, he moved to LA and embarked on his all-too-brief career. 

Maisie Williams

Though she found fame at early age with Game of Thrones Maisie Williams' family struggled when she was younger. She was raised in a council house (public housing in the UK) until she was cast in the hit HBO show at age 12. 

Jeremy Strong

Jeremy Strong may play a scion to one of the wealthiest families on TV in Succession, but in real life, he had a much more humble upbringing. Strong grew up in the blue-collar area of Jamaica Plain in Boston and his father was a guard in juvenile jails in town. Eventually the family moved to the more upscale town of Sudbury, where he went to high school and discovered acting. 

Samuel L. Jackson

For most of his career, Samuel L. Jackson was a blue-collar actor working as much as he could. That makes with his upbringing as the son of a single mother who worked in a factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Shania Twain

Shaina Twain is best known as a country singer, of course, but she's done a little acting over her impressive career as well. It's a career that has taken far away from her humble roots outside Toronto, Ontario, where the family struggled. Those struggles led to her finding gigs as a singer at a young age and the rest is history.

Samantha Morton

Samantha Morton had a rough upbringing in the UK. Nine of her formative years were spent in foster care when her parents, who were addicts, weren't able to care for her. She had a couple of scraps with the law herself but started getting acting work in her teens and it all came together. 

Dolly Parton

There is no more revered person in Hollywood (or Nashville) than the great Dolly Parton. She's often talked about her humble beginnings in rural Tennessee as one of 12 children. She has always praised how her mother kept the family together through hard times and when Parton was 18 she moved to Nashville and hit the big time pretty quickly as a songwriter and a singer. 

Adam Driver

Megalopolis star Adam Driver moved around a lot as a kid, living all over from San Diego to Indiana. His stepfather was a Baptist preacher, but he was mostly raised by his mother in Indiana. After the September 11th attacks, he joined the Marines and served, like many other actors have over the years, for a few years before being discharged for a medical reason and starting his acting career. 

Al Pacino

Al Pacino grew up mostly in the South Bronx, and anyone from New York can tell you that the South Bronx in the '40s and '50s was a tough place to live. By his own admission he got in trouble a lot, as often happens with kids with hard working parents. Even as a actor early in his career he couch-surfed with friends until he started landing gigs regularly. 

Dax Shepard

Dax Shepard's family experienced the American Dream, according to the actor and podcast host. His mom worked at GM while he was growing up near Detroit and the family struggled, but as he got older, his mom's career grew and she moved up the ranks from janitor to executive, so by the time Shepard was in high school, she was quite successful. 

Ice Cube

Any fan of N.W.A. knows about Ice Cube's roots in South Central LA as the son of a janitor and a groundskeeper. As a result of desegregation, Ice Cube had the opportunity to get bussed out of Compton and out to the suburbs, where he thrived in English class, something he would make good use of later in life as the principal lyricist for one of the most successful rap acts of all time. 

Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer Hudson, who has won the famed EGOT, was raised with her two siblings by a single mother on the South Side of Chicago. She started working in local theater at a young age and famously worked on the Disney Cruise line before auditioning for American Idol in the show's third season, which was, of course, her big break. 

Mel Brooks

The legendary Mel Brooks, like so many of his generation, was the child of immigrants. He was raised very poor in Brooklyn surrounded by people who worked in the garment industry. Instead of following in their footsteps, he went into show business and the world is luckier for it. 

Joan Crawford

Screen legend Joan Crawford would die a very rich woman, but she started life as the daughter of a construction worker in Texas. After her parents split up and her mother remarried, her stepfather got in trouble in Texas and the family moved to Kansas City where Crawford attended Catholic school as a work student. 

Jim Carrey

At one point Jim Carrey was the highest-paid actor in Hollywood, which is far cry from his humble beginnings in and around Toronto. For a time, Carrey has admitted, they were even homeless. Eventually his father found more stable employment and after dropping out of high school Carrey worked on his stand up routine and took shifts at a nearby factory. 

Misha Collins

Supernatural star Misha Collins grew up working class in Boston and he has said in the past that his family spent some time unhoused. He was lucky enough to gain admission to a prep school, which led him to the University of Chicago and eventually an internship at The White House during the Clinton administration before he concentrated on his acting career. 

Rosario Dawson

Rosario Dawson has been a part of two of the biggest franchises in Hollywood, Star Wars and the MCU. It wasn't always the big time for her though. Her mother was a teenager when she was born and never married Dawson's father, but did marry another man, from whom Dawson takes her last name. He was a construction worker first in New York and later in Texas. 

Jessica Chastain

Though she doesn't talk much about her upbringing, we do know that Jessica Chastain's stepfather was a firefighter and that her family life was a struggle growing up. She grew up in Sacramento with four siblings, though she lost one to suicide when she was in her early 20s. Chastain started acting as a kid and her career would eventually take off and she would become one of the most beloved and acclaimed actors of her generation. 

Daniel Kaluuya

Born of Uganda immigrants in London, Daniel Kaluuya was raised on a council estate in one of the city's most famous blue-collar areas, Camden. He didn't know his father growing up, but he excelled in school and started acting in plays while there. he started landing paying gigs in his teens and the rest is history.

Hilary Swank

Though she has humble roots as the daughter of an army soldier, Hilary Swank grew up in a stable household and even after her parents split up when she was 15, her mother moved with Swank to the LA area so she could try her hand at Hollywood. That bet paid off as Swank has been one of the best actresses around for decades. 

Charlie Chaplin

It could be argued that Charlie Chaplin was the first bonafide superstar of the silver screen. While he would eventually become Hollywood's biggest star and one of the most financially successful moviemakers of his era, his childhood was a hardscrabble upbringing in central London. His parents had no capacity to raise children and he bounced around reform schools and other group homes as a kid before finding his way, first in the theater then later in silent films. 

Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez famously grew up "on the 6," meaning the 6-Train through the Bronx in New York City. Her father had a job as a computer technician and Lopez had a solid, yet definitely blue-collar upbringing. 

Woody Harrelson

Woody Harrelson has starred in some of the best roles in Hollywood over the last four decades, and one of them, Woody Boyd on Cheers, reflected his actual blue-collar roots in Indiana. The story of Woody Boyd and Woody Harrelson are pretty similar, as both were raised in rural Indiana. Harrelson was famously locked up in prison for most of his upbringing, and he eventually died in prison after Harrelson's career had taken off. 

Viola Davis

Viola Davis was actually born on plantation in South Carolina, if you can believe it. She was raised mostly in Rhode Island, however, but it was a hard upbringing which has described of being very financially unstable. 

Daniel Craig

Daniel Craig may be famous for playing suave, debonair, and sophisticated characters, but that's nothing like his upbringing. His father was a construction worker and bar manager, though Craig does have aristocratic ancestors. 

Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix (and his late brother River) had a wild upbringing. His parent were part of a cult called the Children of God and Phoenix spent much of his early life living in South America as his parents traveled as missionaries for the religious group. Eventually, the family left the cult, adopting the name "Phoenix" as a sign of their rebirth as a family in a new life.

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey is famously one of the richest people in Hollywood, but that's not how she started out. Her mother was a teenager in Milwaukee, but before long Winfrey found herself in Nashville living with the man she considers her father. While still a teen in Nashville, she started working in radio, which would eventually lead to her media empire. 

Bella Thorne

The whole reason Bella Thorne became a professional actor was to help support her family growing up. After her father was killed in a car wreck when she was ten, Thorne's mother was left to raise four children on her own. It was a tough upbringing, but the acting gigs started coming more and more often and got her big break on the Disney Channel's Shake It Up in 2010. 

James Caan

James Caan was in some of the best movies in Hollywood history. The list of Caan's best movies is incredible. His father was a deli meat salesman and he grew up in the blue-collar neighborhood of Sunnyside, Queens, in New York City. He found acting while he briefly attended Hofstra, where he would also meet Francis Ford Coppola, who would give the role of Sonny in The Godfather years later. 

Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez was raised by a single mother who had Gomez when she was just 16. Gomez has never been resentful, it seems, and credits her with raising her under such trying conditions. Gomez caught the acting bug at a pretty young age and ws soon landing shows on kids shows, leading to the insanely successful career we all know and love. 

Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington had the definition of a blue-collar upbringing as the son of a beautician and an employee of the water company in his hometown of New York City. His parent worked hard to make sure he got a good education and after graduating from Fordham, he embarked on one of the most successful Hollywood careers of all time. 

One of the reasons many of us love following celebrities so much is because they go places and have experiences that many of us simply never will. That includes going to awards shows and getting all gussied up in some of the fanciest, most expensive clothes and accessories around. With the bulk of this year’s award season now over, let’s take a look at 32 great pairs of shoes that stars sported recently as they walked the red carpet.

Annette Bening 

Looks for any award show can vary wildly, but we do typically see ladies in high heels of some sort. Actress Annette Benning did step out in heels, but she chose some of a chunky platform sandal variety that likely added some literal stability to her chic, flowy outfit.

Ryan Gosling

Sure, men’s fashion doesn’t usually lend itself to wild shoewear choices on the red carpet, but that’s OK. Barbie cast member/Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling went with a great pair of shiny black shoes to accent his black (and slightly sparkly) tux and red socks, and they work perfectly.

Danielle Brooks

You’re going to see that black, overall, was a popular shoe color choice for 2024’s award shows, and The Color Purple Oscar nominee Danielle Brooks made a good pick to go with her very glamorous Dolce Gabbana gown. The sandals feature a shapely high heel and pearl accents that kick the look up a couple of notches.

Cynthia Erivo

Not only did Cynthia Erivo and her co-star Ariana Grande decide to represent their Wicked characters via their fashion choices for the Academy Awards, but Erivo took her green Elphaba theme to the hilt with her platform shoes with striated shades of emerald.

Billie Eilish

One cannot deny the importance of comfort when talking shoes, and award winning singer/songwriter Billie Eilish definitely deserves props for choosing a round-toe mary jane style that even allowed her to wear full-on shocks to the Oscars.

Florence Pugh

Florence Pugh has had no shortage of amazing fashion moments, and it appears that they won’t let up anytime soon. The star looked wonderful at the Oscars, and walked tall in a super chunky, mirrored platform sandal to complete her look.

Colman Domingo

As the star of the lauded civil rights drama, Rustin, Colman Domingo made numerous appearances on red carpets recently, but his decision to head to the Academy Awards in custom Louis Vuitton cowboy boots (in black with gold accents) has absolutely put him near the top of everyone’s fashionable celeb list.

Emily Blunt

Never mind the Oscar dress with the floating shoulders, most would likely say that Emily Blunt’s silver heels with a little half-bow across her toes managed to actually steal the show from her gorgeously constructed cream and silver gown.

Mahershala Ali

Again, men don’t always think to step up their shoe game for red carpets, but Mahershala Ali certainly did. His graphic black and white loafers with a slight heel absolutely helped him stand out in a sea of men with black footwear.

Ava DuVernay

Director Ava DuVernay looked lovely in her powder blue ensemble, and her silver shoes with a little bit of a platform went nicely with the buckled straps of her off-the-shoulder dress.

Carly Pearce

People came out in their finest for the CMT Awards, and country singer Carly Pearce was no different. The black and silver gem-studded stunners she wore on her feet obviously made a fabulous statement. Look at that crazy high stiletto heel!

Celine Song

Just because you’re in black flats, it doesn’t have to mean that your choice of shoe has to be boring. Wearing a flowy, lower-calf length skirt to walk the Oscar red carpet, filmmaker Celine Song was able to show off her chunky footwear and look like the very picture of effortless cool.

Wendy Thembelihle Juel

The South African/Danish model may have put on a fitted, shimmering pink dress for her time at the Academy Awards, but she also chose black as the perfect color for her shoes. Her sandals gave the gown an extra oomph with a pretty crystal (or diamond) bow across each set of toes that helped to make them the real focal point of her glamorous look.

Erika Alexander

To celebrate the Oscar nods received by American Fiction, star Erika Alexander stepped out in a truly original dress. And, her shoes were different as well, seeing as how it’s relatively rare to see ladies on the red carpet in white heels.

Alex Borstein

Black can be very basic, but not, apparently, if you’re The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star Alex Borstein. The talent stepped out to the Critics Choice Awards in delicately laced black pumps that appear to be see-through, which also had a scalloped edge to compliment her sheer dress.

Ke Huy Quan

Ke Huy Quan is clearly enjoying his revitalized time in the spotlight, and the Oscar winner knows how to get all dressed up for the red carpet. Here, he wears a classic pair of glossy black, tie-up dress shoes, and they pair perfectly with his deep red and black tuxedo.

Simu Liu

The People’s Choice Awards saw Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Barbie star Simu Liu hit the carpet in a fantastic oxblood-colored suit. And, not only did his shoes match, but he switched things up from typical men’s shoes and donned suede footwear for the occasion. Love it!

Andrew Scott

It can be so, so nice to buck convention and head to a fancy event in an ensemble that evokes a high/low effect, which is exactly what All of Us Strangers and Ripley star Andrew Scott did when he attended the Golden Globe Awards in January 2024. Instead of going for a full, all-white tuxedo, he went with the jacket, wide-leg pants and a thin t-shirt, which were beautifully accompanied by full-coverage shoes in the same creamy shade with an ultra-low black heel.

Oprah Winfrey

If you paid any attention to the many events that media mogul extraordinaire Oprah Winfrey went to in order to celebrate and promote the release of the musical The Color Purple, well, you’ll know that the many shades of that very hue were her choice for all of them. This included her time at the Golden Globes, where she capped her lovely, custom Louis Vuitton dress (which appears to be a shimmery, optical illusion-like crushed velvet) with grape-colored Manolo Blahnik shoes. So sophisticated, right?

Rachel Brosnahan

Talk about working a look! The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star (who’s soon to be our new Lois Lane in Superman: Legacy) went all red for the Golden Globes and was a total stunner. She stepped out in a custom Sergio Hudson off-the-shoulder gown, which featured a slinky line of buttons from top to toe that opened about halfway down. Brosnahan is also in satiny, custom-made Christian Louboutin sandals with a thin ankle strap that perfectly sets off her whole outfit.

Selena Gomez

Only Murders in the Building superstar Selena Gomez has been on top since her teens, so she knows how to work a red carpet! Her Globes look featured one of the more intriguing gowns of the night; a glossy, deep red stunner with black accents and a full, hi-low hem that gave everyone a perfect look at her cool shoes in a lipstick shade of red that appeared to feature some holographic effects. Selena can do no wrong!

Helen Mirren

Dame Helen Mirren (who really should be given her own Fast & Furious movie) hasn’t portrayed a queen more than once for nothing. She went to the Globes in a lavender ensemble that featured a bodice that gathered at her side and a sweeping skirt, topped with a two-tone cape (Yes, honey!) and extremely chunky, platform sandals in a shade of silver that perfectly matched her hair. Does glam get any better?

Jessica Williams

Speaking of royalty, Shrinking and Road House star Jessica Williams looked like an absolute princess as a nominee when she attended the Primetime Emmy Awards in January 2024. Williams wore a very ladylike custom-made off-the-shoulder Rodarte gown that was mostly black, with a hi-low hem that exposed fluffy layers of white tulle underneath. Her shoes are black and closed-toe but with netting near the top and three rather large crystal flowers, which only add to the regal look.

Bella Ramsey

Bella Ramsey stepped out to the Emmys in a very clean, professional style that’s far different from what we usually see when it comes to suits at awards shows. The star, who’s currently working on The Last of Us Season 2 for HBO) is wearing four different colors (the forest green suit, a deep purple button-down shirt, a red turtleneck and deep burgundy shoes), but somehow it all works together to make a clean look. Speaking of the shoes, thick black soles and the silver medallion on each help to both make a statement and ground the whole outfit.

Joan Collins

Timeless style is called “timeless” for very good reasons, and that’s because anyone at any age can look good wearing it in any year! Dynasty legend Joan Collins presented at the Emmy Awards, and put on her finest pleated Jenny Packham gown in a silvery sky blue dotted with crystals. To complete her outfit, the longtime star chose a closed-toe shoe in a similar color with a little embellishment right on the top just made to peek out from under her long, caped dress.

Jeffrey Wright

It looks as though colors like red, maroon, and oxblood were kinda popular recently, doesn’t it? American Fiction lead Jeffrey Wright showed up for February 2024’s Screen Actors Guild Awards (where he was nominated for his role and as part of the cast as a whole) in a perfectly tailored tuxedo of the latter color that looked quite sharp. Even better? His sturdy shoes in a similar shade added just enough interest with different colors on the bottom.

Keith David

Shades of aubergine pretty much always help people stand out at events, and that’s even more true when you’re dressed in it head to toe and look as happy as Keith David did at the SAG awards. Also attending for American Fiction’s cast nomination, the star was, indeed, donning the color for his lovely suit with a nice sheen, tie and shirt in slightly different but still within the color family hue and, his shoes. David went with a simple shoe, but in a suede fabric that helps then stand out just a teensy bit.

Tyler James Williams

Again, head-to-toe in one color can work wonders for netting the wearer a truly memorable look, and Abbott Elementary’s Tyler James Williams definitely got the memo. He showed up and showed out for his SAG Awards appearance in a natty baby blue suit with a matching, sheer t-shirt underneath, and complimented the ‘fit with some extremely classy white shoes.

Lauren Daigle

Contemporary Christian music singer Lauren Daigle was able to celebrate her Grammy Award nominations at the ceremony in a standout of frilly navy blue and black tulle gown punctuated with multicolored accents by Shahar Avnet. But, the true winner of this ensemble might just be her shoes: white and blue polka-dotted John Fluevog sandals with a platform and a very cool sculpted heel.

CeeLo Green

Remember, wearing colors in one family from head to toe is gold…especially if you actually decide to wear different shades of actual gold! Former The Voice coach CeeLo Green headed to the Grammys with his lady friend looking like a statuette (as did she; her hair and lips are even gold), and if there was ever a time to do such a thing it’s at a major award show. Green capped off his very comfortable-looking outfit with simply styled gold shoes, because if you’re wearing all gold how many embellishments do you really need, anyway?

