Oprah, Thanks for the Memories

Today marks the end of a television era. After 25 years of daytime dominance, Oprah Winfrey’s CBS show is signing off. While we wait to see our 2008 Person of the Year again on her OWN network, we wanted to take a stroll down memory lane and revisit some of our favorite Oprah episodes:  
 

• Oprah’s week-long move from Chicago to Amarillo was the move followed ’round the world. She captivated millions with her court appearance to defend her 1995 episode that revealed the horrors of a beef industry rampant with mad cow disease.
• Inspired by guest Kathy Freston’s book Quantum Wellness, Oprah went vegan for three weeks and marveled, “I never imagined meatless meals could be so satisfying.”
• Oprah dedicated an entire episode to exposing the stifling, crippling conditions of chickens, cows, and pigs on factory farms as Californians prepared to vote on Proposition 2. The measure passed by a large majority—in part thanks to her revealing show.
• After Oprah saw a billboard off the Kennedy Expressway that read, “Oprah: Do a show on puppy mills. The dogs need you,” she immediately jumped at the opportunity to save lives. Just a few minutes of her horrifying exposé were enough to convince viewers that adopting from an animal shelter is the only way to go.
• Our food envy was raging when Chef Tal Ronnen cooked his “Chicken” Scallopini and other delectable vegan meals on one episode of the show.
• When captive-chimpanzee attack victim Charla Nash decided to show her face to the public for the first time, it’s no surprise that she chose to do it on Oprah’s show.
• When Kathy Freston released her new book Veganist, Oprah did another vegan show, and one-upped herself by having 378 staffers go vegan for a week.

We’re sure that in true Oprah fashion, she will continue to be a voice for animals on her new network.