The Oprah Winfrey Show - The Farewell Season

The Farewell Season

On November 20, 2009, Winfrey announced that the 25th season would be the show's last. She said during the live Friday episode:

I love this show. This show has been my life. And I love it enough to know when it's time to say goodbye. Twenty-five years feels right in my bones, and it feels right in my spirit. It's the perfect number—the exact right time. So I hope that you will take this 18-month ride with me right through to the final show.

Monday, September 13, 2010 was the season premiere of The Oprah Winfrey Show's final season. Winfrey opened the show with guest John Travolta and announced that the 300 guests in the audience were her most loyal fans and ultimate viewers of the show, who had expressed their admiration of the show through the show's website and through emails. Those 300 people were invited there specifically for the premiere show. She said that Travolta was voted the most favorite guest.

The 25th season premiere included flashbacks from the last 25 years, and included various audience members and their experiences watching the show. There was also a segment on how they chose some of the 300 people who were in the audience. Don Johnson and Paul Simon also made special guest appearances on the premiere show.

At the end of the show, Winfrey announced that she was flying all 300 audience members with her to Australia and that John Travolta would be the pilot. On December 11, 2010 Winfrey arrived in Sydney, Australia to record shows at the Sydney Opera House. Winfrey and her 300 American audience members were officially welcomed at a cocktail party in Sydney's Botanical Gardens overlooking Sydney Harbour. The beach-themed party, hosted by New South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally, featured live music from top recording artist Guy Sebastian and a fireworks display over the water which culminated in the lighting of a red 'O' on the Harbour Bridge.

The episodes in Australia were coordinated between Harpo Studios, Tourism Australia, Tourism New South Wales, the Sydney Opera House, Tourism Victoria, Tourism Queensland, R.M. Williams and Network 10. The federal government of Australia spent $1.5 million on the event while the government of the state of New South Wales spent an additional $1–2 million to promote the region. Tourism minister Martin Ferguson said "I think it's money well spent". Also a further A$650,000 just by Tourism Victoria alone.

The farewell season featured several notable cast reunions including The Sound of Music, The Color Purple, and The Way We Were.

While Winfrey was in the midst of ending her celebrated talk show, she managed to launch her cable network, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, in conjunction with Discovery Communications

On April 14, 2011, the show began a 30-day countdown to the finale. The countdown displayed the number of shows left at the beginning of every episode and concluded each episode with notable pop-culture figures thanking Winfrey for her contribution to the world and wishing her luck on all future endeavors. The countdown also featured exclusive videos from Winfrey on Oprah.com recorded after every show in which she expressed how she felt the taping that day went.

In May 2011, Winfrey interviewed U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, her first-ever interview with a sitting president and First Lady. They talked about the challenges of parenting at the White House, the strength of their relationship, and their concern for the country's future. President Obama also thanked Winfrey for her contributions to the country. "You've got a big heart, and you share it with people. Nobody knows how to connect better than you do," he said. "We are just blessed and grateful to have you in our lives."