Fantasia Barrino

American Idol alum Fantasia Barrino was all set to perform at the 66th Grammy Awards, but first, she had to hit the red carpet. And, it would be fair to say that her style for the night was also a hit, as she stepped out in a nude gown with black accents and paired the whole thing with black platform sandals that had alluring crisscrossing straps for days. 

Kingsley Ben-Adir

The star of Bob Marley: One Love, Kingsley Ben-Adir, also took a turn on the Grammy red carpet, and while his Gucci jacket and shirt in a nearly lime green color with black slacks are nearly casual in flair, anything but can be said about his footwear. The man gave some seriously good shoe in black loafers covered in silver studs, and these just might be the best shoes on the list!

As you can see, this awards season saw a lot of fabulous and daring shoe styles on the red carpet, and we are all the better for it!

Oprah Winfrey has been very candid about her ongoing relationship with her weight, openly talking about weight loss with stars like Rebel Wilson and sharing her own struggles with diet and exercise over the years. For nearly a decade, the media icon has been the very public face of WeightWatchers, cheering on subscribers of the diet program as they track points and prioritize their health. However, it looks like that wellness-focused partnership is coming to an end. 

Winfrey announced on February 28 that she has decided not to stand for board re-election at the company's annual shareholders' meeting this May. Per a press release, Oprah said: 

Along with leaving WeightWatchers' Board of Directors—of which she has been the largest shareholder since joining in 2015, with a 10% stake—Winfrey also revealed that she will donate her interest in the company, along with any future WW stock proceeds, to the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). 

The charitable donation isn't a surprise—Oprah is known to throw her many dollars at a "worthy organization," like when she forked over a million bucks to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Emergency Financial Assistance Program during the lengthy actors' strike that ended in November. 

She said of choosing the NMAAHC as the org to benefit from her board departure: 

The news comes in the wake of a lot of Ozempic chatter surrounding the iconic talk-show host. Like fellow recently slimmed-down stars including Kelly Clarkson and The Real Housewives' Kyle Richards, who showed off her dramatic weight loss early last year, it had been rumored that Winfrey was using the once-weekly injection for weight loss. She admitted as such in a December 2023 cover story with People, saying that she uses Ozempic as a "maintenance tool" in her weight-loss regimen. 

That decision to go public with the Ozempic news is seemingly tied to the recent WeightWatchers decision, as the company's Board of Directors wrote in the press release that her stepping down was, in part, "to eliminate any perceived conflict of interest around her taking weight loss medications."

Oprah knows when it's time to step away from a project—she knew exactly when it was right to end her famed talk show, after all—so leaving WeightWatchers will simply offer up some space in the mogul's undoubtedly busy schedule. Plus, it's also nice that she's using this as an opportunity to donate to a good cause. 

Justin Timberlake has a lot going on professionally at the moment, with a new single, the upcoming release of his first album in six years and a world tour kicking off this spring. However, it’s all happening as tensions with ex-girlfriend Britney Spears have resurfaced, and the backlash from fans is especially strong following his latest on-stage comments. Now it seems the *NSYNC star may be bringing in the big guns to help his public image, as he’s allegedly considering sitting down with Oprah Winfrey to discuss the allegations Spears made about him in her memoir The Woman in Me. 

What Went Down Between Justin Timberlake And Britney Spears 

Britney Spears wrote at length about her ex-boyfriend in her best-selling memoir, including the story of their first kiss, their infamous breakup over text message and the bombshell reveal that she had an abortion after she got pregnant with his baby. The “Lucky” singer also had plenty to say about Justin Timberlake’s hit “Cry Me a River,” which he released after their breakup, slamming Spears with cheating allegations. Amidst continued trolling over The Woman in Me accusations, Timberlake seemed to reference his ex during a recent concert, where before singing the infamous breakup song, he said: 

Britney Spears responded with a blunt message of her own after hearing that the “Sexyback” singer was “talking shit about me on the streets." She appeared to challenge Justin Timberlake to a game of basketball, referencing past remarks she had made about him crying after she apparently beat him in a pickup game years ago. 

Is Justin Timberlake Considering A Sit-Down With Oprah? 

The latest development in the Mickey Mouse Club alums’ spat has allegedly caused Justin Timberlake to consider telling his side of the story, according to an insider for The Sun (via Daily Mail). They reported: 

It sounds like the boy-bander may have considered speaking out closer to the time of Britney Spears’ book release, but that idea was apparently tabled until the most recent exchange between the two.

While we wait to see if this is, in fact, a move that Justin Timberlake will make, you can get caught up by reading The Woman in Me by Britney Spears (also available on audiobook, which fans are loving because of Michelle Williams’ narration). For his part, J.T.’s new album Everything I Thought It Was is set for release March 15, with his world tour kicking off April 29. 

Warning: this article has spoilers for the 2023 film The Color Purple.

Though this year's Blitz Bazawule-directed version of The Color Purple is actually an adaptation of the stage musical, not the 1985 film by Steven Spielberg, the 2023 remake pays more than a few nods to that Oscar-winning drama. However, despite one OG star making a cameo, and Oprah Winfrey producing the film, the original Sofia actress explained why she didn't appear in the new adaptation of the film. 

One of the original film's stars, Whoopi Goldberg — who offers up one of her best onscreen performances as Celie Harris-Johnson — joined Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks and the rest of the 2023 The Color Purple cast in a moving cameo. However, Goldberg's mega-famous co-star, Oprah Winfrey, declined to appear on screen this time, despite acting as an executive producer on the remake. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actress-slash-media mogul explained why she was M.I.A. in the musical film: 

She, of course, is referring to her The Color Purple character Sofia, a career-defining '80s movie for Oprah that garnered her an Academy Award nod for Best Supporting Actress. In the 2023 movie, the character is portrayed by Peacemaker star Danielle Brooks. Oprah herself metaphorically passed the torch to Brooks, personally calling her with the news that she had been cast in the iconic role. Per CBS News, Winfrey revealed: 

And though Oprah declined to participate onscreen in the new adaptation, she was supportive of Goldberg's involvement, despite swirling rumors about beef between Winfrey and The View moderator. As she told THR: 

As such, Whoopi Goldberg is the only OG The Color Purple cast member featured in the 2023 film. Her cameo sees the actress-comedian taking on the role of the local midwife who helps young Celie, played by Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, give birth to her second child.

Director Blitz Bazawule disclosed to Variety why they ultimately chose the part of the midwife for Goldberg:

Though the filmmaker said he was "nervous" to approach the EGOT winner with the part, he had no reason to worry because it turned out to be "the best phone call ever." 

So though we sadly won't get to see Oprah back in The Color Purple, moviegoers can be warmed by the fact that they'll see at least one iconic cameo in the musical and Winfrey played a massive role behind the scenes as a producer.

You can catch the musical remake of The Color Purple in theaters now, and if you want to see Winfrey on screen in the classic film, you can stream it with a Max subscription. 

Oprah Winfrey is currently experiencing a full-circle moment as a producer on the musical adaptation of The Color Purple. Originating the role of Sofia in the original 1985 film (despite her $35,000 payday) allowed Winfrey to reflect on her extensive time in the spotlight. The former talk show host decided to casually drop the incredible conversation she had with the late Maya Angelou about her decades-long career.

The media mogul and the late writer shared an undeniable bond that lasted until Angelou’s passing in 2014 at age 86. The Poetic Justice star served as a mother figure to Winfrey, so she would give the Oscar-nominated actress sage advice from time to time. The talk show icon spoke with People about the moment of clarity Angelou gave her after opening the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, saying:

Angelou wasn’t done putting Winfrey’s legacy in perspective. She explained to the latter that her beloved TV show affected multiple people’s lives daily – whether she was aware of her impact or not. The TV host took Angelou’s words to heart, recalling she thought “about the millions of people who heard something” through her show. The Wrinkle in Time star reflected on the whole conversation by mentioning her impact couldn’t “get better than that.”

Even Maya Angelou knew Oprah Winfrey had touched people across different mediums over her long entertainment career. Alongside her groundbreaking self-titled chat show, the talk show titan used her platform to produce uplifting film and TV projects, including talk shows for Dr. Phil and Rachel Ray. She’s acted in projects that have left an impact, including The Color Purple. Owning a TV network and publishing a magazine touched viewers in diverse ways. The multi-Emmy winner has always been driven by purpose and gratitude as she displayed on her former chatfest, so she not only affected the lives of her students, but millions of viewers globally.

However, the late memoirist didn’t just speak with Oprah Winfrey, but delivered inspiration through the poem “Continue” penned for her. Winfrey revealed she was motivated by one line mentioning astonishing “a mean world with your acts of kindness.” Those words have pushed the former 60 Minutes correspondent to continue sharing her platform and time with others.

Oprah Winfrey has shared her time with others lately as she and The Color Purple cast promote the musical film. All this promotion has paid off, as the film received acclaim and multiple nominations from the Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Awards. Audiences will have to wait until December 25 to see if the stage-to-screen adaptation is worth the Oscar buzz. Don’t forget to check out what other upcoming movies are hitting theaters this year.

Early-birds have already screened The Color Purple, the upcoming musical adaptation of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize–winning 1982 novel of the same name, the subsequent 1985 film by Steven Spielberg (which featured one of Whoopi Goldberg’s best performances as well as Oprah Winfrey in a career-defining role) and the 2005 Broadway production. And among those lucky first-watch moviegoers are some household names like Gwyneth Paltrow and Laura Dern.

Most movie lovers won't be able to see Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks and the rest of the 2023 Color Purple cast until the film hits theaters on December 25, but stars like Paltrow and Dern got the chance to see the Blitz Bazawule-directed flick early, per Instagram Stories that the Goop guru posted on Wednesday, December 13.

"About to watch The Color Purple, we looooove you @oprah," Paltrow captioned the first photo, which saw the Iron Man actress posing in a cinema room alongside Oscar winner Laura Dern, fashion designer Monique Lhuillier, film producer and political activist Nicole Avant and artist-poet Cleo Wade, among others. 

Paltrow, of course, is referencing her longtime friend Oprah Winfrey, who acts as a producer on the new The Color Purple film alongside Steven Spielberg, Quincy Jones and Scott Sanders. 

In another Instagram Story, Paltrow showed the moviegoing group applauding the film, with the caption "OW Films 💜," another plug to her billionaire pal:

Along with starring as Sofia in the Spielberg pic (for which she received a 1986 Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress) Winfrey also produced the original Broadway show of The Color Purple, which was also highly acclaimed, winning two Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical. The new movie features members from the stage productions, including Danielle Brooks, who took on the role of Sofia herself in the 2015 Broadway revival and reprises the character in the musical drama film. 

It was Oprah herself that reportedly gave Brooks the news that she was cast for the iconic role in the film, with the mogul telling CBS News: "I wanted to make the call myself because Sofia had been such an iconic part of me and The Color Purple has been such an amazing part of my life.  

As for passing the baton to the Orange is the New Black actress, Winfrey added: 

Brooks took the "responsibility" of playing the beloved character very seriously and also praised Winfrey for being "a voice" for her. 

Given that The Color Purple is one of the most-anticipated titles on the 2023 movie schedule, there will undoubtably be other fellow famous theatergoers joining Paltrow, Dern and their big-name buddies in flocking to the cinemas to check it out on Christmas Day and beyond. 

Though Hollywood A-listers make more money for one movie that some of us will see in a lifetime, there are times where even some of the highest grossing actors of all time didn’t make as much as you'd think. Over the years, stars like Robert Downey Jr., Julia Roberts, and Brad Pitt have brought in massive paydays for acting and producing, but those same stars have also seen incredibly small paychecks for one reason or another.

If you’ve ever wanted to know about 33 actors who made way less than you’d think for a beloved movie, look no further…

Robert Downey Jr. Made $500,000 For Iron Man

Robert Downey Jr. was the first major star of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and would be a staple of the Infinity Saga for more than a decade. During this time, he made a ton of money for his superhero performances. However, he only took home a comparatively small payday of $500,000 for 2008’s Iron Man, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Bill Murray Made $9,000 For Rushmore

Bill Murray is one of the most beloved actors of all time and a frequent collaborator of Wes Anderson’s ever since the release of Rushmore back in 1998. That fruitful partnership started out modestly for the SNL alum, as he was paid $9,000 for his take on Herman Blume, per Vulture.

Gal Gadot Made $300,000 For Wonder Woman

When Gal Gadot first signed on to portray Diana Prince in the DCEU back in 2014, Variety reported that the Fast & Furious star would take on a salary of $300,000 per movie, including Wonder Woman, which was released three years later.

Julia Roberts Made $300,000 For Pretty Woman

Though she had some success at the box office prior to its release, Julia Roberts turned into a massive star thanks to 1990’s Pretty Woman and one of the most well-known A-listers on the planet. However, Roberts, who would go on to earn a ton of cash for movies like Erin Brockovich years later, reportedly received a modest sum of $300,000 for her role in the all-time great romantic comedy, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Hilary Swank Made $3,000 For Boys Don’t Cry

Hilary Swank won her first Oscar and became one of the most talked about actresses thanks to her transformative portrayal of Brandon Teena in Kimberly Peirce’s Boys Don’t Cry. When appearing on Women’s Dinner Party years later, Swank revealed she was paid $3,000 for the role, which wasn’t enough to qualify for health insurance.

Tom Hanks Made $50,000 For Toy Story

Tom Hanks, who won two Academy Awards prior to the 1995 release of Toy Story, was reportedly paid $50,000 to provide the voice of Woody in the landmark Pixar film, according to the Los Angeles Times. In the same article, the publication reported that Hanks made $5 million upfront for its 1999 sequel.

Oprah Winfrey Made $35,000 For The Color Purple

Oprah Winfrey received an Oscar nomination for her performance in Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple back in 1985. The media mogul, who is worth billions today, later told Essence she was paid $35,000 for portrayal of Sofia.

Robin Williams Made $75,000 For Aladdin

Aladdin will forever be remembered as one of the best Robin Williams movies, and rightfully so. And while the late actor provided countless hours of incredible lines for his co-starring performance, he only made $75,000 for his troubles, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Jamie Lee Curtis Made $8,000 For Halloween

John Carpenter’s Halloween, one of the best horror movies, turned Jamie Lee Curtis into a scream queen almost overnight. However, the Academy Award winner later told People Magazine that she only made $8,000 for her portrayal of Laurie Strode.

Nick Castle Made $25/Day For Halloween

Nick Castle has played Michael Myers a total of five times over the years, with the most recent being 2022’s Halloween Ends. Though the role made him a horror icon, Castle told Vanity Fair he was only paid $25 for each day of shooting in the original back in 1978.

Matthew McConaughey Made Less Than $200,000 For Dallas Buyers Club

Matthew McConaughey won an Oscar for his performance in Dallas Buyers Club, a role that ushered in a new era of his career. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he was paid less than $200,000 upfront for the movie9 but did receive an undisclosed amount on the backend.

Chris Evans Made $300,000 For Captain America: The First Avenger

Chris Evans was a driving force for the first few phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and was paid handsomely for his efforts later on. However, when he was cast to play Steve Rogers in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, he reportedly only made $300,000, per The Guardian.

Jeff Daniels Made $50,000 For Dumb And Dumber

Jeff Daniels, who was mostly known for his dramatic roles at the time, was cast to appear alongside Jim Carrey in the Farrelly Brothers’ 1994 comedy Dumb and Dumber despite New Line Cinema wanting someone else. Years later, the directors told The Hollywood Reporter that the studio low-balled him with an offer of $50,000, thinking he’d say no. You know the rest.

Taraji P. Henson Made $150,000 For The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

Taraji P. Henson received an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a performance that netted her a great deal of screen time. However, as she later told Variety, she was only paid $150,000 for the gig, which was several hundred thousand dollars less than her initial request of $500,000.

Jonah Hill Made $60,000 For The Wolf Of Wall Street 

Jonah Hill was paid $60,000 for his portrayal of Donnie Azoff in Martin Scorsese’s 2013 epic comedy The Wolf of Wall Street. While that may seem small considering the size of his role, Hill later told Howard Stern (via BBC) that he immediately took the offer, adding that he would have sold his house and given all his money to work with the acclaimed director. 

Orlando Bloom Made $175,000 For The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy 

Orlando Bloom was an instrumental part of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, with his character, Legolas, being featured heavily throughout all three movies. During a 2023 appearance on The Howard Stern Show, the actor revealed he was paid a total of $175,000 for the entire project.

Jon Heder Initially Made $1,000 For Napoleon Dynamite 

Napoleon Dynamite pretty much came out of nowhere and took the world by storm in 2004, partly because its star, Jon Heder. A few years after the film’s release, Heder told Stuff Magazine that he initially made $1,000 from the movie but was later able to negotiate his deal after MTV picked up distribution.

Daisy Ridley Made Between $100,000 And $300,000 For Star Wars: The Force Awakens 

Daisy Ridley was a relatively unknown actress when she was cast in one of the lead roles in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which might explain her low salary for the 2015 blockbuster. According to Variety, that number was reportedly between $100,000 and $300,000.

John Boyega Made Between $100,000 And $300,000 For Star Wars: The Force Awakens 

John Boyega’s Finn was one of the most heavily featured characters in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but the young actor reportedly only received a payday somewhere between $100,000 and $300,000, per Variety.

James Earl Jones Made $7,000 For Star Wars

James Earl Jones’ dynamic voice gave Darth Vader a menacing edge in George Lucas' 1977 film Star Wars (and the rest of the franchise), but did you know that he was only paid $7,000 for the first movie? When speaking with the American Film Institute, the legendary actor admitted that he thought that was good money at the time.

Mel Gibson Made $9,000 For Mad Max 

After appearing in Mad Max, Mel Gibson would go on to lead some of the best action movies of all time, but back when he was cast in the late ‘70s, he was a broke college student. That’s why, as he told ExperienceWith.com, his $9,000 salary for George Miller’s dystopian thriller seemed like a fortune.

