Winfrey was born into poverty in rural Mississippi

to a single teenage mother and later raised in inner-city Milwaukee.

She has stated that she was molested during her childhood and early teenage

years and became pregnant at 14; her son was born prematurely and died in infancy.

[11] Winfrey was then sent to live

with the man she calls her father, Vernon Winfrey, a barber in Nashville,

Tennessee, and landed a job in radio while still in high school.[4]

By 19, she was a co-anchor for the local evening news.

Winfrey’s often emotional, extemporaneous delivery eventually

led to her transfer to the daytime talk show arena,

and after boosting a third-rated local Chicago talk show

to first place,[12] she launched her own production company…

Winfrey’s often emotional, extemporaneous

delivery eventually led to her transfe

r to the daytime talk show arena, and after boosting a t