Oprah Winfrey does not have any biological children, is not married and has never had a husband; however, she has been in a relationship with Stedman Graham, an American educator, author, and public speaker, since 1986.
Oprah Winfrey is one of the most familiar names in the media world today. Dubbed the Queen of All Media, she owns and hosts the highest TV program in the media circle. She is a talk show icon, actress, producer, and billionaire philanthropist. But besides all these, what is up with her love and family life? Find out.
Does Oprah Winfrey Have Children?
Oprah Winfrey does not have a child of her own. She gave birth to a premature child in her teens, but the baby did not survive. Winfrey opened up about how her 19-year-old cousin repeatedly raped her for years until she became pregnant. She gave birth to the baby at the age of 14.
Although he died in infancy, Oprah would subsequently name her late son Canaan, explaining that his death gave her a new life. “I did have a son, and I named him Canaan because Canan means new land, new life”. Meanwhile, Oprah’s long-term partner, Stedman Graham, has a daughter (Wendy Graham) from his previous marriage with Glender.
Wendy, who is the only child of Stedman,was born in 1975 and is currently 49 years old. She keeps a low profile, making it difficult to find most of her details in the media. However, it is widely known that she is married to her younger lover, Bradley Kerwin Greene, 36, and that they have an adorable daughter named Cadence together.
The billionaire TV star shares a very close bond with Wendy Graham to the extent that one would even think she is her biological daughter. In her own words; “I love and regard Wendy as my own child”. However, we cannot say if she legally adopted her as there is no reliable record to prove that.
More so, Oprah has adopted many young girls through her foundation, The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. The girls, who are described as super intelligent, include Tabitha Ramotwala, Nompumelelo Mpumi Nobiva, Noluthando, Thando Dlomo, and many others. She calls them her “daughter-girls”.
Is Oprah Winfrey Married?
Given that many have since been seeing her live nothing short of a family life with Stedman Graham, they tend to believe and conclude that Oprah is married to Stedman. However, the fact remains that Oprah Winfrey is not married, does not have a husband, and has never been married before.
Over the years, Oprah Winfrey has dazzled her TV fans and audience with her candor and bold personality, sharing her struggle and journey about surviving sexual abuse in childhood, dealing with her weight, and not having a child of her own. She has also opened up about her personal life with men, including her long term friendship with Gayle King.
Oprah Winfrey and Stedman Graham Have Been Together For 38 Years
Oprah Winfrey and her lover Stedman Graham’s relationship has been going strong for over 38 years now. Theirs was not love at first sight as they didn’t have any romantic connection at first. But they grew a love for themselves after some time and started dating.
Meet Graham Stedman, Oprah Winfrey’s Partner
Oprah Winfrey’s partner, Stedman Graham, is a 73-year-old American businessman, public speaker, author, and teacher. He was born on the 6th of March 1951 in Whitesboro, New Jersey, United States of America. He is a former athlete and sportswear model. Graham is the founder, president, and chief operating officer of S. Graham & Associates, a sports-focused management, marketing, and consulting firm.
What brought Graham to the media attention is the fact that he is Oprah’s partner, besides that, he used to be a common American businessman. Before the media attention, Stedman was married to his first wife, Glenda, in 1974 and they had a daughter named Wendy, who was born in 1975. However, the marriage didn’t stand the test of time as they divorced a few years down the line.
Meanwhile, Graham once opened up about his struggle to escape Oprah’s shadow and be more than her boyfriend. He said that he wants people,including Winfrey’s fans, to recognize him for his personal accomplishments rather than Oprah’s as they individually have their own passions and visions. Stedman categorically stated that he is his own man with his own dreams and ideas.
I’m with a very special person who is — she’s just so unbelievable, but that has nothing to do with my life. …I just support her in her life. And she supports me in my life”, he stated.
The Couple Met in a Hospital in 1986
As revealed in an article Oprah penned in 2020, she and Stedman’s romance took off sometime in 1986 after they met in a hospital where their mutual friend suffering from AIDS was admitted. While in the hospital, the duo shared a brief conversation and also a beautiful connection. But according to Oprah, she know Stedman had a girlfriend at that time and so she didn’t put much thought into the idea of dating him.