Seann William Scott Made $8,000 For American Pie 

American Pie was one of the biggest movies of the ‘90s, and Seann William Scott’s Stifler was its breakout character. So, how much did the young actor make for his career-defining role? Well, as he told The Rich Eisen Show in 2023, he was paid $8,000, most of which he spent on a used Thunderbird.

Christian Bale Made The Minimum Salary For American Psycho 

Christian Bale’s take on the unhinged Patrick Bateman in 2000’s American Psycho is one of the actor’s most unforgettable performances, but it could very well be one of his smallest paydays. Though he didn’t reveal the exact number in a 2022 GQ profile, the actor did say it was the “absolute minimum they were illegally allowed” to pay him.

Michelle Williams Made $625,000 For All The Money In The World 

Michelle Williams was reportedly only paid $625,000 for her portrayal of Gail Harris in Ridley Scott’s 2017 biographical crime thriller All the Money in the World, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Though this is a hefty fee, her co-star, Mark Wahlberg, was reported to have taken home $5 million for his role.

Barkhad Abdi Made $65,000 For Captain Phillips 

Barkhad Abdi became an overnight sensation following the release of Captain Phillips, in which he plays lead pirate Abduwali Muse. According to the New Yorker, Abdi’s acting debut and Oscar-nominated performance earned him $65,000.

Jennifer Lopez Made $0 For Hustlers 

Jennifer Lopez received a Golden Globe nomination for her role in Hustlers, a movie she made for free. During a GQ breakdown of her biggest career moments, the multi-talented star said she starred in and produced the movie for no upfront money, as she was investing in herself. However, it wasn’t disclosed as to how much she made on the backend of the film’s release, which was $157.6 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

Gunnar Hansen Made $800 For Texas Chain Saw Massacre 

Gunnar Hansen’s Leatherface is an instantly recognizable horror villain thanks to his mask made of human flesh and signature chainsaw. But did you know that the actor was only paid a three-digit sum for his performance in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre? In 2013, the actor told Fast Company that he made $800 for his part in the iconic ‘70s horror movie.

Dustin Hoffman Made $20,000 For The Graduate 

The Graduate was the movie that turned Dustin Hoffman into a young Hollywood star, but it was also one that didn’t earn him a whole lot of money. According to a 1968 New York Times article, Hoffman reportedly made $20,000 for his career-defining role, but he only ended up keeping $4,000 of that after expenses and taxes were taken out.

John Candy Made $414 For His Home Alone Cameo 

The late John Candy appears in Home Alone for only a few minutes, but it’s still wild to think that his cameo only netted the actor $414. In the Home Alone episode of Netflix’s The Movies That Made Us, it is revealed that Candy’s unforgettable portrayal of Gus Polinski, the Polka King of the Midwest, didn’t necessarily break the bank.

Jessica Chastain Made $1.75 Million For The Martian 

Jessica Chastain’s paycheck for The Martian was shockingly low. Around the time of the film’s 2015 release, there was a report that the actress made $7 million from her part, but she told The Huffington Post that she actually made around a quarter of that, which would be around $1.75 million. The film’s star, Matt Damon, reportedly made between $15 and 25 million for his part.

Brad Pitt Made $6,000 For Thelma And Louise 

Brad Pitt is one of the biggest and highest paid actors around today and has been that way for the better part of the past 30 years. However, that wasn’t always the case. According to the Daily Mail, the actor was paid just $6,000 for his breakout performance as JD in Ridley Scott’s Thelma and Louise.

Jon Voight Made The ‘Minimum’ Salary For Midnight Cowboy 

Jon Voight received all kinds of nominations for his performance in Midnight Cowboy, but the actor was paid the “minimum” for his portrayal of Joe Buck. When disclosing this to The Guardian decades later, Voight also revealed he received a $14.73 charge for meals on the final day of the shoot.

Adam Levine Made $0 For Begin Again 

Maroon 5 frontman and former coach on The Voice Adam Levine appeared in John Carney’s 2014 musical dramedy, Begin Again for free. When speaking with USA Today around the time of the film’s release, Levine explained that he did the movie “for no money,” stating that he had made enough through his other ventures and wanted the experience.

It’s safe to say that all of these actors have done okay for themselves over the years after making relatively small salaries throughout their career. But it’s still wild to think about Robert Downey Jr. only making half-a-million to play Tony Stark. What a steal.

Oprah Winfrey hasn’t had her wildly successful talk show for years, but she is still one of the biggest names in entertainment, and she has become incredibly wealthy as a part of her success. Money certainly isn’t a big deal for Oprah now, but apparently, it never really was, as she recently spoke about taking a remarkably small payday for her role in The Color Purple. 

Oprah Winfrey is a producer on the new The Color Purple movie, the adaptation of the stage musical of the Alice Walker novel, but she made her film debut in the original Steven Spielberg-directed film in 1985. It earned her an Oscar nomination, and it was the beginning of her career that led to massive success. But it all started because she took a role that wasn’t offering her much money. In Essence, where Oprah interviews the new The Color Purple cast, she says that what money she earned was worth it. Oprah explained:

Oprah Winfrey was a newcomer to Hollywood when she appeared in The Color Purple, which might explain the salary, but even in 1985, for a major role in a major studio production, $35,000 wasn’t a great deal of money. The opportunity was still huge though, and she certainly took advantage of it. It’s difficult to imagine Oprah becoming who she is today without The Color Purple. 

The Color Purple was a groundbreaking book when Alice Walker’s novel was released, and every iteration of the story that has followed has continued to resonate with ensuing generations. Oprah firmly believes the new movie will do the same. She said:

Fans can revisit Oprah's performance in a new 4K Blu-ray of The Color Purple, which is arriving ahead of the new film's Christmas release on the 2023 movie schedule. One certainly has to wonder if the new The Color Purple will change the lives of its cast the way the original movie did for Oprah. If not, we can be confident they were likely all paid a lot better.  

Some stories survive the test of time, and live to be translated by several different creative voices. So goes the tradition of The Color Purple, which began as an Alice Walker novel that went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983. Steven Spielberg eventually adapted the book into an 11-time Oscar-nominated film, and a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical. No matter how you approach The Color Purple, it ends up being a massive success. Which is why the upcoming movie musical for The Color Purple is one of the most anticipated upcoming 2023 films left on the calendar, and in preparation for it, Warner Bros. is lining up a collectible anniversary release of Spielberg’s 1985 classic.   

As part of the year-long centennial celebration for the 100th anniversary of Warner Bros. Studio, Steven Spielberg’s coming-of-age period drama The Color Purple will be available for purchase on 4K Ultra HD Disc and Digital for the first time beginning on December 5. The Color Purple stars Danny Glover, Adolph Caesar, Margaret Avery, Rae Dawn Chong, Whoopi Goldberg and the iconic Oprah Winfrey, making her feature film debut. The feature will be available online and in-store at major retailers and available for purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu and more.

Warner Bros. Studio has shared exclusively with CinemaBlend the previously unreleased bonus features that will be included with the upcoming 4K Ultra HD Disc. They are:

As for The Color Purple Digital release, it will include previously released and new special features such as:

Steven Spielberg’s take on The Color Purple features one of Whoopi Goldberg’s greatest performances, and is absolutely one of the movies you need to seek out if you want to see the finest from Oprah Winfrey. The media queen will be returning in a producer’s role alongside Spielberg and Quincy Jones for the 2023 musical adaptation of The Color Purple, which also has an excellent cast, including Taraji P. Henson, Colman Domingo, Danielle Brooks, Halle Berry, Aunjanue Ellis, Louis Gossett Jr., and American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino. We are excited to see what comes of it when the musical opens in theaters on December 20. 

While Reese Witherspoon being a billionaire doesn’t seem like a super far-fetched thought, the actress just debunked the rumor that she was one. After claims spread that the businesswoman was part of the elite rich club, she swiftly denied them and name-dropped Oprah Winfrey while she did it. 

Reese Witherspoon works in quite a few different industries and has multiple streams of income. This includes the fashion and lifestyle brand Draper James. Earlier this week it was confirmed that Consortium Brand Partners acquired 70% ownership stake in her brand. This major business deal along with the highly publicized $900 million sale of her company Hello, Sunshine in 2021, led to claims that she was a billionaire. Well, while speaking at the INBOUND Conference, she set the record straight (via People): 

Folks, there you have it, Reese Witherspoon confirmed she is not a billionaire. The Legally Blonde star continued to explain that she was flattered by the claim though, saying:

For context, Winfrey’s reported net worth is $2.8 billion according to Forbes. Meanwhile, Witherspoon’s net worth is reportedly $440 million, per Forbes. So, it makes sense that the Wild actress cited her when she explained how she is not a billionaire. 

While Reese Witherspoon isn’t part of the elite billionaire club, there’s no denying how successful she is. 

Outside of her career as an actor, Witherspoon has proven herself as a powerful businesswoman. For example, she founded Hello Sunshine, a media company behind huge projects like The Morning Show, Daisy Jones & The Six, Big Little Lies and more. Not only is the company a big deal, it's sale was too as it went for almost a billion dollars in 2021. Speaking at the same conference about her decision to found Hello Sunshine and really invest her time and money into it, she said:

Since its founding, Hello Sunshine has made some huge hits, however, in its earlier days, even after Gone Girl came out, it was barely hanging on. The company produced Wild and Gone Girl as its first two movies, although, according to its founder, they could “barely keep” the doors open during that time. Witherspoon went on to explain that it really started thriving when she began working on “audience engagement,” Reese’s Book Club and “promoting women’s stories” on social media. 

While Witherspoon and her ex-husband Jim Toth got a divorce earlier this year, she also noted how helpful he was when starting the company, saying: 

Even though the rumors about Witherspoon being a billionaire are false, her companies serve as a great example of how business savvy and committed she is. 

There’s no denying how successful Reese Witherspoon is as both a businesswoman and an actress. As she continues to work hard behind the scenes, she’ll also be appearing on screen soon because Season 3 of The Morning Show premieres on the 2023 TV schedule September 13, and it will be available to those with an Apple TV+ subscription. 

As the SAG-AFTRA actors strike enters the fourth week this Friday, many in the profession are beginning to see finances wearing thin. Then, there are some of the biggest actors in the industry, like Jennifer Lopez and Ryan Reynolds, who are likely more than financially stable and have additional brand deals and businesses of their own to fall back. As it turns out both JLo and Reynolds are part of a growing list of major actors who have donated seven figures each to support SAG-AFTRA strikers. 

As SAG-AFTRA reported on Wednesday (per Deadline), the Foundation’s Emergency Financial Assistance Program has already raised over $15 million in recent weeks. It also reported that many have donated $1 million or more, and that list includes many A-Listers like: 

• George and Amal Clooney
• Matt and Luciana Damon
• Leonardo DiCaprio
• Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Furness
• Dwayne Johnson
• Nicole Kidman
• Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck
• Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively
• Julia Roberts
• Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Meryl Streep
• Oprah Winfrey

That’s a count of 15 actors who have donated a lot of cash to help out SAG-AFTRA as members look to the foundation to help support them during this trying time for the industry. It’s honorable of these people to take some money out of pocket to benefit the many actors in the industry who don’t have massive contracts from movie studios for major franchises or have never received backend bucks for box office successes. There are tons of actors out there who count on Hollywood as a profession, but are nowhere as rich as these A-list actors. 

Along with SAG-AFTRA publicly thanking actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Julia Roberts for their massive donations, the Foundation president Courtney B. Vance had this to share about the news:

Vance also shared that Meryl Streep and George Clooney, both of whom released a statement about joining the strikes, have been longtime supporters of the foundation along with being leaders of its Actors Council. He said they each stepped up, not only with $1 million donations, but by also putting out “many calls to action rallying others to give generously.” 

While these actors are certainly doing their part to help amidst the SAG-AFTRA actors' strike, you shouldn’t necessarily expect them to join the picket lines. Per an insider, this is because the richest actors in Hollywood don’t work for scale pay and “don’t need the protection of a better contract.” While you may not see Hugh Jackman or Ben Affleck on the picket line, we’ve seen other major actors like Daniel Radcliffe picketing with his newborn baby, and Oscar nominee Colin Farrell speaking out about his series The Penguin shutting down with picketers. 

Along with the SAG-AFTRA actors' strike starting in mid-July, the WGA writers' strike has been going on since May. Both Hollywood strikes are already shifting the 2023 movie schedule and will continue to shut down the movie and TV industry until a deal is reached. 

This season of Celebrity Family Feud has already produced several big winning moments thus far, from Yellowjackets’ multi-general cast sharing screentime to a drag queen pulling fruit from a wig and eating it on stage. And as all longtime fans of the game show know, it’s always a good time when pro wrestlers take the stage, regardless of whether one actually keeps up with wrestling or not. Case in point: the Battle of the Sexes episode featuring WWE’s male wrestlers vs. female Superstars was quite an amusing delight on the whole, but it was the question about hypothetical romantic partners for host Steve Harvey that served as a mega-highlight. 

After first answering survey questions about sex locations from long ago and farm produce shaped like the booty of a farmer’s wife — keeping it classy, as always — the WWE athletes were faced with this inquiry:

Already, such a loaded question was bound to deliver some A+ guesses from the contestants, but Harvey had barely finished speaking it before Big E buzzed in with the answer Beyoncé. At which point Harvey suddenly lost his ability to start speaking again. Well, I guess he did utter a shocked “What?” a couple of times, but they could barely be heard over the chorus of angels that began singing within the host’s imagination, as he shared this gobsmacked expression. 

I'm pretty sure a couple of birds could have flown into and back out of Steve Harvey's mouth in that moment, and he would have been too busy trying to wrap his mind around a romance with Beyoncé to bother waving his feathered friends away. Now, I'd imagine he had an idea of what the answers would be for this one, since it involved him personally, but I love the dedication to playing it up like it's such a surprise. Which isn't to say that SHE would be interested, but we'll just assume that'd be the case. 

And hey, six people surveyed shared the Destiny's Child vet as their answer, which means there are at least 8 people who could foresee such a romantic connection happening, with Harvey and Big E included. 

Kofi Kingston followed up that guess with another R&B icon, Rihanna, which caused Steve Harvey to smile while admitting his heart might not be able to survive the episode if they kept bringing up that level of hypothetical romances. That said, nobody else guessed Rihanna. 

Which brings us to another classic Harvey moment, which came when Seth Rollins guessed Oprah Winfrey. There wasn't as much disbelief on display, but rather a sense of "Awwwww, yeahhhhh." Check out the video highlight clip below, with the Oprah reaction happening right around the 2:10 mark. 

Steve Harvey was miming out making it rain dollar bills while also popping his hips and just generally celebrating the idea of being with Oprah. Talk about a TV power couple. And far more people were into that idea, as it was the number 1 answer with 37 people. Harvey even called his shot for that being the top response. He knows what's up. 

The rest of the episode was also quite fun, of course, but there's nothing quite like Harvey reacting to the idea of being a romantic foil for two of the most successful women in the entertainment industry. Here's hoping that question gets a follow-up in a later episode. 

Check out all of Steve Harvey's masterful work as the host of Celebrity Family Feud every Sunday night at 8:00 p.m. on ABC, with episodes available to stream the next day with a Hulu subscription.

How do you pick just one of the ‘80s movies for the biggest movie stars of the decade? It’s a challenging task, but we figure we’re up for the job. So if you find yourself only able to watch a single '80s film starring each of these icons, here’s the only list you’ll need. 

Tom Cruise - Top Gun

This one is obvious, right? Top Gun is the movie that made Tom Cruise a superstar and his career has never wavered since. It was such a cultural phenomenon at the time that not only did it make an astounding $357 million at the box office (against a $15 million budget), it became the best-selling VHS tape of all time, based on pre-orders alone! Everyone saw it that summer, and again when it was released on home video. He revived the franchise 36 years later and dominated at the box office again with Top Gun: Maverick. 

Steve Martin - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Steve Martin had a string of hits in the 1980s, but his best of the bunch was Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. It’s a perfect example of how varied Martin’s comedy could be. At times refined, at others completely physical and off the wall. Martin puts everything into this performance and it shows in the results. It’s just a brilliantly hilarious film. 

Whoopi Goldberg - Jumpin’ Jack Flash

Whoopi Goldberg burst onto the big screen in The Color Purple (more on that film in a minute). Her performance was lauded by critics, with Roger Ebert calling it “one of the most amazing debut performances in movie history.” It’s certainly a film worth watching for her Oscar-nominated performance, but if you really want to get a great idea of what Goldberg was all about in the ‘80s, check out  Jumpin’ Jack Flash. Goldberg is, after all, a comedian at heart, and she brings all her comedic skill to bare in this early tech/spy thriller. It’s another A+ performance from the star of The View.

Goldie Hawn - Overboard

Goldie Hawn was already a veteran in show business by the time the ‘80s started, but she saved some of her best performances for the decade. In her final movie of the decade, she teamed up with Kurt Russell for Overboard, and the chemistry between the two is right there on the screen for all to see. Both actors are amazing, and Hawn truly is one of America’s sweethearts. 

Morgan Freeman - Lean On Me

By 1989, Morgan Freeman had been steadily working in Hollywood for more than two decades, but it was that year that his career jumped to superstar levels. He starred in 4 films in the final year of the decade, including Driving Miss Daisy and Glory. Those two films garnered 14 Oscar nominations between them, including a Best Actor nod for Freeman. It was a third film though, Lean On Me that really lit the screen on fire. Based on the true story of a principal named Joe Clark who is charged with cleaning up a Paterson, NJ school. Freeman’s performance is powerful and set the stage for all that came after it in his career. 

Demi Moore - About Last Night

One of the actors to emerge out of the 1980s “Brat Pack,” Demi Moore forged a career that lasted well into the ‘90s and beyond, with some of her finest work coming in her first few films. One of those, About Last Night, holds up incredibly well. It’s a unique take on the rom-com and is at times much more serious than so many others from this era, due in large part to the grittier story it was adapted from (David Mamet’s play, Sexual Perversity in Chicago) and Moore’s excellent performance alongside Rob Lowe.  

