Oprah Winfrey’s Talk Show Posse: Where Are They Now?

Twenty five seasons of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” brought us 25 seasons of tears, joy … and Oprah’s pals. We all know that longtime friends Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz and Nate Berkus went on to star in talk shows of their own, but what about the rest of Oprah’s pals?

 Here’s an update on her former talk show posse:

Rosie Daley

She was Oprah’s personal chef for five years—and she shared the wealth of her recipes via a 1994 bestselling cookbook called “In the Kitchen With Rosie: Oprah’s favorite Recipes.” In a 1998 interview with Vogue, Oprah said of the cookbook’s success, “Rosie didn’t know what hit her. Made her rich. It is the fastest-selling book in the history of publishing.” Daley’s “Oprah” cookbook and subsequent book team-up with Dr. Andrew Weil made her rich enough that today she no longer has to cook for a living.

Art Smith

Another chef introduced to us by Oprah, Art Smith worked as her personal chef for years and made frequent appearances on her talk show. But these days Smith is teaming up with Lady Gaga’s dad, Joe Germanotta, to open an Upper West side restaurant called Joanne’s.

Dr. Robin Smith

You knew O had a guest in crisis when Dr. Robin appeared on the show. The psychologist/author/ordained minister/motivational speaker turned up regularly to give relationship advice on Oprah’s talk show. These days Dr. Robin continues to spread her positive message via radio broadcasts and personal appearances. Dr. Robin penned the New York Times bestseller, “Lies at the Altar: the Truth About Great Marriages," a swell as the book, “Hungry,"  which is about humanity’s quest for authentic, honest lives.

Gayle King

We loved Gayle’s road trips with Oprah –  all must as much as her taste tests to find the country’s greatest hamburger. But the end of Oprah’s talk show didn’t mean less TV face time for her BFF. Six months after “Oprah” went off the air, the O -Magazine editor-at-large signed a deal to co-anchor “CBS This Morning.” King’s stint on the morning news show began in January, 2012.

Bob Greene

He was Oprah’s one time personal trainer, who taught us to live our best lives. But without Oprah’s talk show forum, what is Bob Green up to these days? He’s still dispensing health and fitness advice on his Best Life website and is a regular contributor to O Magazine.

Andre Walker

He was the hairstylist with the mostess, creating Oprah’s million dollar hair looks for the entire 25-season run of her talk show. But as a parting gift to fans, Oprah and Andre decided to share the wealth. During her final “Favorite Things” show, Oprah gave viewers the scoop on Walker's hair care line, claiming his are the only products she uses on her hair.  In addition to peddling his primo products, these days the hair guru pens a column for Ebony Magazine.

Oprah and Nelson Mandela: A Look Back at the Historic Interviews

When former South African president Nelson Mandela died in 2013 at age 95, his longtime friend Oprah Winfrey used social media to post a statement about his passing.

"One of the great honors of my life was to be invited to Nelson Mandela's home, spend private time and get to know him," the OWN founder shared on Instagram. "He was everything you've ever heard and more -- humble and unscathed by bitterness. And he always loved to tell a good joke. Being in his presence was like sitting with grace and majesty at the same time. He will always be my hero. His life was a gift to us all."

Oprah's tribute was accompanied by a smiling photo of the two, and over the weekend her network featured a repeat airing of the 2000 talk show interview she did with the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize winner. The media mogul took to Twitter to write, "This Mandela Interview makes me so proud… I couldn't see it at the time, was too anxious and nervous."

The historic interview (Oprah didn't seem nervous to us) featured the talk-show queen asking the anti-apartheid leader about his long fight against oppression, and how he forgave his jailers after a 27-year imprisonment. But first, she pointed out that her humble guest showed up at her studio and asked producers, "What is the subject of today's show?"

During the interview, Oprah asked Mandela: "How does a man spend 27 years in prison, put there by an oppressor, and come out of that experience, with not a heart of stone, not a cold heart, but a heart that is willing to forgive and embrace?"

Mandela's response: "If I had not been to prison, I would not have been able to achieve the most difficult of tasks in life. And that is changing yourself. The opportunity to sit down and pick, I was in the company of great men in there. Some of them, more qualified, more talented than I am. And to sit down with them, to have changed views, was one of the most revealing experiences I have had."

Oprah later said the entire Harpo staff lined the hallway to shake hands with Mandela, and they dubbed the space the Nelson Mandela Hallway. "This has not happened before or after," she said.

See a clip from Oprah's interview with Nelson Mandela here:

A year later Mandela did another interview with Oprah, this time for O Magazine. In that interview he talked about how prison made him a changed -- and wiser -- man.

"Before I went to jail … I never had time to sit and think," he said. "As I worked, physical and mental fatigue set in and I was unable to operate to the maximum of my intellectual ability. But in a single cell in prison, I had time to think. I had a clear view of my past and present, and I found that my past left much to be desired, both in regard to my relations with other humans and in developing personal worth."

Mandela also vowed that if he ever got out of prison he would make it up to the family and friends he'd disappointed in the past, and added that his mission was to build schools and educate people.

"No country can really develop unless its citizens are educated," he said. "Any nation that is progressive is led by people who have had the privilege of studying. I knew we could improve our lives even in jail. We could come out as different men, and we could even come out with two degrees. Educating ourselves was a way to give ourselves the most powerful weapon for freedom."

It was Mandela who inspired Oprah to found her Leadership Academy for Girls, just outside Johannesburg in his native country.

The 60-year-old OWN CEO told Forbes that when she was invited to Mandela's home in the Western Cape for a 10-day stay in 2000, talk turned to poverty and the sad state of schooling in his country. She promptly pledged $10 million to South African schools and broke ground on her own school two years later.

"When you go to Nelson Mandela's house, what do you take?" she said. "You can't bring a candle. I wanted to leave something that would be of value."