It’s not everyday that Oprah Winfrey stops by and graces folks with her presence on a morning or even a midday talk show. But that’s exactly what happened on Wednesday’s episode of “The Sherri Show” as O continues her press tour for the upcoming musical version of “The Color Purple.”
In fact, not only did Oprah stop by to talk all things purple — she also blessed Sherri and her eponymous talk show by officially passing the daytime talk show baton to her, prompting cheers and applause from the audience. After Sherri asked Oprah about her legacy and what it means to her, the iconic talk show host explained:
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“When I came back from opening my school in South Africa and I said to Maya [Angelou], ‘Maya,’ I said, ‘the school is going to be my greatest legacy. Those girls are everything.’ And she said, ‘You have no idea. You have no idea what your legacy is going to be.’ Because she said, ‘Your legacy is never one thing. It’s every life you touch.’
And I pass that on to you …what Maya said to me that day…it’s every audience member who ever came and wherever they came from and they sat in that audience and they had an experience and they went home.
Oprah continued, “And they decided I’m going to do better. I’m going to get a better job. I’m going to leave my raggedy husband. I’m going to do whatever I need to do. So it’s every life you touch. So it’s not one thing. For me to be able to see you, to sit in the seat of your life on your own show with your name on it. It is the passing on.”
Sherri then asked, “So you’re officially passing the baton?” To which Oprah responded: “I’m passing the baton.”
While the moment is understandably monumental for Sherri (and arguably deserved given her ratings, track record of good guests and consistent viewership with this only being her second season) — it does, however, beg the question as to why Oprah hasn’t passed the baton before to an equally successful talk host such as Wendy Williams.
Not only did “The Wendy Williams Show” rule the daytime talkshow slot for years with a loyal fanbase, often-viral moments, and equally impressive guests, but her previous history as Queen of Radio also proved she had what it takes to bring in consistent ears and eyeballs from people wanting to know her opinion. Given the fact that Sherri was technically chosen as Wendy’s successor after the decision was made to end Wendy’s show and eventually replace it with her own, this feat of getting Oprah’s official stamp of approval is more remarkable than not.
Congratulations to Sherri, may her reign as the new Queen of Daytime Television be long and prosperous.
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