Harrison Ford - Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Sure, there are a few movies that would fit here for Harrison Ford, like that one about the space wars or whatever it’s called. But for pure, distilled Ford, nothing beats Indiana Jones and nothing beats the OG Raiders of the Lost Ark. It’s Ford at his very best: snarky, charming, witty, and tough. No Nazi is safe with Indy after them. 

Oprah Winfrey - The Color Purple

Oprah Winfrey’s rise to all-powerful media queen began in the ‘80s and a very big piece of that was her acting performance in 1985’s The Color Purple. She was nominated for an Oscar in her film debut and almost four decades later, the film’s powerful message of overcoming abuse still resonates with audiences. It was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, though it shockingly didn’t win any, which is a shame. 

Chevy Chase - Fletch

Like Harrison Ford, you could go in a lot of directions with Chevy Chase, but, like Raiders, you need to go with the purest form of Chase and for that, there is nothing better than the original Fletch. He's at his sarcastic best as Irwin Fletcher. No one can quite be as charmingly condescending as peak Chase and no one is spared here. Order up a couple of steak sandwiches and some caviar; Fletch just hit a water buffalo.

Meryl Streep - Out Of Africa

In the 10 Academy Awards shows of the ‘80s, Meryl Streep was nominated seven times. She won her first (and only of the decade) for 1982’s Sophie’s Choice, but let’s get real, as amazing as she is in it, no one really wants to sit down with a bowl of popcorn and watch that one. Instead, consider a performance just as good, but slightly more upbeat (only slightly, though). Out of Africa is beautiful, as are Streep and Robert Redford in the lead roles, and the tragic story comes to life like magic with her performance. 

Geena Davis - Beetlejuice

Geena Davis made steady progress in her career in the early ‘80s but really found a new level in Beetlejuice. Her on-screen partnership with Alec Baldwin as two ghosts frustrated with the people living in their house is excellent, as they more or less play the “straight man” to Micheal Keaton’s titular character. It’s not an easy gig, but Davis is amazing. 

Jackie Chan - Police Story

Jackie Chan didn’t break big in the United States until the ‘90s and by then he was the biggest action star in Hong Kong. It was 1985’s Police Story that solidified his spot at the top and if you’ve never seen it, you definitely need to. While Chan has always been an amazing stuntman, it’s Police Story that brings all his skills to the forefront, from amazing fight scenes to the epic opening car chase with Chan hanging onto a bus with an umbrella as he pursues the baddies. It’s one of the most insane stunts in Chan’s history of insane stunts. 

Kathleen Turner - Romancing The Stone

Romancing the Stone is one of the great comedies of the 1980s and features some amazing performances from Michael Douglas and Danny DeVito, but Kathleen Turner’s Joan Wilder takes the cake. Or the bail of pot, as the case may be here. Walking that line between an intrepid explorer looking for her kidnapped sister and a damsel in distress, Turner shines. Her chemistry with Douglas and DeVito is so good, they made two more films together, the sequel Jewel of the Nile and the unrelated The War of the Roses, but it’s Stone that remains the best. 

Michael Douglas - Wall Street

Michael Douglas is great as Jack in Romancing The Stone, but it’s his portrayal of Gordon Gekko in Wall Street that makes for one of the greatest movie villains in cinema history. Of course, he won an Oscar for the performance, but it’s how quotable the movie and his character are that makes it one of the best of all time, even if those quoting don’t always understand the heavy-handed irony in each line. 

Edward James Olmos - Stand And Deliver

With Stand And Deliver, director Ramón Menéndez told the true story of math teacher Jaime Escalante who sought to raise the level of education single-handily in an East LA high school by daring to teach underprivileged Hispanic kids calculus. Edward James Olmos plays Escalante brilliantly, earning himself an Oscar nomination in the process. 

Tom Hanks - Big

Tom Hanks grew up with Big, literally and figuratively. It marks the point in his career when he jumped from a wild and wacky comedian to an actor who can take on any role, no matter how serious, and make it his own. There are the wilder moments, but there is also a real vulnerability to the man-child Josh Baskin that Hanks makes so authentic for the audience. It’s no wonder it earned him his first Oscar nomination. 

Daryl Hannah - Splash

Another Hanks movie also happens to be the great Daryl Hannah’s finest performance. Before Ariel, there was Madison, the mermaid who longed to walk on the land with humans and falls in love with an average Joe. Hannah’s performance magically convinces audiences that it’s exactly what a fish out of water would be like. 

Mel Gibson - Lethal Weapon

Back before Mel Gibson was a lightening rod for controversy, he played some pretty amazing roles and none more so that Martin Riggs in the Lethal Weapon series. From the very first scene, audiences see that classic “Mel Gibson Crazy Eyes” face and it sets the tone for the movie and the franchise, one that had remarkable life to it. That first scene is also why Lethal Weapon should be in the conversation for the best Christmas movie, alongside Die Hard. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger - The Terminator

The decade wouldn't be as big and as over the top as it was without Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Austrian bodybuilder took the movie world by storm and there are any number of enjoyable performances, but if you're looking at 1980s movies, you have to choose The Terminator. It launched him to superstardom, and it kicked off a franchise of Terminator movies that's lasted for decades. Sure, he only has a handful of lines, but no one could top his performance as a relentless killing machine that we all somehow fell in love with… later. 

Sylvester Stallone - First Blood

Not only did First Blood launch one of the most enduring franchises of the era, but it’s also just a really good film. It could be argued that it’s Sylvester Stallone’s best. His performance as a down-and-out Vietnam vet highlighted the plight of returning soldiers from that war. Brian Dennehy plays the antagonist perfectly as the angry sheriff that doesn’t take kindly to strangers in his town. A+. 

Michelle Pfeiffer - Scarface

Scarface really hasn’t aged all that well. Sure, the memes are fantastic, but as a film, it feels as dated as neon green headbands and electric typewriters. The lone exception is Michelle Pfeiffer’s performance. It’s still great, and made her one of the biggest stars of the 1980s. 

Molly Ringwald - Sixteen Candles

Molly Ringwald was once called John Hughes’ muse and it’s easy to see why she became such a mainstay in many of his hit movies from the era. Sixteen Candles is truly one of the funniest movies of the ‘80s, in part because of the side characters, but mostly it’s due to Ringwald’s fantastic performance as the girl the family forgot. 

Denzel Washington - Glory

Denzel Washington was nominated for his first Oscar for 1987’s Cry Freedom, but he won his first for 1989’s Glory. The cool thing about Glory is that it’s actually one of his most powerful performances, as audiences didn’t know him as DENZEL yet. The movie follows one of the few Black companies fighting for the Union during the Civil War and tells a story that had sort of been forgotten in the public consciousness at the time. The success of Glory and of Washington’s performance, especially in the scene where he is whipped, is one of the reasons that story will never be forgotten again. 

Jodie Foster - The Accused

The Accused is not an easy movie to watch. It begins with one of the most brutal rape scenes in cinema history and follows Jodie Foster’s character, Sarah Tobias, on the quest to get justice. The subject matter was so intense, the role was reportedly turned down by a number of A-listers at the time. It was fortuitous for Foster, who had struggled to re-ignite her career after attending Yale. Her performance won her an Oscar and the rest is history. 

Sally Field - Steel Magnolias

There are great Sally Field movies in every decade since she jumped from TV to the big screen in the mid-70s. For the ‘80s, you can’t go wrong with Steel Magnolias. It may be a tad melodramatic at times, but it stays grounded with the acting by Field and other stars like Julia Roberts, Dolly Parton, and Shirley MacLaine. 

Bill Murray - Ghostbusters

Bill Murray had so many great movies in the 1980s, it’s difficult to pick just one, but in the end, you have to go with Ghostbusters. His turn as Peter Venkman is so funny, so quotable, and so lovable, that without him, it would be a completely different movie. John Belushi in the role was the original plan, but after his death, Murray ended up in the role, and now we can’t imagine it any other way. 

Robin Williams - Good Morning Vietnam

Good Morning Vietnam was an important movie in Robin Williams' stellar career. It was the movie that truly showed audiences just how great his acting chops were. He was no longer just the frenetic comedian running around the stage inspiring laughs. Williams showed his dramatic side, especially after the bomb went off in his favorite cafe. Of course, there is plenty of off-the-wall zaniness from him that we all love, which makes it one of his most well-rounded performances. 

Glenn Close - Fatal Attraction

There are few more quintessential scenes from the 1980s than the boiling bunny in Fatal Attraction. Glenn Close’s performance as the unpredictable, jilted lover is just as iconic. Like the bunny in the pot, her character comes to a slow boil, getting more and more intense as the movie moves along. It’s a masterclass in acting from the legend. 

Micheal J. Fox - Back To The Future

No way we were going to leave Michael J. Fox off this list. Between Family Ties, and Teen Wolf, there is no actor that defines the decade quite like him. Of course, it’s no surprise that the essential movie for any Fox fan is the great Back to the Future. It’s a movie that has been introduced to, and loved by, countless people from Generation X and the following generations. It’s beloved by all. 

Jane Fonda - 9 To 5

Jane Fonda, like Sally Field, has decades of outstanding movies and performances, but when she teamed up with Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin to make 9 to 5, she became an icon to a whole new generation. It’s been more than forty years since its release, but the chemistry between Fonda and Tomlin remains, as they proved last year with Moving On.

Eddie Murphy - Coming To America

Last, but certainly not least, we have one of the biggest breakout stars of the 1980s, Eddie Murphy. Like others, it’s hard to decide on just one, but in the end, it simply has to be Coming To America. It’s the quintessential Murphy film filled with memorable quotes and amazing performances from the entire cast, especially Murphy. 

This list could go on and on. The 1980s were a magical decade in theaters and crafting exhaustive list would prove to be impossible. Luckily, you can find the best ‘80s movies, and even '80s movies that don't get enough love if you need more. 

Before Barbie, there was Bruce. You might not have known this about Hollywood icon Bruce Willis, but the Die Hard star was a trendsetter, rocking pink fashions while promoting movies long before Barbiecore took over the film industry. This throwback photo comes to us from Willis’s wonderful wife Emma Hemming Willis, who has used social media to share her experiences with the A-lister (and keep fans up to date on his health condition). The image in question comes from an interview that Willis was doing on behalf of the first Die Hard movie. And since that film came out in 1988, you can argue that there’s more Miami Vice in this outfit than there is Barbie. Take a look:

Emma Heming Willis posted this amazing photo to her Instagram story, commenting about how much there is to love in the image, starting with the pink suit. But as I mentioned, in the 1980s, Don Johnson made the pink suit more than fashionable thanks to the primetime television series Miami Vice. And weirdly enough, Bruce Willis appeared on Vice in the very early stages of his career, playing a criminal who eluded capture. 

It’s worth watching the interview that is referenced in that IG story. It shows a very young Bruce Willis promoting his upcoming film, Die Hard. And you can tell how excited he is, mainly because he’s still the Moonlighting guy, and has yet to catapult into the stratosphere courtesy of the greatest movie of all time . . . as well as one of the best action movies ever made. 

Die Hard turned Willis into a global superstar. It also changed the way that Hollywood thought about action heroes. In the years leading up to the release of Die Hard, action movie stars looked like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. Willis and his blue-collar hero John McClane promoted an age of relatable, recognizable silver-screen heroes. If McClane could pull off the impossible, audience members started to believe that they could do these things, as well.

Bruce Willis has since retired from professional acting, due to his ongoing battle with aphasia, which affects his ability to communicate. His retirement has brought out the best from his one-time competition (but lifelong friends) such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. Fellow actors that worked closely with Willis over the years also are speaking out about the impact he had on their careers, and their lives.  It’s our hope that Emma Heming Willis continues to share these very special throwback photos of Bruce Willis, as this is how we will remember him, forever. 

Willis isn’t making movies, but many will try to follow in his footsteps, including Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington, and Harrison Ford. Keep track of the features they have coming up by using our guide to upcoming 2023 movies that will be in theaters between now and the end of the year. 

Nathan Lane has multiple TV and film roles under his belt after working in Hollywood for decades. Along with his acting work, many fans have revered him as one of the most prominent and visible gay actors currently working. However, there was a time when Lane didn’t feel comfortable expressing his sexuality. With that in mind, he was almost outed before he was ready to proclaim his sexuality. Thankfully, his The Birdcage co-star Robin Williams supported him in that moment, and The Lion King star explained how the late comedian came to his rescue.

At the time, Lane and Williams were on a press tour for The Birdcage, which is regarded as one of Lane’s and Williams’ best movies. It featured a gay couple posing as a heterosexual couple to impress their future in-laws. Of course, the film’s content prompted moviegoers and interviewers to ponder over the stage and screen veteran’s sexual orientation. However, Lane did not want to talk about his personal life at that time. He explained how uncomfortable he was talking about his personal life by saying to Sunday Today (via People): 

There were certain press stops actors had to do if they wanted their movie to get some traction. One of those stops was The Oprah Winfrey Show. As Oprah Winfrey was known for doling out hard-hitting and sometimes controversial questions to her celebrity guests, this made Lane very wary of sitting on her couch. He knew his portrayal in the comedy would open him up to questions about his sexuality. The multi-Tony Award winner broke down the conversation he and Robin Williams had before sitting down with the talk show host.

The moment proved once again what a stand-up guy Robin Williams was. He was able to help Nathan Lane in a tight situation. Williams was an ally even before that was a term. It seemed like he knew being his usual energetic self would give Lane more time to formulate his answer. After adverting the question, the Only Murders in the Building star explained why he kept quiet about his sexuality at the time. 

Of course, things are getting better now for those in the LGBTQ+ community to express themselves openly. However, in the 1990s, being openly gay in Hollywood was frowned upon. There were very few openly LGBTQ+ performers accepted by mainstream pop culture. Some faced typecasting or backlash for owning their sexuality. For example, Ellen DeGeneres faced serious backlash after coming out on her self-titled 1990s sitcom, and her show was canceled a year after this historic moment. So, Lane had every right to fear being outed at the time. He eventually came out as gay in 1999. 

Now, Nathan Lane feels freer to express himself despite homophobia still being prevalent. His sexuality has helped rather than hindered his career as the 67-year-old actor has multiple new movie releases coming out. He will be seen next in the Joaquin Phoenix-led Beau is Afraid, which hits theaters on April 21.

A big event is coming up for Britain’s royal family and those who enjoy watching them, especially in times of pomp and circumstance, as King Charles’ coronation celebration is fast approaching, with his actual crowning set for May 6. One aspect of it that’s taken over the public consciousness, likely to the great chagrin of several royals involved, is whether or not Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will attend and how much of part they’ll play in the festivities. Now, Oprah Winfrey has commented on what she thinks the couple should do.

What Does Oprah Winfrey Say About Whether Or Not Harry And Meghan Should Attend King Charles’ Coronation?

Broadcast legend Winfrey has been a close friend of Harry and Meghan’s since well before conducting their initial bombshell interview after leaving the royal family. She also attended their wedding, so it makes sense that during a recent interview on CBS Mornings, she’d be asked her thoughts on whether or not the couple should make the trip back to England for the coronation, amid all of the rumors and speculation. Winfrey briefly gave her opinion on the matter, which you can see in this brief clip:

While this could be seen as a perfectly Oprah type of answer, it’s also a completely logical one. All anyone can do in any situation is to try and make the best decision possible for themselves and their family, and Meghan and Harry definitely have a lot to consider when it comes to attending the coronation.

What’s Going On With King Charles’ Coronation Regarding Harry And Meghan?

For quite a while royal watchers were wondering whether or not the Sussexes would even be invited to the coronation, seeing as how the months since Queen Elizabeth II’s death have seen both the popular Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan, and the prince’s tell-all memoir, Spare, divulge secrets and make additional allegations against his family, which has reportedly led to even more ill will between them and other royals. 

Though it does now appear that they’ve been invited, the rumor is that they’ve been told their attendance is dependent on them behaving in accordance with the royal rules that have been set forth for them (including only being allowed to make small talk with senior royals). They will also likely not appear with other members of the royal family during the event, as certain parts (like waving from the balcony) will be restricted to working royals. 

We’ve also recently heard reports that, because Harry and Meghan gave up their royal duties in 2020, they will not be included in the processional for the coronation, and that their children haven’t been invited to the event at all. While another report from OK! (via The Sun) has one insider claiming that the Sussexes are actually pushing for their entire family, 3-year-old Archie and 1-year-old Lilibet included, to be on the palace balcony, likely because the coronation takes place on the same day as Archie’s birthday. 

In addition, they were recently evicted from Frogmore Cottage, so if they attend they’ll probably have to stay at Buckingham Palace, where they might not feel as safe/comfortable as if they were in their own place. Let’s look at what Winfrey said again, considering everything that’s gone on lately and what the couple has to take into account before making a final decision on the big day:

How one comes to such a decision when the noise surrounding it is so public is beyond me. Unfortunately, this seems like a situation where, no matter what they do, people will have something negative to say about it, so here’s hoping that they can handle whatever fallout may come their way.

Lee Daniels’ Precious won big during Awards Season years ago, with a ton of praise coming to supporting actress Mo’Nique. But tensions between she and producer Oprah rose when her estranged family appeared on an episode of her talk show. Over a decade later, Mo’Nique says that she still hasn’t forgiven Oprah Winfrey for her family’s talk show appearance, while also sharing the awkward backstage apology that came after.

Mo’Nique appears to be the type of talent who wants to create her own rules in Hollywood. After her Best Supporting Actress Oscar win for Precious, she’s said she didn’t become a bigger star, with director Lee Daniels telling her she was being “blackballed” for having a reputation of being challenging to work with. According to The Hollywood Reporter, these accusations could come from when Mo’Nique approached Precious' co-producer Oprah Winfrey about the reason why she refused to head to France to do a promotional tour for the Oscar-nominated film.

