Oprah Winfrey -- who built a billion-dollar empire persuading everyone from celebs to average Joes to reveal the truth about themselves -- is a big phony when it comes to her own past, an explosive new book charges. Winfrey's relationship with longtime "love" Stedman Graham , her reputed dirt-poor upbringing in rural Mississippi, her rumored lesbian crushes on women such as Diane Sawyer -- all are stories she has manipulated for decades in the name of sensational ratings, according to writer Kitty Kelley's latest unauthorized biography "Oprah. Winfrey was born in Kosciusko, Miss. She may not have been well off, but Oprah was relatively "spoiled" as a little girl, her cousin said.
By Jeremy Olshan. Oprah Winfrey — who built a billion-dollar empire persuading everyone from celebs to average Joes to reveal the truth about themselves — is a big phony when it comes to her own past, an explosive new book charges. Winfrey was born in Kosciusko, Miss. The truth is boring.
More than a mere talk show host , Oprah Winfrey is an award-winning actress and producer, a media mogul , and a philanthropist. Many people count her among the most influential women internationally. The larger-than-life success, fame, and fortune Oprah enjoys today did not come easy, however; she had much to overcome. But it's clear to see how her childhood shaped the woman she would become. Her story begins in s-era Mississippi.
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