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Celebrity Sightings In New York City - May 14, 2015

Source: DVT/Star Max / Getty

Oprah Winfrey isn’t afraid to share her failures and her missteps. After having the #1 daytime talk show for 25 years, she soon learned her audience for OWN was vastly different. Lady O. is on the cover of Variety magazine and she reflects on the five years of ups and downs that have come from launching her network.

“I had the biggest ‘aha’ moment of my life when I read “The Seat of the Soul” by Gary Zukav. [He says,] ‘What is the thing that you really intend? Because that is going to determine what actually happens’.”

If you ever wondered what was Oprah’s mission behind her channel, it may inspire you: “I am intentionally trying to create programming that lets people see the best of themselves.

The 61-year old is humble enough to admit that Tyler Perry’s series’ are what really helped to improve OWN’s fledgling ratings. Now, she can brag about having the #1 show on cable because Tyler’s Have And The Have Nots is ratings gold.

Oprah is also BFF’s with her Selma co-star David Oyelowo as well as the films director, Ava DuVernay.

“We have so much in common in terms of how we see the world and what we want to do in the world,” says Oyelowo.

According to Variety, the pair almost launched a production company together but later dismissed the idea. However, they will be serving as co-producers on the Disney film, The Water Man, a coming of age story which Oyelowo describes as “Stand By Me meets E.T.”

Now with OWN on the upswing, Oprah could easily enjoy its success somewhere on a beach with her lifelong bae, Stedman, but naw. She’s involved in every aspect of creating new original programming including the highly anticipated, Queen Sugar with DuVernay. In 2016, also expect to see the church drama, Green Leaf as well as Tulsa from Oscar Award winning actress, Octavia Spencer about the little-known race riots in Oklahoma in 1921.

Let us know, what’s your favorite show on OWN?

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