Oprah Winfrey and Mo’Nique are two Oscar winning actress also famous for other talents; Winfrey known for her award-winning talk show and Mo’Nique for being a stand-up comedian and sitcom actress. But it didn’t mean the two of them reached common ground related to doing a press tour for their movie. The Best Supporting Actress winner felt no obligation to go abroad for Precious, with reports saying Lionsgate refused to pay the actress for these promotions. She was also unwilling to sacrifice the time she wanted with her family for Hollywood. Just when it seemed that Mo’Nique and Winfrey “mutually” parted ways, the drama between the two of them escalated further when the Daytime Emmy Award winner had Mo’Nique’s brother Gerald Imes appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show. During that appearance he apologized to the Bessie actress for the sexual abuse he afflicted on her for years when they were kids. While Mo’Nique has spoken publicly before about the sexual abuse while doing press for Precious, she told Winfrey she didn’t want to come on the show.

Mo’Nique may have given Oprah Winfrey her blessing to have her brother on The Oprah Winfrey Show, but what came as a shock to The Parkers actress was seeing not only Imes but her father, another brother, and her mother who she wasn't on "good terms" with during the time the episode was filmed. Feeling deceived and witnessing her family “downplay” the abuse she went through growing up, she attempted to contact Winfrey about the surprise guests on her show with disappointing results. 

However, these two were set up to reunite again as they both attended fellow actress Lupita Nyong’o’s party to celebrate the acclaim she received for 12 Years a Slave which would result in a Oscar win. After spotting Winfrey, Mo’Nique made sure to approach her.

When that talk happened, The Mo’Nique Show host approached Winfrey on why she invited her estranged family on an episode of her show. She claimed that the producers only invited her brother on the show, and that he showed up with his family without her knowledge about it- an allegation the comedic actress believed to be a lie. Then Mo’Nique claims Winfrey said to her, "If I’ve done anything to offend you, I apologize.”

Despite the awkward confrontation, the stand-up comic actress still demands and expects a public apology from Oprah Winfrey. As for if that moment will ever come, only time will tell. You can watch Mo’Nique’s spectacular performance in Precious currently on your HBO Max subscription. You can also check out our 2023 movie releases to see what else these talented actresses could appear in next.

Tyler Perry has had a good thing going at Netflix for a few years now, first delivering 2020’s A Fall from Grace to the streaming platform, followed by both A Made Homecoming and the long-awaited A Jazzman’s Blues both arriving in 2022, not to mention Perry’s role in Don’t Look Up. Now Perry is putting together his fourth Netflix movie, Six Triple Eight, which is about the all-Black, all-female 6888th Postal Directory Battalion from World War II, and it’s been officially announced that Oprah Winfrey and Kerry Washington are just two of the heavy-hitting actors appearing in this feature.

With Six Triple Eight kicking off principal photography this week, Netflix announced who will be making up the ensemble cast. Along with Oprah Winfrey and Kerry Washington, the latter of whom is also executive producing, the lineup of actors includes Law & Order’s Sam Waterston, Thelma & Louise’s Susan Sarandon, If Beale Street Could Talk's Ebony Obsidian, How to Get Away With Murder's Milauna Jackson (who also appeared in A Jazzman's Blues), Tiny Pretty Things' Kylie Jefferson, The Wiz Live!'s Shanice Shantay, Charmed's Sarah Jeffery, Pam & Tommy's Pepi Sonuga, Safety's Jay Reeves, Daybreak's Jeanté Godlock, Raising Dion's Moriah Brown, Ruthless' Baadja-Lyne Odums, The Throwback's Gregg Sulkin and Breaking Bad's Dean Norris. Furthermore, Nicole Avant from Her Excellency Productions; Keri Selig from Intuition Productions, and Carlota Espinosa; Angi Bones and Tony Strickland from Tyler Perry Studios are attached as producers.

Based on an article by Kevin M. Hymel published in WWII History Magazine by Sovereign Media, Six Triple Eight delves into the inspiring story of the 855 Black women who made up the 6888th Postal Directory Battalion. It was on them to sort through and fix the three-year backlog of undelivered mail, and not only did they accomplish this task, they did in half the time given. In the midst of going through the 17 million pieces of undelivered mail that ultimately reconnected soldiers with their families and loves ones upon making it to their intended destinations, they faced discrimination, unfamiliar land, and a war-torn country, yet persevered by following the motto “No Mail, Low Morale.”

Tyler Perry has assembled quite the impressive lineup of talent for Six Triple Eight, and while it’ll be a while until this movie makes its way to Netflix subscribers, this is a great time for this story to be told in a cinematic setting following President Joe Biden signing a bill on March 14, 2022 for the women of the 6888th Postal Directory Battalion to receive a Congressional Medal of Honor. With this kind of story and the actors involved, Six Triple Eight turns out well, perhaps Perry and his team could find some awards attention being thrown their way.

Redirecting our focus on the two actresses previously highlighted, this will be talk show host heavyweight Oprah Winfrey’s first time playing a role in a movie since 2018’s A Wrinkle in Time, where she starred as Mrs. Which. Winfrey’s other notable film credits include The Color Purple, The Princess and the Frog, Lee Daniels’ The Butler and Selma. As for Kerry Washington, who led ABC’s Scandal as Olivia Pope for seven seasons, she popped up last year in fellow Netflix movie The School for Good and Evil as Professor Clarissa Dovey. 2020 was an especially big year for Washington too, as she appeared in the movies The Fight and The Prom, as well as the limited series Little Fires Everywhere, which can streamed with a Hulu subscription.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on how Six Triple Eight is coming along, and be sure to look the 2023 Netflix movie schedule to learn what the streaming service will deliver this year on the cinematic side of things.

Barbara Walters, a revered television journalist who pioneered the way for so many women in journalism, died at age 93. Walters was a big name in the news industry who spent decades in the limelight interviewing some of the biggest names around the world. She was an inspiration to many, so it's no surprise that shortly after the news of her death broke, notable names like Oprah Winfrey, Sherri Shepherd and more paid tribute to her. 

Not long after a representative for Barbara Walters confirmed the journalist passed away in her home surrounded by friends and family, celebrities began to share their tributes for the reporter and the legacy she left behind. Oprah Winfrey, a fellow icon and a journalist with many impressive accolades of her own, said on Instagram that a trailblazer like Walters made it possible for the success she's celebrated to this day: 

Actress and former co-host on The View Sherri Shepherd also shared that she owed her success to Barbara Walters, but she also had a more personal experience with the late journalist. Shepherd referred to Walters as a "mother lion" who often defended her and fellow co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck, someone that fans know Walters occasionally butted heads with. She also wrote that Walters was a great mentor even when she was tough: 

Another one of Barbara Walters' former colleagues on The View, Star Jones, paid tribute to the woman she considered a friend. Jones, who was one of the founding members of The View alongside Walters, Debbie Matenopoulos, Meredith Vieira, and Joy Behar, noted that she owed her friend a lot: 

Many notable broadcast journalists also shared their thoughts following the loss of Barbara Walters, such as ABC World News Tonight anchor and 20/20 co-anchor David Muir. The anchor noted some of the strong adjectives the world is using to describe Walters, and he reminded everyone that all of those adjectives are valid: 

ABC's Good Morning America host Robin Roberts also paid her respects to Barbara Walters, and she spoke about her kindness. Roberts recalled a time when they both spoke at an event, and how quickly Walters responded when she sent her a gift: 

Dan Rather spoke about the impact that Barbara Walters had on the world of journalism, and how she worked hard to gain the standing she had in the industry. Rather put it best perhaps when he mentioned that Walters left the world better after a long and celebrated career. 

CNN host and frequent New Year's Eve correspondent Don Lemon shared a more personal tribute to Barbara Walters, perhaps aware that many would speak on her impact and accolades throughout her career. Lemon instead talked about what a joy she was to be around at dinner parties, and that he enjoyed her company: 

These are just a few of the many tributes to Barbara Walters on the internet, and one can imagine that the coming days will bring more tributes from her former co-workers, notable celebrities, and maybe even former presidents she's interviewed. The celebration of Walters' life will continue and further acknowledge the massive impact she left not just on journalism but the world at large. 

CinemaBlend would like to offer its condolences to the family and friends of Barbara Walters, and we wish them well during this time. Here's hoping there's more celebration of her legacy in the new year, and more people are inspired to do great things after seeing her work. 

Oprah Winfrey might be able to afford to give everyone cars, but not everyone can give their mother a car for Christmas. In this case, one person asking Winfrey for gift ideas for their mom couldn’t afford the first option the talk show host recommended, so while shocked the fan couldn’t afford a $100 gift, she quickly came up with an alternative. And obviously, the internet has thoughts about it following the video going viral on TikTok. 

In a TikTok from 10gsocial, which now has over 695 thousand views and over 40 thousand likes, Oprah is shown talking gifts with a spectator. At first, she recommended a red jewelry box that she had on her favorite things list. The man said that was too expensive, and Oprah looked a little shocked, but quickly said he should make his mom a nice sentimental card for her. 

Charlie Intravaia commented on the TikTok noting Oprah’s quick response after being shocked the person couldn't afford a $100 jewelry box, writing: 

While Lor wrote about the judgment she thought she picked up on in Oprah’s voice, writing:  

Meanwhile, user2580164774047 took note of how the unexpected A Wrinkle in Time star went from a $100 gift suggestion to a completely free one, writing: 

TastebudCT is out here defending Oprah, writing: 

She makes a good point, the producer and talk show host’s point of reference for what’s affordable is likely very different from many, considering she’s the first Black woman to become a billionaire, which is something you may not have known about Oprah. Also, Winfrey just sold her house to Jennifer Aniston for $10.5 million dollars which is in the same neighborhood Prince Harry and Meghan Markle live in. I think it’s safe to assume Winfrey has a lot of money, and buying something under $100 is like nothing to her. 

Also in the comments, Stephanie Falconi Br noted the look on Oprah’s face, writing: 

From working her way up to the queen of daytime with her talk show (a timeslot that is now owned by Kelly Clarkson) to becoming a busy producer, she’s clearly done a lot to earn the money she now has. Oprah's also been in such a high place of success for a really long time, so yeah, I’d think she would be a bit shook when someone said $100 was too expensive. 

All Oprah’s shook-en-ness aside, she quickly turned it around and gave the man a wonderful, free, gift idea. 

While Oprah may be a billionaire, she is still out here working hard to create important projects. There are lots of projects from Winfrey that you can currently stream, she’s also working quite a bit for the upcoming year. She’s a producer on the movie adaptation of the musical The Color Purple, which is on the 2023 movie schedule, she’s also producing a limited series called  The 1619 Project that is currently in pre-production. 

On daytime TV, one afternoon timeslot has been the home of some massive hits with The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Now, pop superstar and daytime talk show host Kelly Clarkson is stepping into that slot. Oprah and Ellen have some big shoes to fill, and Clarkson seems like the perfect choice. However, she has been transparent about the pressures of taking over. 

As Ellen DeGeneres’ tenure came to a close last spring, many celebrities, including Kim Kardashian, wished her a happy final day after 19 seasons on the air. Before DeGeneres, Oprah Winfrey ran the timeslot for 25 years. Clarkson has been preparing to take over, saying she is making some big changes. She recently spoke with Variety about her upcoming timeslot change, the legacy she is joining, and how she is feeling about it:

The differences don’t seem to worry the singer. She has found success on network TV with both The Kelly Clarkson Show and as a coach on The Voice. (She will not be returning to the singing competition this fall, and pop star Camila Cabello will take over the red chair.) Though she won’t be seen in both the afternoons and at night on NBC anymore, Clarkson is excited about the opportunity to grow her audience by moving to 3 p.m. ET:

Though Clarkson will likely gain new viewers to her show with this timeslot, the singer has been a household name for what feels like forever. She burst onto the scene 20 years ago when she won American Idol, released mega-hit songs like “Since U Been Gone” and “Stronger,” coached and quipped with Blake Shelton (her fun rival on The Voice), Ariana Grande, John Legend, and more. She has been hosting her show since 2019.   

Check out the fall TV schedule and mark your calendars for Kelly Clarkson's timeslot change this fall. She is joining a legacy of hosts that are so iconic they are mostly referred to by their first name, meaning we might start referring to her just as Kelly. This change will likely only make her “Stronger.”

The day is fast approaching for Sherri Shepherd to debut her new talk show, and she’s excited to finally be taking over the time slot previously held by Wendy Williams with her own show, rather than just serving as a guest host. The comedian/actress has some big ideas when it comes to what she wants Sherri to accomplish, and it sounds like she’s getting advice from the right person to make those things happen. Shepherd opened up about the wise words she was offered from none other than Oprah Winfrey about how to find success in the daytime TV realm.

Sherri is set to premiere on Monday, September 12, as a replacement for The Wendy Williams Show, which was canceled after its 13th season when the eponymous host was unable to appear for the final season due to health issues. Sherri Shepherd filled in for Williams as a guest host, but now that she’s set to call all her own shots, she took advantage of the opportunity to pick the brain of one of the most famous talk show hosts in TV history. Shepherd recalled to EW the advice she got from Oprah:

If Oprah says to bring the energy, you can bet that Sherri Shepherd will do just that. For one thing, I can imagine that following any advice “The Queen of All Media” sends your way would be a good idea. But also, Shepherd’s background in stand-up comedy proves that she already knows how to engage her audience. In fact, she’s said that with Ellen DeGeneres ending her show after 19 seasons, she has the opportunity to fill that void of a daytime talk show hosted by a comedian.

Sherri Shepherd was apparently able to glean a good bit of advice from Oprah Winfrey, as she said she took multiple pages of notes during her audience with the iconic host. She said:

I can only imagine the gems that Oprah Winfrey dropped, and Sherri Shepherd must feel pretty fortunate to have those words of wisdom. Shepherd already had some ideas about how her show will differ from Wendy Williams’. She wants a celebrity-friendly atmosphere, where her guests won’t have to worry about a “gotcha” moment. Audience feedback suggested that some people thought Williams was “mean,” but that is not something Shepherd plans to carry over to Sherri. Perhaps that will help her attract A-listers including Michelle Obama, Meryl Streep and, of course, Oprah Winfrey herself. 

Sherri is set to make its debut in syndication on Monday, September 12, so check your local listings for time and channel. You can also check out these movies and shows to watch if you love Oprah Winfrey.

The road to The Ellen DeGeneres Show finale was an emotional one for fans and the host herself, but the moment has now come and gone. After officially signing off, Ellen DeGeneres now has time to do whatever she wants, whenever she wants. There are really only a few people who have been in her situation: ending a massively popular talk show after a long and storied run. Of course, one of those people is none other than entertainment icon Oprah Winfrey. And DeGeneres has now revealed that Winfrey gave her some sage advice, which she didn't heed when she wrapped up her own series.

The comedian spoke about Oprah Winfrey while being interviewed by THR. Winfrey already dished out some on-air advice during Ellen DeGeneres’ final week on air, but these new comments seem to go even deeper. DeGeneres says the showbiz legend advised her to do one thing immediately following the end of her talk show -- take it easy for a while:

If anybody would know about jumping from one project to another at a rapid pace, it would be Oprah Winfrey. The Color Purple alum ended her talk show in 2004 after 25 seasons. And as mentioned by the comedian, Winfrey was preparing to launch her cable network, OWN around the same time. She didn’t have much downtime between those moments and other projects. And even today, it seems like the 68-year-old TV personality always seems to be working on something. 

Thankfully, though, the former Ellen host seems to be taking the advice to heart. As a result, she'll likely be enjoying a well-deserved break after working the daytime grind for almost two decades.

Oprah Winfrey isn't the only one to weigh in on Ellen DeGeneres' next steps. DeGeneres' wife, Portia de Rossi, gave her take on what her spouse should do next. She just wants her spouse to do what will make her happy and, at this point, it sounds like a break is indeed what she wants. And DeGeneres has even revealed that she has travel plans mapped out.

Her show may have just finished, but the many lovely messages left by celebrities like Oprah Winfrey indicate that the host's on-air presence is already missed. In turn, Ellen DeGeneres has already expressed her gratitude to those who've supported her all these years. And we wish her all the best as she prepares to enter this new phase of her life and career.

Though Ellen is done, be sure to check out CinemaBlend's 2022 TV schedule for more talk show options.

We all love a good cameo by a celebrity appearing as themselves for a brief, but fun, little moment. However, what I have always found more amusing is when a famous person portrays themselves in a more prominent starring role from a movie, or in a TV guest appearance that serves as the main focus of that episode (or episodes), or even as the lead of the whole story. With Nicolas Cage playing himself in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, we wanted to take a look at our picks for some more of the best performances by athletes, musicians, or actors who played themselves.

Neil Patrick Harris (Harold & Kumar Movies)

Future How I Met Your Mother cast member Neil Patrick Harris was still best known as the star of Doogie Howser M.D. when he stole the show in the 2004 stoner comedy classic Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle as a highly dramatized version of himself. The Emmy nominee would reprise the role in two sequels that more heavily blend the actor’s reality with increasingly absurd fiction, including getting kicked out of Heaven by Jesus in A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas after he was previously gunned down by prostitutes in Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. 

Cate Blanchett (Coffee And Cigarettes)

Every vignette in Coffee and Cigarettes - Jim Jarmusch’s 2003 anthology of short films starring celebrities as themselves - is gold, but Cate Blanchett leads one of the more unique and thought-provoking of the bunch called “Cousins.” The segment is, additionally, one of the most profound testaments of the two-time Oscar winner’s chameleonic talent, as she makes it so easy to forget she is playing both herself and her brunette relative, Shelly, who struggle to relate to each other while catching up in a hotel lobby.

James Van Der Beek (Don’t Trust The B**** In Apartment 23)

In 2012, James Van Der Beek made his big return to TV as a series regular on Don’t Trust the B**** in Apartment 23 in a role very close to his heart: James Van Der Beek. The actor brilliantly pokes fun at his post-leading the Dawson’s Creek cast career and predicts his future Dancing with the Stars stint as the famous best friend of Krysten Ritter’s Chloe - the title character of ABC’s short-lived, but much-acclaimed, comedy.

