Oprah Winfrey stepped out with longtime partner Stedman Graham for the 40th anniversary celebration of The Oprah Winfrey Show, marking the couple’s first public appearance in nearly a decade.
The businesswoman, 72, had a reunion with her coworkers from her hit series, The Oprah Winfrey Show, ahead of the 40th anniversary of the talk show, during an event at Navy Pier in Chicago over the weekend.
Winfrey was joined by Graham, 75, as she celebrated at Chef Art Smith’s restaurant, Reunion, with the couple posing alongside Smith and a large platter of fried chicken.
Winfrey said in a video shared to the restaurant’s Instagram account while Smith and Graham held up a massive plate piled high with chicken wings, “Hey, Art’s fried chicken!”
Graham, who works as CEO of his own management and marketing consultancy firm, looked dapper in a black suit and white shirt, while Winfrey donned a matching cream pinstripe blazer and pants.
“I cannot even believe that as of next month, September 8, it will be 40 years since we first launched The Oprah Winfrey Show. Thank you for being the greatest team ever,” Winfrey said in a speech on her Instagram.
In her caption, she added more detail about the moment.
Clips showed Winfrey hugging her former coworkers and holding a platter of fried chicken alongside Graham and Smith and shouting, “Art’s Fried Chicken,” at the camera.
The photo was shared by TV producer Jill Van Lokeren, who worked as a senior supervising producer on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Van Lokeren captioned a carousel of photos, writing: “15 year reunion for The Oprah Winfrey Show. The best segment 1 surprise guest showed up. A night of all love and pure joy. Forever grateful @oprah. + @thechefartsmith hosting at his fabulous @reunionnavypier was an added treat! Love our Ty for organizing.”
Chef Art Smith wrote on Instagram Aug. 10: “Our Reunion team was filled with gratitude this weekend as we had the honor of hosting Oprah Winfrey and the Harpo Studios crew for a very special anniversary celebration of The Oprah Winfrey Show. A true Chicago legend, Oprah has touched countless lives throughout the years. Here’s to lasting friendships, unforgettable memories, and the people who make Chicago such a special place.”
The rare outing was particularly significant for the notoriously private couple.
The pair’s last joint public appearance was over seven years ago at the Tyler Perry Studios grand opening gala in 2019.
Oprah reflected on why public appearances as a couple have become so infrequent, saying: “She actually said, ‘Whoever’s sitting at the typewriter, they’re thinking, What can we say this week that’s going to sell some stories?’ It’s also why I stopped making as many public appearances with Stedman because I realized that every time there’s a new photograph, there’s a new story.”
Winfrey and Graham first met at a charity event in 1986—the same year The Oprah Winfrey Show premiered—and have been inseparable ever since.
They met while visiting a mutual friend who was sick. Winfrey has said she “thought he was nice enough, but I wasn’t that impressed.”
The couple’s relationship took a major turn decades into their partnership.
They got engaged in 1992 but called it off a year later.
“The moment after I said yes to his proposal, I had doubts,” Winfrey wrote for O, The Oprah Magazine. “I realized I didn’t actually want a marriage. I wanted to be asked.”
She explained further: “I wanted to know he felt I was worthy of being his missus, but I didn’t want the sacrifices, the compromises, the day-in-day-out commitment required to make a marriage work.”
She and Graham have said that had they tied the marital knot, they would not still be together.
Graham told Ellen DeGeneres during a 2019 appearance: “The thing about our relationship is I want the best for her. So, you know, I’m dedicated to her happiness.”
In the viral moment that sparked the reunion party, Winfrey’s four-decade milestone with Graham also aligned with a major professional anniversary.
The Oprah Winfrey Show ran for 25 seasons with 4,561 episodes.
The show originally aired from September 8, 1986 to May 25, 2011.
This week’s celebration marked the approach of the show’s 40th anniversary in September.
Oprah noted in her speech, “I cannot even believe that as of next month, September 8, it will be 40 years since we first launched The Oprah Winfrey Show.”