The Oprah Show Producers Tell All

What It's Like to Work for Oprah

It's the number one thing family, friends, and neighbors of Harpo employees want to know. Read on to find out what it's like on the job...

...when your boss's dogs are a part of the team: "We all love seeing Oprah's dogs around the office. On my very first day at Harpo, Oprah's dog Solomon—who was just a puppy at the time—came over and peed right next to my chair. Literally, right next to my chair. And I thought, Well, I hope that's a sign. This is probably something good, right?"—Tara Montgomery, Supervising Producer

...when things get stressful: "I did a makeover show with Nate Berkus when I was 7 and a half months pregnant. Oprah was shooting at someone's house while we were supposed to be setting up at Wal-Mart, but she got done sooner than expected. All of a sudden we see her black Suburban pass us on the highway, so there I was, with this huge belly in the passenger seat of Nate's tiny Porsche, going 85 miles an hour trying to beat Oprah to the Wal-Mart—and he and I burst out laughing. Under high-stress situations, our team tends to react with laughter rather than tears, because sometimes things get so crazy you just have to laugh."—Lisa Morin, Senior Supervising Producer

...in the make-up room: "Whenever we do two tapings in one day, the makeup colors I apply for the earlier show often have a brand new effect when Oprah switches outfits for the later one: The same lipstick can appear pink with a fuchsia sweater and take on a coral tint with a peach blouse, and the lighting can change the color, too. There have been instances when I didn't have enough time to adjust a lip color that I thought was unflattering, and it ended up working out for the best. When I saw her on stage I thought: That actually looks really good!" —Derrick Rutledge, Makeup Artist

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