16 Outstanding Oprah Show Openers

Season 6: "Fifth Anniversary Show"

In her sixth season opener—which aired on September 9, 1991—Oprah took time to look back at the previous five years of her journey on television, revealing five shows she would never forget.

• "No Blacks in Forsyth County" (February 9, 1987) — "In February 1987, we took the show to Forsyth County, Georgia, to find out why no black person had ever been allowed to live there for 72 years," Oprah said. "It's not the first time I've ever been called the n-word, but it was the first time on television."
• “Skinheads” (February 4, 1988) — "This was the first time in the history of this show that guests and audience members got up and walked out and I didn't mind a bit."
• "Diet Dreams Come True" (November 15, 1988) — In this show Oprah rolled out the infamous wagon of fat. "One of the most unforgettable moments of my life occurred on this show back in 1988," she said. "It was also one of the most popular shows we've ever done."
• "Alaskan Men Looking for Brides" (February 17, 1989) — Oprah and her staff loaded up a plane with handsome, single Alaskan men all looking for wives. When they arrived at the airport in Chicago, eager bachelorettes stormed the airport to get first dibs on the Alaskan men. "Two couples did get engaged but so far no wedding bells," Oprah said.
• "Truddi Chase: 92 Personalities" (May 21, 1990) — Truddi had developed dissociative identity disorder after years of brutal sexual abuse by her stepfather. Oprah says Truddi's story moved her to tears because she was just beginning to contemplate her own childhood abuse. "This show triggered a flood of so many painful memories in my own life that I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown during taping," Oprah said. "I asked that we stop, but they didn't."