Oprah and I both worked at WJZ-TV in Baltimore and lived in the same apartment complex when we were just starting out. We were girlfriends-two people kind of the same age, colleagues, working girls, single. We were struggling with a lot of the same issues. She was trying to find herself, in a way, through journalism, but she was already more on track than anyone I knew.
I always knew she had an incredible head on her shoulders. She had a very spiritual component even then; she’d sing at church on the weekends. She asks a tremendous amount from herself. She’s a very reliable, honest person. There’s no pretense there. And she has a great sense of humor. She can just wink at other women, and they all know what she means.
I’m so proud of her and happy that she’s done as well as she has. She’s a star in the firmament. Obviously, she’ll be a role model for many generations to come.