Bill Murray (Zombieland)

Most people would consider Bill Murray’s surprise appearance in Zombieland to be one of the greatest cameos of his career (and there are several incredible examples to choose from). However, with only four other characters in the main cast of the classic 2009 zombie comedy, I think we can justifiably count the Oscar nominee’s iconic, hilariously dead-pan portrayal as his post-apocalyptic self as a starring role despite lasting mere minutes. 

Keanu Reeves (Always Be My Maybe)

Another example of a relatively brief appearance that still earns the right to be called a starring role occurs in 2019’s Always Be My Maybe when Marcus (Randall Park) is shocked to learn that his childhood friend (and crush), Sasha (Ali Wong) is dating none other than Keanu Reeves. The John Wick star pulls no punches in his partially improvised portrayal of a wonderfully absurd version of himself in the Netflix original rom-com, in which, during a restaurant double-date, he shows up wearing glasses with no lenses and asks the waiter for a dish that plays with “the concept of time.”

Heather Langenkamp (New Nightmare)

After playing Nancy Kerrigan in two Nightmare on Elm Street movies made her one of the top Scream Queens of the 1980s, Heather Langenkamp would give, arguably, her best performance in the franchise when she returned - not as Nancy, but as herself - in 1994’s New Nightmare. The cleverly meta thriller, in which the actress is taunted by a demon assuming the appearance of Freddy Krueger, also stars fellow horror icon Robert Englund as this new take on the iconic villain and himself as well as writer and director Wes Craven.

The Beatles (A Hard Day’s Night)

The cinematic phenomenon of famous musicians offering a fictionalized peek into their lives off-stage (such as Nick Cave in 2014’s quasi-documentary 20,000 Days on Earth or Foo Fighters in the horror-comedy Studio 666 more recently) arguably began with The Beatles. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr exhibit solid comedic timing and profound athleticism while running from a swarm of screaming fans in 1964’s A Hard Day’s Night - the first of a number of dramatized films the Fab Four made together.

LeBron James (Trainwreck)

Pro basketball star LeBron James has portrayed himself onscreen several times and most recently in 2021’s Space Jam: A New Legacy - a sequel to the hit Michael Jordan/Looney Tunes collaboration from 1996. However, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Small Forward received the most acclaim of his acting career so far for playing himself in Trainwreck - star and writer Amy Schumer’s 2015 rom-com which depicts him and Bill Hader’s “sports doctor to the stars” as best friends.

Stan Lee (Mallrats)

Before his heartbreaking death in 2018, Stan Lee perfected the art of the cameo by appearing in countless Marvel movies. One of his first and most prominent acting gigs (for which he was actually mentioned in the opening credits, too) was as himself in Kevin Smith’s 1995 Clerks follow-up, Mallrats. The comic book icon makes you a “true believer” in his acting ability when he shows up for a couple of scenes to give comic book-obsessed Brody (Jason Lee) some much-needed relationship advice. 

Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm)

It is no secret among die-hard Seinfeld fans that Jason Alexander’s deeply neurotic and troublesome character, George Costanza, was heavily inspired by the personality and life experiences of co-creator Larry David. On his follow-up to Seinfeld - the long-running, HBO original comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm - David has earned several Emmy Award nominations for playing a version of himself who makes George look like a saint, burning bridges with Hollywood heavies and alienating friends and average bystanders at every turn.  

Kate Winslet (Extras)

Star and co-creator Ricky Gervais’ Hollywood satire Extras is chock full of amazing celebrity guest appearances, but Kate Winslet made a damn good case to be considered the funniest in the Emmy-winning comedy’s history. The British Titanic star is seen playing a nun on the set of a film about the Holocaust (which she admits she agreed to star in purely to win an Oscar, having not yet won for The Reader) before later proving herself to be a master in double entendres when offering fellow extra, Maggie Jacobs (Ashley Jensen), phone sex tips.

John Malkovich (Being John Malkovich)

It is a bit rare for an actor to appear in a movie as him or herself while also playing the title character, but 1999’s Being John Malkovich - from from writer Charlie Kaufman and director Spike Jonze - is also a rare kind of movie, and in many ways, too. The two-time Oscar nominee is understandably shocked and frightened by the discovery that a Manhattan puppeteer (John Cusack) has been using a magical portal to be able to take a walk in his shoes for 15 minutes at a time in this wildly creative comedy.

Bruce Campbell (My Name Is Bruce)

Another rare example of an actor playing themselves in the titular role of a film is Bruce Campbell in My Name is Bruce, which is also the last film the B-movie icon directed himself. Campbell is hilarious in the 2007 horror-comedy as a boozy, washed-up version of himself who is forced to channel his iconic Evil Dead character, Ash Williams, in order to defeat a demon wreaking havoc on a small town in Oregon.

Oprah Winfrey (30 Rock)

Another example of a memorably, and often awkwardly, hilarious guest appearance on an acclaimed TV comedy is Oprah Winfrey on Season 3 of 30 Rock. Liz Lemon (star and creator Tina Fey) is delighted to find the larger-than-life media mogul seated next to her on an airplane and cannot help but seize the opportunity to received a dose of wisdom, but who could really blame her for that?

Kevin Garnett (Uncut Gems)

As much as I agree that Adam Sandler deserved greater awards attention for his lead performance in the relentless 2019 thriller Uncut Gems, I think we should be more angry at the fact that former NBA player Kevin Garnett received no awards attention at all. I would go so far as to say I’m glad the Safdie Brothers did not get the athlete they originally wrote the part for (the Knicks’ Amar’e Stoudemire) because Garnett is electrifying as himself (circa 2012), whose interest in a rare opal sets off a series of increasingly dire circumstances for the Sandler as self-destructive jeweler, Howard Ratner.

The This Is The End Cast

The whole point of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s 2013 directorial debut This is the End is to watch the entire cast (including Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson, and many, many more) as hilariously exaggerated versions of themselves who struggle to endure the Apocalypse and a merciless barrage of gags at their expense. Highlights also include an excruciatingly vain (and demonically possessed) Jonah Hill; a lewd, coke-snorting Michael Cera; an axe-wielding Emma Watson; and Channing Tatum employed by a cannibalistic Danny McBride as his sex slave.

You've got to love seeing a famous person let loose and introduce a different, completely fictional side of themselves to the world on screen. I cannot wait to see more examples of actors playing themselves in the future.

Rebel Wilson’s weight loss transformation has been making headlines over the past year. The actress has documented her weight loss journey on her Instagram. In shedding the weight, she has become an inspiration to her followers and fans. With so many fans commenting on her transformation, being an influencer has come with a certain amount of pressure. The Pitch Perfect alum opened about Oprah Winfrey serving as an inspiration in dealing with the public’s weight-loss obsession.

Of course, this wasn’t the first time Rebel Wilson has spoken up about being uncomfortable with people’s obsession over her weight. Much like Wilson, Oprah Winfrey has dealt with viewers speaking on her weight for decades. So, the two stars could relate to each other’s struggle with losing and gaining weight. The Jojo Rabbit star gave Daily Telegraph (via People) a peek into what it was like having fans more obsessed with her weight loss rather than her film career.

Watching viewers become obsessed with Rebel Wilson’s weight loss has been a double-edged sword. While she’s received all this praise, moviegoers overlooked an amazing 2019 to concentrate on her body. But the Pooch Perfect host found a source of strength in the legendary talk show host. Wilson recalled watching old Oprah episodes where Winfrey put a spotlight on her weight loss battle.

Sharing an experience with someone (whether they’re aware of it or not) can make someone feel like less alone in their personal struggles. Thankfully, Rebel Wilson found some comfort in watching old Oprah Winfrey clips. In watching those clips, the actress came away with a great takeaway. Wilson revealed the lesson she learned from watching Winfrey’s weight struggle.

It seemed the power of Oprah Winfrey stuck again. Even years after her monumental talk show ended, Winfrey is still inspiring women to take control of their lives. In being inspired by the talk show queen, Rebel Wilson is, in turn, inspiring her followers to take control of their bodies. At least, Wilson did it on her terms while serving as a beacon of hope for others. Hopefully, all this praise and obsession will transfer to her work with multiple projects on the horizon.

Chrissy Teigen has been publicly accused of cyberbullying a few people on social media, with a lot of her past comments appearing to joke about the deaths of others. After the situation was brought to light, the Lip Sync Battle host went on a very public apology tour and even labeled herself as a “troll." But the scandal took a few interesting turns when it came to Michael Costello's allegations against her and how Teigen decided to respond. Now, speculation has been brewing of late that a Meghan Markle-inspired Oprah Winfrey interview with Teigen is in the works to formally address the scandal.

Chrissy Teigen is weighing in on the hype for it and seems to think it's funny that one of her accusers, Courtney Stodden, would be invited to the supposed sit-down. Recently, TMZ caught up with Teigen in the wake of the bullying allegations. She told them that she was doing “good” and that her husband John Legend has been her “everything.” When asked about the potential of an Oprah Winfrey interview happening, Teigen only said that she had “no idea” about it, but she did seem to laugh off the suggestion of doing it with Courtney Stodden.

Courtney Stodden, who has been featured in several reality shows since her teen years, was one of the first celebs to come forward that they felt bullied by Chrissy Teigen in the past. As early as March this year, Stodden brought up several of Teigen’s old tweets from 2011 (when Stodden was 17), saying “I hate you” and suggesting a "dirt nap" among them. It has since erupted into a full-on scandal with other Teigen tweets and comments about celebs, like Farrah Abraham and Lindsay Lohan, being uncovered.

The consequences of the bullying scandal have been pretty swift for Chrissy Teigen. For example, the star’s cookware was taken out of department stores, she dropped out of a Netflix role recently, and even stepped away from her business with Kris Jenner. Perhaps the only way forward for Teigen would be to have a transparent, in-depth interview with Oprah Winfrey after all.

Earlier this year, Oprah Winfrey was able to draw out a lot of details about the notoriously tight-lipped British royal family during her interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Apparently, Courtney Stodden doesn't think it's a half-bad idea for the same to take place concerning Chrissy Teigen. When asked by TMZ if Stodden, who identifies as non-binary, would join, they said,

Courtney Stodden’s comment appears to allude to the rapidly escalating situation between Chrissy Teigen and Michael Costello. Costello accused Teigen of having him blacklisted in the fashion industry and making him feel suicidal due to the “trauma.” John Legend got involved, and then Teigen made a lengthy statement that accused Costello of lying and faking DMs.

It is definitely not the best year for Chrissy Teigen, who was once heralded for her sharp tongue and thirst traps on social media. But it only makes sense that if Courtney Stodden would be invited to an interview with Oprah, then Michael Costello would be, too. And it's not looking likely that Teigen would volunteer for that.

David Oyelowo and Oprah Winfrey have worked on two significant films in the last decade – The Butler and Selma. The two played mother and son in the former, and that bond seemed to go beyond the big screen. After working together, the actor revealed a sweet story about becoming besties with the TV personality and how his mom felt about it.

Having acted together on several occasions, David Oyelowo and Oprah Winfrey’s bond has become strong over the years. After losing his actual mother, their working relationship has evolved into a real mother-son dynamic. The acclaimed actor said the following on The Late Late Show about his special relationship with the media mogul:

Knowing their relationship formed on the set of the Lee Daniels-helmed film made their bond even more heartwarming. But of course, Oprah Winfrey wouldn’t see herself as David Oyelowo’s mother. As the Midnight Sky actor pointed out, she is the appropriate age to be his mother. I’m sure Winfrey sees herself more like a big sister or fun aunt, but it's the bond that counts.

During David Oyelowo's Late Late Show appearance, host James Corden asked the actor what his mother might think about his relationship with Oprah Winfrey. The conversation took a turn as Oyelowo spoke on his mother’s reaction to certain roles in his career. According to him, his mother had a different reaction to Winfrey playing his mother in The Butler. As Oyelowo explained:

It’s nice to know that the actor’s mother somewhat approved of Oprah Winfrey as a mother figure. She seemed more delighted about Winfrey than any of David Oyelowo’s other roles. But who wouldn’t? It’s Oprah Winfrey! That makes the actor-director and the talk show titan’s bond even more touching given his mother’s passing.

Besides David Oyelowo, Oprah Winfrey seems to have bonded with many celebrities comparably. But given their work on The Butler and Selma, the two’s bond appears to go beyond just casual friends.

News broadcaster and television personality Piers Morgan has been quick to voice his thoughts on a variety of topics. He made waves in 2019 when he got into a social media spat with pop star Ariana Grande. More recently, Piers Morgan made headlines when he revealed his polarizing views of the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, and her husband Prince Harry. Now, Piers Morgan is going after Prince Harry again, this time for an upcoming documentary.

In a recent post on Twitter, Piers Morgan criticized The Me You Can’t See, an upcoming documentary series produced by Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey.

Piers Morgan is of course entitled to express his own opinion, as he is wont to do, but it's probably safe to say that Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey will continue to produce as they choose no matter what Morgan posts on social media. It’s also arguably not entirely accurate to say that Prince Harry has "trashed" the royal family in the past, despite some bombshell interviews and well-publicized conflict within the royal family.

After Prince Harry alleged that Meghan Markle had experienced racism from the royal family, Prince William even expressed a desire to reach out to his brother. When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were interviewed by Oprah Winfrey, Harry took the time for some kind words, saying that he has "huge compassion" for other members of the royal family who "don't get to leave."

Whether or not Piers Morgan will face significant backlash for his latest comments about Prince Harry remains to be seen. Morgan ultimately walked off the set of Good Morning Britain after being called out for some comments about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, which was followed by his departure from the show altogether. And the fallout wasn't limited to just Morgan – The Talk host Sharon Osbourne wound up in hot water of her own after defending him on the CBS show, and she ultimately left her show as well.

What is pretty much guaranteed is that Piers Morgan's comments about Prince Harry won't affect the release of the Apple TV+ series. If anything, his comments may have raised far more awareness about the The Me You Can't See than there was beforehand.

At the time of writing, neither Prince Harry nor Oprah Winfrey has responded to Piers Morgan’s tweet. The Me You Can’t See is premiering on Apple TV+ on June 21. The docuseries will feature interviews with celebs like like Lady Gaga, famed actress Glenn Close, and NBA star DeMar DeRozan, among others. For some more of what you can watch as the weather continues to warm up, check out our 2021 summer TV premiere schedule as finale season keeps on rolling!

Oprah’s bombshell interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sent shockwaves around the world as their discussion dealt with racism, mental health and the monarchy. Everyone from reality television stars to even bigger names had some kind of reaction. But, it was Meghan Markle’s Suits television dad, Wendell Pierce, whose comments went viral, prompting the veteran actor to make a few clarifications.

Many perceived Wendall Pierce’s initial reaction about the Meghan Markle interview to be dismissive and judgmental of Markle's struggles, especially given their former father-daughter relationship on Suits. In a follow up interview with Entertainment Tonight, Pierce clarified what he really meant, and said:

Wendall Pierce’s initial comments came across to many as downplaying Meghan Markle's perception that she was under a mental health crisis and faced racist scrutiny while being an official royal. He certainly didn't seem to offer as much rallying support for his former Suits daughter as her other past co-stars. Ahead of the Oprah interview, Patrick J. Adams lambasted the allegations of Markle being a bully.

For his part, Wendall Pierce claimed to not know much about the controversy and his views are now much more supportive of Meghan Markle. The Chicago P.D. star elaborated by noting that he believes his comments were purposely taken out of context in order to fan the flames of drama during a particularly sensitive time in our history. He stated:

The interview was indeed explosive, prompting a global social media dialogue about exactly how racist or belittling the British royalty and its tabloids might be. The initial airing on Sunday brought in roughly 17.8 million viewers. That's good business for CBS, which is set to cut its normal primetime lineup in order to re-air the interview on March 12.

The network had teased and taunted the public with many clips of Meghan Markle and Oprah up until it's official airing. The buildup inevitably created a divide among celebrities and fans alike,with many feeling that either you're with Markle or you're against her. Without knowing the deeper issues discussed, though, Wendall Pierce initially opted for the safer route of saying that, speaking in general terms, the world's problems weren't hinging on tell-alls from former royals. His initial comment to Britain’s LBC radio station was:

It does seem unfair to crucify Wendall Pierce for wanting the primary focus to be on life-or-death matters. But, the conversation surrounding Meghan Markle's Oprah interview is but a continuation of a larger cultural dialogue we're having about the mechanisms in place that may allow someone like Britney Spears to have a public breakdown, or push Markle to think, at five months pregnant, that her life wasn't worth living.

We often like to situate celebs as the public hero or public villain because it is easier, and perhaps more entertaining. However, the problem with doing so is, like in this case with Wendall Pierce, good intentions can get lost in the hype.

Following Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, the Royal Family responded with a pretty generic statement saying the two and their son Archie will always be members of the family and that the issues they raised were concerning and would be taken seriously. Now Prince William has addressed the matter for the first time, as well.

In a walk and talk style interview, complete with a mask, Prince William told the reporters present he has not spoken to his brother Prince Harry yet, but he will be doing that soon. He denied the allegations of racism against the Royal Family. Here’s a portion of his quote, as seen in a video from The Daily Mail…

On the one hand, it’s nice to hear someone from the Royal Family speak off the cuff about the interview rather than via a statement that was clearly crafted by an army of publicists and lawyers. On the other hand, there’s obviously not a ton to this statement, though it is very telling that Prince William and Prince Harry haven’t spoken since the interview, which dealt with some very difficult topics. That seems like the sort of thing both brothers would want to sync up about, but they’re clearly just not that close, probably for a wide variety of reasons.

The extended interview touched on a wide variety of different topics. Meghan Markle talked at length about how trapped she felt and the depression she dealt with. She also spoke about the difficulty of adjusting to life in the Royal Family and how her new relatives (allegedly) didn't make her life and the period of adjustment very easy. Response to those portions of the conversation have been pretty wide-ranging and extensive, but there has also been a lot of reaction to the couple's reveal that they were asked questions about what color skin their baby might have.

The last story, along with conversations around whether the Royal Family was proactive enough in trying to help Meghan Markle deal with the vicious attacks she was taking from Britain's tabloids, have caused some to ask questions about the Crown's views on race. In the time since the interview aired, many articles have been written on the subject including some that touch on the institution's concerning history with race.