They left the hospital at the same time and she asked him if she could get a drink for him but he kindly rejected the offer. Oprah said that she figured Stedman must be a player because he was too handsome and even though he was polite and kind, she wasn’t that impressed still. Her producers thought the same thing and warned her not to get involved with him.
At first, she followed her friends’ advice and maintained only a cautious friendship with Graham, but that was not until a few months later when she learned he had broken up with his girlfriend. After the breakup, Graham also inquired about her dating status and she began to give him attention because she was actually not dating anyone at that time.
They became close friends and started dating shortly after. Soon into their relationship, Oprah found out Graham is a very supportive and kind person. Graham started coming over weekends to her luxury Chicago apartment and they spend more time together.
He once called into “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and asked Oprah’s fans what she had been telling them about him. From then, the couple began to make headlines with many questions about when they would be getting married.
Oprah and Stedman Got Engaged in 1992
On a certain day, Oprah was in her house waiting for Graham to come over, and upon arrival, she heard his voice and went outside to welcome him. It was there and then that Stedman popped the question. “I want you to marry me, I think it’s time”, Graham said. In response, Oprah said, “Ah, that’s really great.”
They both kept the news of their engagement secret for some weeks before Oprah shared it on King’s TV show in November 1992 and fans were so excited for them. However, even though she accepted the proposal initially and as well announced it herself on her show, Winfrey shortly called off the wedding plans.
She said her major reasons for calling off the wedding preparations was that she didn’t want the compromises, sacrifices, and the day in day out commitment required to make a marriage work. To say the least, Oprah Winfrey wasn’t ready for marriage but preferred only a relationship with Graham.
“The moment after I said yes to his proposal, I had doubts. I realized I didn’t actually want a marriage”, she wrote in her 2020 O Magazine article. She further stated that even Stedman knows that her priority was her life with the show and not marriage.
They Continued The Relationship Even After Calling Off Their Wedding Plans
Despite rejecting his proposal, Stedman Graham still maintained the relationship with her. They both agreed to remain committed to what they had going on without exchanging a marital vow. Meanwhile, in 2016, rumors spread that Oprah and Graham had secretly gotten married but the media mogul quickly debunked them.
In a Twitter post, she wrote; “6 people who know me well have called today congratulating me or surprised they weren’t invited to my wedding. IT’S NOT TRUE!!”, Also, in an interview she had with Vogue, Oprah said that their relationship wouldn’t have lasted if they had married, because in her opinion, “marriage requires a different way of being in this world”.
She further explained how Graham’s interpretation of what it means to be a husband and what it would mean for her to be a wife would have been pretty traditional, and that she wouldn’t have been able to fit into that. She revealed that Stedman is never demanding anything from her like ‘Where’s my breakfast? Where’s my dinner?’ which she believed would have long changed had they gotten married.
To date, Oprah Winfrey and Stedman Graham are still together and going strong, but unmarried. They have continued to make several public appearances together which also constantly fuel tabloid speculations regarding the legitimacy of their relationship. “Every time we showed up in public… there’d be another exploitive story”, the media mogul said.
With an estimated net worth of $2.7 billion by Forbes, Oprah Winfrey has admitted on several occasions that she couldn’t have managed to be a mom and a successful woman at the same time.
Oprah Winfrey Explains Why She Does Not Have a Child of Her Own
Due to many questions and misconceptions, Oprah Winfrey decided to set records straight on why exactly she didn’t have kids and will never have. Speaking to People magazine, the 54-year-old media mogul said that she has no regrets over deciding not to have kids because she experienced “the depth of responsibility and sacrifice that is actually required to be a mother”
She explained that she talks to a lot of messed-up people who she believes are messed up because they had fathers and mothers who were not aware of their responsibility and how serious that job is. She further said that she has high regard and respect for women who choose to be at home all day long with their kids.
Oprah continued by saying that she works 7 hours every day and can’t imagine going home to meet another whole responsibility from a husband and children. In her words, “she filled that maternal fold with charitable work”, and does not have one regret about her decisions to date.
She also expressed that she gets enough fulfillment via the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. “Those girls fill that maternal fold that I perhaps would have had. In fact, they overfill — I’m overflowed with maternal.”
