Oprah’s New York Fans

Oprah Winfrey started off her 22nd season at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Five thousand screaming fans showed up and their overwhelming display of adoration prevented Oprah from continuing. During commercials fans were heard screaming, “I love you Oprah,” and at the end of the show, she was given a standing ovation.

Oprah’s New York fans are an energetic group of women and men. They hold forums and reading groups on Oprah’s famous book selections and there are meet-ups in many New York towns. One Oprah based group, Oprah’s Angels, are a non-profit organization supporting programs for women, children, and families. Their programs include educational programs, and health and human services. Oprah's Angels has chapters all over the Northeast. Their charity, Oprah’s Angel Network, was started in 1998, and has raised over fifty-one million dollars.

Some of these New York fans, while still supporting Oprah, were also supporters of their Senator from New York, Hillary Clinton. Some criticized her for abandoning women in her early and ongoing support for Barack Obama. However, this conflict has not stopped their admiration of her.

Oprah has fans all over the world. Her show airs in 140 countries and in the United States alone, she is viewed by 30 million people each week. She crosses all kinds of demographic lines and in recent years has become very popular in the Arab world. Her New York fan base is equally varied. There are men, women, blacks, whites, all age groups and religions, and all social and economic groups are present. Some of her fans are truly fanatics.