It's unclear where everyone involved will go from here. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry didn't really go out of their way to slam individual family members, particularly Prince William and Kate Middleton during the interview. Prince Harry even said he feels "huge compassion" for his brother because he's "trapped." Given Prince William said in his above comments he's planning to reach out, this whole situation may lead to some positive momentum in their relationship. Either way, it seems clear Prince William is planning to keep on with his Royal duties and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have plenty of publicity and a big Netflix deal to carry them forward.

After taking a brief hiatus through the latter part of February, CBS' Friday-night dramas returned to primetime during the first week of March, and fans were happy to get back to enjoying new episodes of Blue Bloods, Magnum P.I. and MacGyver. But anybody expecting to get fresh eps for two weeks in a row is going to be disappointed, as the network decided to pull all three series' installments from airing on March 12. Why? Mainly so CBS can continue celebrating the ratings success of Oprah Winfrey's headline-making (and Twitter-exploding) interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.

More specifically, CBS is choosing to preempt its regular Friday-night plans in order to re-air Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special, which first made a huge splash with viewers on Sunday evening. (Well, it technically started making waves even before that, as clips and quotes started to run around the internet before the weekend hit.) The anticipation going into it was about as palpable as it gets for primetime network interviews, and it definitely showed in the ratings stats, which are almost definitely what inspired CBS to make this royally impulsive scheduling call.

The Meghan Markle and Prince Harry interview was watched by around 17.8 million people on Sunday night, with delayed stats not yet available. That is a massive audience for any network on a Sunday night, and CBS usually takes that top viewership spot anyway with 60 Minutes, so being able to go above and beyond was clearly a boon to all involved. At this point, according to Deadline, the special has been watched by over 49.1 million people around the world, with the UK premiere on Monday also drawing a huge crowd.

Of course, CBS also tends to win out on Friday nights as well, with Tom Selleck and the Blue Bloods cast pulling in more than 6 million viewers a week for new episodes. It'll be interesting to see if the Oprah Winfrey special's second airing will provide comparable totals, especially since it wasn't available to stream via ViacomCBS' online offerings such as Paramount+, though that was initially the plan.

Of course, for all the reasons that CBS execs might feel justified for swapping out its Friday primetime fare, fans of Blue Bloods, Magnum P.I. and MacGyver probably have different feelings. It's definitely annoying to only get one new episode of a TV show in between weeks of repeats and other preemption-fueled programming. It's not currently clear when the three dramas will return to CBS' lineup, either. With NCAA basketball's March Madness and Final Four games taking over the network for the latter part of the month, it looks like March 19's primetime slots are already filled.

What say ye, readers? Is it a good move for CBS to have doubled-down on Oprah Winfrey's interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, or should it have just slotted the special into its Saturday night schedule as not to mess with Blue Bloods and the other Friday night dramas?

This poll is no longer available.

It was major news when Piers Morgan walked off of the set of Good Morning Britain yesterday. Shortly after, news broke that Morgan had left the series after getting called out by his co-host Alex Beresford for comments pertaining to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry and after a conversation with ITV. Now, we’ve learned a slew of complaints were made in the wake of the Good Morning Britain episode, one from Ms. Markle herself.

Following the notable episode of Good Morning Britain it was reported that a whopping 41,000 complaints were made in the wake of Piers Morgan’s comments on the air. After Piers Morgan’s own “megxit” if you will, the The United Kingdom's Office of Communications said that thousands of complaints came in. In addition, news broke this morning that Meghan Markle had made her own complaint about what happened on the air with ITV.

Reports this week indicated that Meghan Markle allegedly filed her complaint not over what Piers Morgan said himself, which supposedly didn’t bother her. Instead, the story running around is that she filed a complaint with ITV out of "concern" for viewers who were watching whom she felt may also be struggling with mental health. The controversial Piers Morgan had referred to the Oprah Winfrey interview as a “two-hour trash-a-thon” and had expressed unhappiness with Prince Harry after he “let” Meghan Markle “take down his family” on the air.

Piers Morgan has stood by what he said on the showing, noting once that “freedom of speech” is “a hill” he’s “happy to die on.” Per the Daily Mail, who also learned of the complaint news, he also spoke to reporters outside of his home in West London, noting,

He also confirmed that he had chatted with ITV after the on-air incident and ultimately the two parties “agreed to disagree” over what happened and Piers Morgan’s ultimate stance on the matter. He did not apologize for his feelings on Meghan Markle’s decision to interview and to focus so hard on the Royal Family, though he did say that if people want to “believe Meghan Markle, that’s entirely their right.”

Meghan Markle spoke with Oprah Winfrey for a Sunday night interview on CBS that aired widely. For her part, Meghan Markle shared many stories and feelings, much of them focused on her treatment by “the Institution.” She also shared stories about Kate Middleton, Harry’s Grandmother Queen Elizabeth, and an unnamed family member who allegedly spoke to her about how dark her son Archie’s skin might be after he was born. A full rundown of the biggest moments from the Oprah interview is also available.

The two were joined in moments by Prince Harry, who seemed surprised he had been cut off by the Royal Family and who mentioned his family members feeling “trapped.” He also revealed after being cut off that he had a legacy from Princess Diana to fall back on while he and Meghan Markle crafted a plan for where to go next.

That plan will include their own production company and a deal with Netflix worth an estimated $25 million. So, after the uncertainty of their exit from Senior Royal duties, it seems like they’ve set themselves on a new path. As for Piers Morgan, his own path moving forward is much more up in the air.

To say that Meghan Markle has become a major public figure in the past few years would be a major understatement. The public began examining the former actress very closely when she began dating Prince Harry back in 2016, and that only increased after the two married in 2018. Between all of the interviews and TV specials, it feels like we know quite a bit about Markle at this point. However, her recent interview with Oprah allowed her to open up even further. The interview included a number of major bombshells, but people seem to be particularly consumed with a funnier detail we learned about Markle’s past.

During the wide-ranging chat, Meghan Markle opened up about some of the jobs she took on before becoming a working actress. And what people were most surprised to learn is that her first job, which she earned at the age of 13, was working at a yogurt shop. But here’s the funny part -- the shop was called Humphrey Yogart. I guess you have to appreciate the corny but cute name, which is a nice tribute to iconic actor Humphrey Bogart.

The internet, as you would imagine, is having too much fun with the idea of a young Meghan Markle working at the yogurt shop. Some have even joked on Twitter that this reveal is their favorite takeaway from the recent interview:

Humphrey Yogart is a frozen yogurt shop that is still operating in Sherman Oaks, California today, and many viewers were thrilled to see the shop get a shout-out from Meghan Markle. Some even took the time to share their own connections to the shop:

Based on some of the messages on social media, many love the idea that Meghan Markle began her career serving frozen yogurt. Her past occupation seems to be striking a particular chord with fellow former frozen yogurt and ice cream employees:

The new development also has some fans pondering their own futures now. People are getting serious hope from the fact that Meghan Markle began her career serving frozen yogurt and eventually made her way to Buckingham Palace:

In life, everyone has to start somewhere, which means you could begin your professional career by working a job that may not appear too glamorous. You’d be surprised just how many well-known public figures held positions and titles that greatly differ from the jobs we know them for.

All in all, Meghan Markle doesn’t seem to have any problem with having worked at Humphrey Yogart, and she shouldn’t. It was steady work for a young teen, and it now gives her funny stories she can tell to people like Oprah Winfrey. Not only that, but it also appears to be making her even more relatable in the eyes of her fans.

Just a hop, skip and a couple of days after Meghan Markle and Prince Harry dropped numerous bombshells on Oprah Winfrey over at CBS, the Royal Family has made an official statement, thus breaking the silence on some of the claims the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made. Specifically, in terms of comments Meghan Markle made alleging a member of the Royal Family had voiced concerns about the color of their child Archie’s skin before his birth.

The bombshell statement spread like wildfire as the interview was airing and after it aired Sunday evening on CBS. The next day, Oprah Winfrey herself cleared up some of the claims, stating on a Good Morning America appearance that it was neither Queen Elizabeth or Prince Philip who had made the claims. Here is the Royal Family’s official statement on the matter:

The statement, made on “Royal communications” stationary to boot, was featured by Harper’s Bazaar Royal Editor Omid Scoobie on social and on various other outlets online. It’s the first official statement the palace has made about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex since they officially left their Royal Duties back in February. Just a few weeks ago, it was "officially" confirmed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would no longer be "returning as working members of the Royal Family." At the time, the press release mentioned "all" were "saddened by the decision."

This leads to another point of contention in which the official release by the Royal Family and the stories from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry don't quite match up. In the interview, both Harry and Meghan said that they wanted to continue to be a part of the Royal Family with its duties, just no longer as "Senior" members, which they say would have given them more freedom and flexibility. At the time, they had already moved from the U.K., first to Canada and then to the Los Angeles area.

From their points of view, they weren't given the option to only partially step down, which led to other issues and inconsiderations, like losing security for Archie and Meghan, but also Prince Harry, who said he was surprised given he didn't choose his role in society but inherited it. This was only one of many stories that Markle in particular told about her life at the palace, and the biggest had to do with race. Prince Harry confirmed the aforementioned Archie story, noting a role family member had question how dark their first child might be, and that the conversation happened right at the beginning of his marriage, noting,

Both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex declined to mention who in the Royal Family had voiced any concerns over how Archie might look when he was born.

Meanwhile, the CBS interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry was the first foray the formerly Royal Family members took into the world of entertainment. They have also kicked off their own production company and will be producing content for Netflix moving forward. Though Prince Harry says he still has a legacy from his famous mother Princess Diana, he and Markle will be supporting themselves through their ventures moving forward, though it's worth noting Prince Harry and Meghan Markle already put the kibosh on plans to trademark Sussex Royal after leaving their Senior duties, with rumors intimating the Queen may have had thoughts on that matter.

After weeks of press leading up to the bombshell interview between Oprah Winfrey and Meghan Markle, the actress finally sat down with the prominent interviewer and former daytime host to talk about a slew of topics. The interview, which aired on CBS and streaming through CBS’ site, touched on topics including Meghan Markle’s relationship with Kate Middleton, her struggles while Prince Harry was at work and her feelings that she “just didn’t see a solution” to how she was being portrayed and treated as part of the Royal Family. There were numerous bombshells like this playing out during the episode, and we’ve highlighted some of the biggest from Prince Harry and Markle here.

Meghan Markle Knew She Wasn’t Going To Fit Into The Royal Family Very Early On

Meghan Markle's point of view about the Royal Family is that she was very naive about what she was getting into, having never really known much about royalty prior to meeting Prince Harry. The turning point came the day she met the Queen. In fact, she and Harry were in the car when he asked her a question she says she never expected to hear.

Prince Harry mentioned later in the interview that his grandmother had been "amazing" throughout and that everyone had been receptive about Meghan Markle early on and it was after the Australian tour that people really saw what she was capable of. But there were other issues lurking that led to them leaving their duties.

Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Had A Secret Wedding Before The One Aired On TV

Millions of people watched Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Royal Wedding on TV. No one but the Archbishop of Canterbury saw their vows, their real vows, play out in a backyard in advance of the public nuptials.

OK, most of us don’t have the Archbishop of Canterbury at our disposal, but this was one of the few bombshells from the special that was very sweet.

Meghan Markle Claims Kate Middleton Made Her Cry Over Flower Girl Dresses… Not The Reverse

You know the stories. Allegedly Meghan Markle made Kate Middleton cry over the flower girl dresses at her famous nuptials to Prince Harry. That story has been running around for a long time, but Meghan Markle denied them during her big TV moment with Oprah Winfrey. Instead, she says that it was Kate who upset her and later apologized, though the bit about the flower girl dresses was true.

She also told Oprah she didn’t want to get into the details because Kate apologized at the time. Markle also stressed for a bit that the issue that was “hard to get over” in regards to “being blamed for something I didn’t do but that happened to me.” She said she wasn’t sharing this “to be disparaging” to Kate, but she wanted people to “understand the truth,” though whether or not Meghan Markle would throw Kate Middleton under the bus was a topic of debate before the big interview.

Meghan Markle Felt Trapped Living With Palace Restrictions, Particularly With Prince Harry Working

Meghan Markle talked about wanting to go lunch to her friends and was told no because the tabloids had reacted poorly to her in recent weeks. She says she gently mentioned she wasn’t going anywhere most days and needed an outlet, but felt as if she was up against something bigger than her. In her own words she told the Institution:

Unfortunately, the loneliness that was building wouldn’t get better and it wouldn’t go away. Prince Harry also admitted he “didn’t have anyone to turn to” during this time and was ashamed of trying to get Meghan Markle help, just because of the way things are and have always been.

Prince Harry Confirmed Awkward Conversations Were Had About His Relationship With Meghan Markle And The Color Of The Skin Of Their Kids

On Monday, Oprah Winfrey said that conversations about Archie’s skin color were not the concern of the Queen or Prince Philip; however, both Meghan Markle and Prince Harry said they had actual conversations about what Archie would look like with members of the family. They declined to mention who had that conversation with them ahead of Archie’s birth, with Prince Harry noting there were other issues and conversations that should have been red lights for the couple.

Harry also revealed his dad stopped taking his calls for a time as he and Meghan Markle made plans to move forward outside of their Senior Royal duties. He is now speaking with his father, but there's a lot to unpack there.

Why Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Reportedly Didn’t Take The Newborn Picture

The rumor mill was really hard on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle when they didn't take the famous newborn photo with little Archie. According to Meghan Markle, however, due to Archie not getting a title, they were never asked. She says it wasn't actually a choice.

Prince Harry did not touch on this particular incident, but he was very clear that he had compassion for his family and what they are and are not allowed to do. He said of his father Prince Charles and his brother Prince William: "They are trapped. They don't get to leave. I have huge compassion for that."

Meghan Markle Was ‘Depressed’ And Ashamed To Tell Prince Harry, Couldn’t Get Help

In one of her most notable confessions, Meghan Markle said she went to HR and asked for help in regards to her mental health. But because she wasn’t a paid employee of the Institution and because the Institution felt her seeking professional help would not look good to the press, “nothing was ever done.” She finally admitted her feelings to Harry, noting,

Markle says she wasn’t sure who to even turn to, but eventually, she spoke to one of Diana’s best friends and that helped her to start to grasp what was happening to her in the Royal Palace. Oprah Winfrey asked her if she could have sought help on her own, to which Meghan Markle replied, ‘I couldn’t just call an Uber to the Palace.”

The Truth About The Event At The Royal Albert Hall She Attended With Prince Harry

Shortly after admitting to Prince Harry that she was depressed, the two went to an event at the Royal Albert Hall she felt she had to attend. Harry asked her not to go, but she didn’t want to be left alone, so they attended and in the dark she says she wept. Later, a friend showed her a picture of herself at the event, looking beautiful and charming, and all she could see was the stress she was carrying.

Later in the interview, Meghan Markle told Oprah Winfrey she wasn’t trying to be “shocking,” but that this is the “truth” she lived with while still under the grips of the Institution. She wanted to clear up some of the “falsehoods” and felt like it was time to speak out, noting, “There’s a lot that’s been lost already.”

Why Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Moved To The U.S.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry both seemed a little bit overwhelmed by their security being taken away. According to both of them, they proposed part-time work with the Royal Family, even after moving to Canada, but their security was still taken away, with the Institution citing a “status change” as the reason for why.

In March of 2019, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry left and moved to Canada, but security was cut off after the move and given a lockdown was coming and the whole world knew where they lived, Prince Harry says they needed to go elsewhere. By March of 2020, Meghan, Harry and Archie decided to relocate to Los Angeles and figure out what they wanted to do next. During this time, Tyler Perry provided security while the two got off their feet with Archwell.

According to the formerly Royal couple, they took Tyler Perry up on the offer because they felt security was paramount and the family was not providing the “support” they needed. Prince Harry also felt that it wasn’t working, comparing what was happening to Meghan to what happened to his mother. He didn't want the conclusion to his story with Meghan Markle to end the same way.

At the end of the day, a lot was learned from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's perspectives, including the fact that they never had a plan after leaving for Canada and then the United States. The Netflix deal and more was spawned only after being cut off financially, though Harry says he still has his legacy from his mother. It will be interesting to see if anyone from the Royal Family speaks out in the coming days. In the meantime, Oprah Winfrey also spoke out this morning on her interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, touching on a few more moments that came up in the special. You can check it out on CBS.com.

There’s a lot that has been written about the relationship between Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton, as well as their princely partners, Prince Harry and Prince William, in the time since Markle came onto the royal scene. A lot of the headlines have focused on Middleton and Markle’s seemingly frosty relationship, and now with a new feelings-driven interview with Oprah Winfrey on the way, will Meghan Markle expose the alleged rift between the two families?

So far, a preview for the upcoming interview, which is set to air on CBS, has seemingly revealed Meghan Markle is feeling “liberated” and ready to speak out about what happened during the time when she lived in the U.K. and ultimately why she and Prince Harry left to start over in the U.S. However, now insiders are saying that Meghan Markle doesn’t take a negative tact, at least when it comes to Kate Middleton.

A new report over at Page Six indicates that while tonight's big Oprah Winfrey and Meghan Markle sitdown will be filled with all sorts of juicy details, talking smack about her famous sister-in-law will not be one of them. An insider with knowledge of the situation actually says Markle had only “kind words” for Kate Middleton during the sit down.

This is separate from many of the reports that have indicated that there is a rift between Prince Harry and his brother Prince William as well as Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle. Reports have called their relationship “frosty,” particularly after Harry and Meghan ultimately decided to leave their Royal duties. That move has allegedly put more on Prince William and Kate Middleton’s plates.

One particularly notable report came in the Finding Freedom biography, which indicated there was an incident between Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle both were heading to the same location to go shopping and Middleton allegedly decided to take her own Range Rover, alone, instead of going with Markle. Kate Middleton later sent Markle flowers, but it may have been an instance of too little, too late.