Key Facts About Oprah Winfrey’s Relationships and Love Live
| Children | None (Biological) |
| Late Son | Named Canaan, died in infancy |
| Considered as Own | Wendy Graham (Stedman Graham’s daughter), “daughter-girls” from the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa |
| Relationship Status | In a relationship with Stedman Graham since 1986 |
| Engagement | Engaged to Stedman Graham in 1992, but never married |
| Marriage | Never married |
| Stedman Graham | – Born March 6, 1951 (Age: 73 years old) |
| – Founder, president, and COO of S. Graham & Associates | |
| – Former athlete and sportswear model | |
| – Previously married to Glenda, with whom he has a daughter, Wendy | |
| Wendy Graham | – Born in 1975 (Age: 49 years old) |
| – Married to Bradley Kerwin Greene (Age: 36 years old) | |
| – Has a daughter named Cadence | |
| Gayle King | – Born December 28, 1954 (Age: 69 years old) |
| – Close friend of Oprah since 1976 | |
| Personal Life | – Opened up about childhood sexual abuse and personal challenges |
| Net Worth | Estimated at $2.7 billion by Forbes |
| Views on Motherhood | Believes she could not have managed being a mom and her career simultaneously |
| Philanthropy | Founded the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa |
A Look at Oprah’s Long-term Friendship With Gail King and Why Many Thought She was a Lesbian
Gayle King is a 69-year-old American TV personality, author, and broadcast journalist who has been close friends with Oprah Winfrey since 1976. Oprah and King met in the 1980s while working on a local Baltimore television station. Since then, they have been going strong and inseparable both personally and professionally.
“She is … the mother I never had, she is … the sister everybody would want. She is the friend that everybody deserves. I don’t know a better person”, Oprah emotionally expressed. Her 80-year close-knit friendship with King is legendary and has over the years taken center stage. The two stars themselves even goggle at their story.
Oprah said in O, The Oprah Magazine that she is very certain that their relationship was designed by a hand and power greater than her own. “The secret to me is trust. I trust you totally, even if I disagree with you, I still trust you,” Gayle said in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
To celebrate their nearly 50 years friendship, People magazine honored the dynamic duo in April 2022. Along with pairs like Octavia Spencer and Allison Janney, Mandy Moore and Minka Kelly, Oprah and King got glammed up for a professional shoot together. At the photo shoot, the long-term friends joked around while opting for some classic power poses.
Gaile King and Oprah’s closeness is the major reason many come up with the rumor that they are lesbians. Speaking in an interview with Babara Walters, Oprah Winfrey set the record straight over the long lasted rumors that she is a lesbian. “I’m not a lesbian… I’m not even kind of a lesbian”, the 68-year-old billionaire expressively said.
Oprah said that the fact that people would think she is lying irritates her the more because she wouldn’t even hide it if she were to be one because that is not the way she runs her life.
FAQs
Who is Oprah Winfrey’s husband?
Oprah Winfrey does not have a husband; however, she has been in a relationship with Stedman Graham since 1986. Stedman Graham, is a 73-year-old American businessman, public speaker, author, and teacher. He was born on the 6th of March 1951 in Whitesboro, New Jersey, United States of America. He is a former athlete and sportswear model. Graham is the founder, president, and chief operating officer of S. Graham & Associates, a sports-focused management, marketing, and consulting firm.
Is Oprah Winfrey gay?
Oprah Winfrey is not gay. Over the years, she and Gayle King, whom she met while working at a local Baltimore television station in the 1980s, have been inseparable both professionally and personally, sparking constant rumors that they are gay. In response Oprah told Barbara Walters, “I’m not a lesbian … I’m not even kind of a lesbian. And the reason why it irritates me is because it means that somebody must think I’m lying”.
Is Oprah Winfrey married to a woman?
Oprah Winfrey is not married to a woman. As a matter of fact, she is not and has never been married, however, she has been in a relationship with Stedman Graham, an American educator, author, and public speaker, since 1986.
Does Oprah Winfrey have a daughter or a son?
Oprah Winfrey has neither a daughter nor a son. She has no child at all and it’s a choice she made by herself.