18 episodes
Oprahdemics Radiotopia
-
- Society & Culture
-
-
4.6 • 120 Ratings
-
Oprahdemics [oh-pruh-dem-iks] - noun - The unauthorized study of The Queen of Talk.
We’re taking you back to weekdays at 4pm. Kellie Carter Jackson and Leah Wright Riguer are historians, best friends, and Oprah obsessives. Now, it’s time to pour through the archives to relive and rehash the most iconic episodes from the decades-long run of the Oprah Winfrey Show.
From book club controversies to diet fads and wars with the meat industry, conversations about police brutality and sexuality… and of course big giveaways… Oprahdemics will treat Oprah as the historical, social, and political force that she is — and have have lots of fun.
As Kellie and Leah recap each show, they’ll put the show in critical context, and ultimately explain why Oprah will always be the Queen of Talk.
-
Oprah, Actress
To wrap up our first season, we bring you a conversation recorded at our first ever live show at the Tribeca Film Festival. We discuss Oprah’s career in film, as actress and producer, from The Color Purple to The Butler.
Special Guest: Wesley Morris, culture critic for The New York Times and co-host of “Still Processing.”
Find lots more and subscribe to our newsletter on our website — Oprahdemics.com
Producer Nina Earnest, Executive Producer Jody Avirgan. Artwork by Jonathan Conda.
Oprahdemics is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.
Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.
If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: Oprahdemics.com -
Oprah and Beyonce
Beyonce appeared on Oprah’s show multiple times — as a singer, wife, mother, and mogul. We discuss how the relationship between these two icons evolved and reflected the larger culture.
Special Guest: Treva Lindsey, Associate Professor in the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department at Ohio State University.
Find lots more and subscribe to our newsletter on our website — Oprahdemics.com
Producer Nina Earnest, Executive Producer Jody Avirgan. Artwork by Jonathan Conda.
Oprahdemics is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.
Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.
If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: Oprahdemics.com -
Oprah and the "Debt Diet"
In 2006, Oprah Winfrey profiled three families, their spending habits, and their out of control debt. The episode caused a huge stir, with audience members, the public, and Oprah herself adding a level of shame and disbelief at how the families spent their money. It also launched the eight-step “debt diet” program. But the episodes didn’t get at the larger structural questions of why families end up in debt, and why it’s so hard to break free.
Special Guest: Mehrsa Baradaran, professor at UC-Irvine and author of How the Other Half Banks and The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap.
Find lots more and subscribe to our newsletter on our website — Oprahdemics.com
Producer Nina Earnest, Executive Producer Jody Avirgan. Artwork by Jonathan Conda.
Oprahdemics is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.
Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.
If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: Oprahdemics.com -
Presenting: Love Thy Neighbor
We’re bringing you something special this week! We’re introducing a new podcast produced by Pineapple Street Studios called Love Thy Neighbor.
Hosted by journalist Collier Meyerson, this five-episode series is about two communities in the New York City neighborhood of Crown Heights: the Lubavitch Jewish community and the Caribbean-American community.
It’s a story about immigration; white flight; the downfall of New York City’s first Black mayor, David Dinkins; and the rise of Rudolph Giuliani. But it’s also a story about Meyerson’s own journey as a Black, Jewish New Yorker and what it means to be a neighbor.
Check out Love Thy Neighbor wherever you listen to your favorite shows. -
Oprah and The Donald
Donald Trump appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show eight times, with Oprah touting him as a model American success story. He also used the show to tease his political ambitions, with little pushback on his racism and misogyny. Their relationship reveals a lot about how Trump built his brand, how different audiences viewed his story — and ultimately how he forged a path to the presidency.
Special guest: Christina Greer of Fordham and the podcast FAQ NYC.
Find lots more and subscribe to our newsletter on our website — Oprahdemics.com
Producer Nina Earnest, Executive Producer Jody Avirgan. Artwork by Jonathan Conda.
Oprahdemics is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.
Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.
If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: Oprahdemics.com -
Oprah Gets Duped by James Frey
In 2006, Oprah Winfrey picked James Frey’s “A Million Little Pieces” as a book club pick, catapulting Frey into the literary limelight. Soon after, though, reports emerged that he’d fabricated much of the memoir and his most harrowing experiences with drugs and violence. So Oprah confronted Frey on her show, in a very awkward interview. Years later, though, she apologized to Frey for the confrontation. We break it all down and what it means to be duped, be called out, and show contrition.
Special guest: Glory Edim, founder of “Well Read Black Girl” and host of the Well Read Black Girl podcast. Learn lots more at wellreadblackgirl.com
Find lots more on our website — Oprahdemics.com
Producer Nina Earnest, Executive Producer Jody Avirgan. Artwork by Jonathan Conda.
Oprahdemics is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.
Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.
If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: Oprahdemics.com
Customer Reviews
Far too entertaining!!!
The second season cannot come soon enough, and I hope there will be many more. I don’t recall how I found this show. Oprah is great, but these hosts and their perspectives are what keep me excited for this podcast.
Where are you?
We need you. Please.
Such a good show!
Season 2 can’t come soon enough.