Good Riddance, Oprah

Oprah Winfrey’s final show airs this afternoon, and even though she’ll still be in the news and on the cover of her own magazine every month, I’m thrilled that she at least won’t be on TV every day.

An Oprah fan once pointedly asked me why I didn’t like Oprah. Ambushed, I failed to articulate much beyond “she’s a big closeted fake and CLEARLY a villain from a Bond movie.” But over at KSK, Drew Magary put it into much better words than I ever could:

Oprah has basically built a career out of tricking people into being inspired by Oprah talking about herself…

Oprah’s slogan is “Live your best life,” but what her slogan really means is “Live Oprah’s life.” Read the books SHE likes. Get advice from HER doctors. Hang out with HER friends. Buy the things SHE buys. She’s not so much a human being as she is a walking infomercial, covered in seal blubber and topped with a poofy wig. Even her most personal revelations are calculated for maximum brand impact.

And the thing is, that massive ego is the result of Oprah’s minions adoring her without a shred of skepticism. I’d have a lot more tolerance for Oprah and her brand if I met some Oprah fans capable of critically analyzing what they were buying into. (And also if Oprah was hotter.)

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