Outside of the Oprah show: no one wanted to say good-bye

Harpo Studios in Chicago. Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Standing outside Harpo Studios today after Oprah announced that she was ending her show really did feel like the end of an era.

Just after 10 a.m., at the end of the live show, swarms of audience members poured out the doors and were overtaken on the sidewalk and street by dozens of media members (including me) eager to find out what it was like to be inside on what many termed a historic day. A few said they were happy because they thought Oprah was going out on top and wouldn’t have wanted to witness the decline if she had let the show drag on for too long. After her next season and 25 years of “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” it was time bid the Queen of Daytime a fond farewell.

But most others were sad — one said she was “heartbroken” — and talked about how much they were going to miss Oprah and her show. A woman in her 50s said she would always remember sitting in the audience listening to Oprah say goodbye, much as others recall where they were during other historic events like the assassination of JFK or the Challenger explosion. Another fan said Oprah’s coverage of just about every topic imaginable helped guide her through issues her own mother did not, such as colonoscopies, sex and masturbation.

The more they talked about Oprah’s triumphs and how much she meant to them, the more I found myself agreeing that no one else would ever really be able to step into her pretty shoes. I’m not sure if that’s because I’m an unabashed fan or because I have a tendency to empathize with whomever I happen to be talking to. When I was a courts reporter, I always completely bought the prosecutor’s argument and thought, “Guilty!” Until the defense attorney started talking, at which point I would entirely believe his or her version of events and lean toward, “Innocent!”

Luckily we’ve got time to adjust to Life Without Oprah, as her last show won’t come until September 2011. I suppose we’ll all find a way to go on, though Chicago will be a bit dimmer without her star presence, much as the city lost a bit of luster when Michael Jordan packed up his Nikes and hit the road.

I would feel even worse about this, but already some joy has started seeping back into my life. I’m guessing it’s because of the brand new hot pink Oprah hoody I picked up at the Oprah store after the show.