In fact, the term “distant politeness” was used in the book to describe their relationship. Even if Meghan Markle chooses not to expose any issues or rifts between the two couples, that doesn’t necessarily mean the “distant politeness” comparison is inaccurate. It may just mean that the two families are a subject Markle isn’t really interested in touching publicly. It's also worth noting Kate Middleton did speak warmly about Meghan Markle when she was going through her first pregnancy, around the time that feud rumors were first swirling heavily. So, it hasn't been all frostiness all the time.

One subject that sounds like it will be coming up will be Thomas Markle, who spoke repeatedly with the press around the time of his famous daughter’s wedding. A letter Meghan Markle sent to her father in the hopes to heal their rift later became the subject of a lawsuit Markle filed after said letter was published in The Mail on Sunday and online. Markle sued after the outlet printed the letter, a lawsuit she recently won. The judge ordered the outlet to apologize on the front page following the lawsuit loss.

How To Watch Oprah Winfrey's Big Interview With Meghan Markle And Prince Harry

Meghan Markle will potentially touch base on her family, the press, and a slew of other topics, but we'll have to wait and see what she says about Kate Middleton and Prince Harry. The interview with Oprah Winfrey will air on CBS on Sunday, March 7 at 8 p.m. ET. The new show will be a two-hour affair on the Eye Network, running from 8-10 p.m.

If you aren't currently a cable subscriber, the interview will also be available streaming on CBS.com.

There are some people, they say, you would have to live under a rock to never hear of, but even in the case of Oprah Winfrey, that would have to be one big rock. As an Academy Award-nominated actress (1985’s The Color Purple) and producer (Lee Daniels’ The Butler among others), a daytime talk show icon, and a trailblazing social activist and philanthropist, to not know Oprah, in many ways, would be not know culture itself.

Of course, even the most prominent figures are private about some things, and that includes someone as famously open about her past and her philosophies as Oprah Winfrey. The media mogul, who followed up the end of her long-running syndicated show in 2011 with the launch of the Oprah Winfrey Network, has a few things that are not as well known to the world.

That being said, before you call yourself an expert on all things Oprah Winfrey just because you binged everything she has put her aggrandizing name on, let us help you figure out if you can verify that claim. The following are eight of the most insightful, relatively lesser-known, and overall inspiring facts about the multi-talented celebrity, starting with the fascinating truth behind her already unique and unmistakable name.

Oprah Winfrey’s Name Came From Frequent Misspellings Of Her Birth Name

While it would not be surprising to learn that her easily recognizable first name is really a stage persona, that is not exactly the case for Oprah Winfrey, although “Oprah” is not how her birth certificate identifies her. On January 29, 1954, Winfrey was born “Orpah” (a name from the Old Testament), but few people from her Mississippi hometown managed to pronounce -- and, as a result, spell it-- correctly. After enough years of people writing the “p” before the “r,” Winfrey came to adopt it as the official spelling she would go by, which would eventually become the biggest name in daytime talk show history.

Oprah Winfrey’s First Talk Show Gig Came From News Anchor Demotion

Years before earning that status, Oprah Winfrey started out as an evening news anchor for WJZ in late 1970s Baltimore, which her 2019 book The Path Made Clear: Discovering Your Life’s Direction and Purpose revealed to be an unceremonious debut, according to CNBC. After enduring her employers’ criticism for her appearance and performance, Winfrey was later demoted and made co-host of the station’s talk show People are Talking. The job allowed her to finally be herself and the was first step to achieving her own self-titled program.

Oprah Winfrey Was Involved In The National Child Protection Act

Her achievements outside of her television career should also not go unnoticed, especially her crusade against the child abuse. In addition to dedicating multiple episodes of her show to the subject of sexual abuse, Oprah Winfrey was also a major component to passing The National Child Protection Act, informally called “the Oprah Bill” by an official White House press release (via attorney Andrew Vachss’ website), which was signed by President Bill Clinton in 1993 as Winfrey stood right beside him. Her commitment to preventing children from such misconduct stems back to her own personal history of it.

Teenage Oprah Winfrey Became Pregnant By Her Abusive Uncle

For years of her youth, Oprah Winfrey suffered molestation from multiple family members, including her uncle, which resulted in pregnancy when she was 14. She spoke to Piers Morgan on CNN about hiding the child from her father out of shame and contemplating suicide until she ended up having a miscarriage, which she saw as an opportunity to turn her life around. In 2015, while delivering her one-woman show to an Australian audience, summarized later by The Herald Sun, Winfrey announced that she decided to honor that second chance by naming her unborn son Canaan, which means “new land, new life.”

Oprah Winfrey Made Herself Ineligible From The Daytime Emmy Consideration

The opportune life and career that Oprah Winfrey has led since the darker days of her past was recognized in 1998 when she received the Lifetime Achievement Award at that year’s Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony, following six consecutive wins for Outstanding Talk Show Host. As CBS News recounted, after her seventh win (shared with Rosie O’Donnell) in 1999, Winfrey opted to pull permanently out of the category, which her friend and fellow daytime talk show host Ellen DeGeneres would also do after her fourth win in that category.

Oprah Winfrey Became The First Billionaire Black Woman

Conquering life in the eyes of the Daytime Emmy Awards was just one of many outstanding feats Oprah Winfrey has achieved. One significant example was in 2003 when, according to Money.com, she became the first black woman to earn a net worth of $1 billion, which she more than doubled since, as Forbes can confirm, with $2.5 billion currently. However, that may not even be her greatest reward.

Oprah Winfrey Received A Presidential Medal Of Freedom

Arguably, Oprah Winfrey’s highest honor came from former president Barack Obama who, in 2013, awarded her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. According to online archives from Obama’s White House term, among that year’s 15 other recipients was Bill Clinton - a key element of the Child Protection Act and one of the great philanthropic acts which helped earn Winfrey the Medal.

Oprah Winfrey Is Obsessed With Truffles

However, no awards were given to Oprah Winfrey’s 2017 cookbook Food, Health, and Happiness, which includes 115 recipes, eight of which (according to BonAppetit.com) are for truffles. The website also goes into how deep Winfrey’s infatuation with the edible fungi has gone since Lisa Marie Presley first gifted her with a basket of food that included Truffle Salt, leading her to write multiple essays about her love for the delicacy in O Magazine and teaching Stephen Colbert how to cook a “sexy breakfast” with it on Late Show.

What do you think? Are you now fixing to make truffles the main snack for your next Oprah Winfrey binge party? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back for additional information and updates on the influential media personality, as well as even more in-depth looks into the lives of your favorite celebrities, here on CinemaBlend.

There are few people who have not been inspired by Oprah Winfrey in some way, shape, or form. It could have come from a segment on her long-running syndicated day time talk show, her Academy Award-nominated starring role in The Color Purple, or even in the many times Drake & Josh hilariously paid homage to her.

Jokes aside, the strength of Oprah Winfrey’s presence in said hit Nickelodeon sitcom, despite never actually appearing on it, is good enough evidence to me of how influential the 66-year-old American icon is by her name alone. In fact, the amount of films, TV shows, works of literature, and other media that may not have received the same level of attention and/or praise without her involvement is undeniable. Whether she is serving as a producer, a cast member, or simply appearing as a “Special Thanks” credit is, typically, all you need to get excited for a project.

In case all this talk has suddenly gotten you excited for an all-day Oprah marathon, we got your covered. The following are 12 examples of movies and TV shows that Oprah Winfrey put her name on in some way that you can stream right now, starting with the first acting gig she ever landed before becoming a quintessential face of modern media.

The Color Purple (Hulu)

A portrait of the life of a Black, Southern woman (Whoopi Goldberg) suffering the abuse of her father, her eventual husband (Danny Glover), and others in the early 1900s.

Why It Is A Great Option For Oprah Fans: Eleven Academy Award nominations were given to director Steven Spielberg’s 1985 adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Color Purple, including for Oprah Winfrey’s supporting role as the fiercely independent Sofia, giving audiences a taste of own persevering personality.

Stream The Color Purple on Hulu here.

Greenleaf (Netflix)

Sinful secrets and damning lies threaten to tear apart a well-to-do family and ruin their reputation as the owners a popular megachurch in Memphis.

Why It Is A Great Option For Oprah Fans: In addition to serving as executive producer, Oprah Winfrey appears in the recurring role of Mavis McCready an extended member of the titular Greenleaf family, in this acclaimed hit soap opera, which is also an original series from her cable channel, OWN.

Stream Greenleaf on Netflix here.

A Wrinkle In Time (Disney+)

Years after the mysterious disappearance of her scientist father (Chris Pine), a young girl (Storm Reid), along with her younger brother (Deric McCabe) and neighbor (Levi Miller), is given the chance to find him in a place that exists outside of space and time by a trio of mystical beings (Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Mindy Kaling) as their guides.

Why It Is A Great Option For Oprah Fans: Excluding her extravagant costume design, Oprah Winfrey’s performance in director Ava DuVernay’s visually stunning adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s iconic fantasy novel A Wrinkle in Time as the omnipotent and often, literally, larger than life Mrs. Which is only a slight exaggeration from her true nature.

Stream A Wrinkle in Time on Disney+ here.

The Princess And The Frog (Netflix, Disney+)

Thinking a kiss will change a talking frog (Bruno Campos) back into the prince he claims to be, a New Orleans restaurant server (Anika Noni Rose) instead turns into the amphibious creature herself and must work with His Royal Arrogance in order to figure out how to break the spell.

Why It Is A Great Option For Oprah Fans: Before teaming with Disney for its take on A Wrinkle in Time, Oprah Winfrey provided the voice of Eudora, the mother of protagonist Tiana, in its animated, unique reinterpretation of the classic story of The Princess and the Frog, which was nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Animated Feature.

Stream The Princess and the Frog on Netflix here or on Disney+ here.

Bee Movie (Netflix)

After leaving the hive to go on his own for the first time, a disillusioned bee (Jerry Seinfeld) discovers how humans have been profiting off his species’ honey and makes an attempt to sue them for it.

Why It Is A Great Option For Oprah Fans: While her time in Jerry Seinfeld’s charming animated adventure Bee Movie is relatively small, Oprah Winfrey’s character Judge Bumbleton (who, despite what her name may suggest, is not an insect herself) is very crucial as her verdict in Barry B. Benson’s case is what decides the future of honey industry.

Stream Bee Movie on Netflix here.

Charlotte’s Web (Netflix, Tubi)

After a runty pig named Wilbur (Dominic Scott Kay) is devastated to learn that he will be slaughtered for bacon by the end of the season, a kind spider (Julia Roberts) who resides in his pen hatches a plan to save his life.

Why It Is A Great Option For Oprah Fans: Directed by the late Gary Winick, this charming, live-action adaptation of the E.B. White novel Charlotte’s Web from 2006 features a slew of big names as Wilbur’s barn animal friends, including Oprah Winfrey as the voice of Gussy - a wise, stern, and often funny goose.

Stream Charlotte’s Web on Netflix here or on Tubi here.

The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks (HBO Max)

With the help of a journalist conducting research for a book on the subject, a woman delves into the history of her late mother, whose cancerous cells were harnessed and used in the development of groundbreaking advancements in medicine without her authorization in the early 1950s.

Why It Is A Great Option For Oprah Fans: Based on the book by Rebecca Skloot (portrayed by Rose Byrne), The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tells the fascinating true story of a woman (Renée Elise Goldsberry) who unwittingly contributed to the first immortal human cell line told through the eyes of her daughter Deborah Lacks, played by Oprah Winfrey, who also serves as executive producer on the 2017 HBO original film.

Stream The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks on HBO Max here.

When They See Us (Netflix)

A group of five Harlem natives fight to defend their innocence in the case of a white, female jogger’s brutal assault, which begins when they are just teens and ends far into their adult years.

Why It Is A Great Option For Oprah Fans: In one of her most powerful, yet heart-wrenching, collaborations with developer and director Ava Duvernay, Oprah Winfrey also executive produced 2019’s When They See Us, a four-part miniseries based on the true court case that lasted from 1989 until 2014, for Netflix, on which you can also find her special interview with the real Central Park Five called When They See Us Now.

Stream When They See Us on Netflix here.

Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire (HBO Max)

Illiterate, overweight, abused by her hateful mother (Mo’Nique), and currently pregnant with her second child by her rapist father, a teen nicknamed Precious (Gabourey Sidibe) receives much-needed hope for a better life from an alternative school teacher (Paula Patton) in late 1980s Harlem.

Why It Is A Great Option For Oprah Fans: While not based on fact, Precious is a deeply emotional, grounded, and, arguably, just as brutal story as our previous entry and made director Lee Daniels an Oscar-nominated household name with help from producer Oprah Winfrey, whom he would cast in 2013’s Lee Daniels’ The Butler.

Stream Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire on HBO Max here.

Running From Crazy (Tubi)

A chronicle of the infamous history of mental illness within the descendants of Ernest Hemingway, told through the eyes of his great-granddaughter - Oscar-nominated model and actress Mariel Hemingway - as she struggles to outlive her family’s tragic legacy.

Why It Is A Great Option For Oprah Fans: The Emmy-nominated documentary Running from Crazy, which originally aired on OWN in 2013, is yet another intriguing and heartbreaking true story of overcoming great odds that producer Oprah Winfrey helped bring to light.

Stream Running from Crazy on Tubi here.

The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)

In a male-dominated dystopian society, a woman (Elisabeth Moss) forced to bear children for infertile government officials is determined to rebel against patriarchal oppression consuming what used to the United States.

Why It Is A Great Option For Oprah Fans: In a surprise cameo, Oprah Winfrey made two uncredited vocal appearances as a radio news announcer in the second and third seasons of the Emmy-winning The Handmaid’s Tale, based on Margaret Atwood’s novel, which is right up her alley as she got her start as a Nashville news anchor.

Stream The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu here.

Ellen And Her BFF Oprah (Amazon Prime)

A collection of clips from The Ellen DeGeneres Show featuring visits from America’s other favorite daytime talk show icon.

Why It Is A Great Option For Oprah Fans: It is a beautiful thing to see two women in the same industry join forces as comrades instead of fighting over popularity and Ellen and her BFF Oprah, which sees the host in some of her greatest moments with the woman who practically made her show possible, Oprah Winfrey, is a testament to that.

Stream Ellen and Her BFF Oprah on Amazon Prime here.

What do you think? Have we provided you with the ultimate Oprah binge by suggesting the above titles, or will nothing ever beat her award-winning talk show? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back for additional information and updates on the inspirational public figure, as well as even more of own suggestions of what you can stream today, here on CinemaBlend.

Longtime BFFs Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King have been reunited after spending months apart. The two popular media personalities, who had been quarantining on separate coasts with their families, dropped a video this past week of them finally hanging out. Don’t worry, though, there was a social distancing plan in place.

The two ladies and their respective families set up two separate tables with plenty of space in between. That way, they could talk to each other and hang out without any risk of getting Covid-19. Then, later on, Gayle King and her family, who travelled from New York to join Oprah Winfrey and her family in Santa Barbara, will get tested. If the results come back negative, they’ll all then be able to hang out with each other safely. You can check out the Instagram video Oprah Magazine dropped below…

Most of the discussion surrounding the pandemic has focused on the health impacts, the economic impacts and governmental rules, regulations or lack thereof. That’s obviously understandable, but in addition to the more measurable effects, there has also been a real impact in quieter ways on things like mental health and friendship. In short, most of us have really missed seeing those we love on a more regular basis, and that’s every bit as true for Oprah and Gayle as it is for you and your best friend.

King and Winfrey have been friends since the mid-to-late 70s. The public became much more interested in their bond, however, after The Oprah Winfrey Show took off in the late 80s and early 90s. King worked as a special correspondent on the show, and the ladies’ friendship was sometimes a source of discussion. It’s wonderful to see how well they still get along.

In the time since The Oprah Winfrey Show ended, its namesake has taken at least a small step back from the public eye. She launched the OWN TV network and has appeared in a variety of specials and worked as a producer or executive producer on a number of projects and will do so moving forward with Apple too. She recently hosted a two night special called Where Do We Go From Here? that touched on current social justice protests and the next steps we can take as a nation. King, on the other hand, has pursued more projects and stepped more into the limelight on her own. She is currently a co-host on CBS This Morning and has spent the past several years conducting many high profile interviews.

Here’s to hoping hanging out again in person was everything both of the women hoped for and more. There’s no replacement for a good friend, especially one that’s been by your side to offer support for more than four decades.

The number of celebrities being diagnosed with the coronavirus is steadily increasing, with The Bachelor’s Colton Underwood and Younger’s Debi Mazar among the latest to contract it. This group also includes Idris Elba, who initially took to social media to announce the news. While it has been an ordeal for him, the actor has been spreading information about the virus and is now sharing his experience.

Idris Elba recently appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s Apple TV+ talk show, Oprah Talks COVID-19, during which he spoke in depth about the disease and the public’s perception of it:

Elba also took a moment to acknowledge fellow actor Tom Hanks for being one of the first celebrities to speak out about being diagnosed. Believe it or not, it was actually Hanks’ actions that encouraged Elba to say something:

It can’t be easy for Elba to be sharing all of this with publicly, but he should be applauded for it. His situation can serve as a means of both informing people who are still learning about the disease and as a comforting hand to those who have been diagnosed and are struggling with it.

Tom Hanks, in particular, has been extremely candid since he and his wife, Rita Wilson, were diagnosed while in Australia. Following the revelation, he’s made it a priority to share updates through his social media accounts, and many of them have been delightful to say the least.

More importantly, Hanks is making a difference by making sure people are in the loop regarding treatment and care and, as a result, he’s inspiring people to do more. His good friend Kevin Bacon is one of the people that’s aiming to take his lead.

Other stars like Rachel Matthews and Debi Mazar have also encouraged their fanbases to stay informed and do what they can to keep themselves healthy. Idris Elba, Tom Hanks and their colleagues unfortunately won’t be the last celebrities to contract the coronavirus, and we at CinemaBlend will do our best to keep you updated as news arrives.