Oprah Winfrey Reveals Which Star Intimidated Her Most And The Anxiety She Felt After Her Show Ended

Oprah Winfrey, the legendary, Mississippi-born talk show host, opens up about the struggles she faced after her ever-popular and culture-defining talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, ended in September 2011. It has been six years since the wonderful talk show left our television sets, and now, one of today’s most influential women is sharing her reflections on what the whole experience taught her.

This week’s issue of People will feature the TV queen Oprah Winfrey as she tells her fans about what life was like after her show came to an end after 25 years on the air. The show that Oprah Winfrey brought to life was an American syndicated tabloid talk show that had 25 amazing seasons, produced and hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The show remains the highest-rated talk show in American television history.

Oprah Winfrey, 63, shared that it was not an easy task to adjust to life after The Oprah Winfrey Show ended. Apparently, the famous talk show host found herself “off balance” two years following the talk show’s conclusion. “I was so accustomed to having an itinerary done for me and that itinerary just being jammed from the time I got up in the morning. I wouldn’t even look at it until was I done with the day. I’d just say, ‘Where am I next? What do we do now?'”

Despite what her lack of balance may imply, Oprah Winfrey clarified that despite the challenges that came with adjusting to her new life, she was never depressed about the show ending.

“I was just like, ‘Oh, okay. It’s 7:30, and I woke up when I heard the birds,’ ” Oprah explains. “I had to figure out how to set a schedule based on what I want to do. I don’t have to be in the office at any certain time. I don’t have a 9:00 show and a 1:00 show and then a 3:00 meeting afterward.”

According to Vanity Fair, Oprah Winfrey’s suddenly emptier schedule was not the only factor that graced her with challenges. Apparently, the OWN TV Network found itself struggling in ratings in 2011 despite Oprah Winfrey’s efforts to improve its performance. The famous talk show host attempted to bring in high-profile individuals for interviews, and yet, the ratings could still see better days.

Oprah Winfrey discussed her stresses about the matter during the Harvard commencement speech in 2013, where she admitted that she was stressed about the whole ordeal. “I was stressed and I was frustrated and quite frankly I was actually embarrassed.”

“How do I now kind of create a life based on what I want?” she queried. “I didn’t know what I wanted, so it took me a while to figure that out.”

Fortunately, Oprah Winfrey does have a project coming up and her fans will be able to witness her crafty wit and on-point hosting skills once again in the upcoming HBO film, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

Meanwhile, Oprah Winfrey isn’t immune to feeling intimidated sometimes, despite her success and inspiring background. According to Page Six, Oprah Winfrey admitted that she came across certain fears when she was tasked to act in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

“I’d never played a role like that and nor have I done it enough to feel really solidly comfortable in the space,” Oprah admitted. “I have a lot of actor friends … like I was on set the other day with ‘Wrinkle in Time’ and I said to Reese [Witherspoon], ‘So Reese, how many movies have you done?’ and she said, ‘I don’t know, I don’t know … hundreds, I don’t know.’ So I was like ‘Oh God, please don’t ask me how many movies I’ve done.'”

According to Oprah Winfrey, when she asked Reese Witherspoon about the number of movies she had been in, she began thinking about her own films. Apparently, the famous billionaire talk show host and producer found herself comparing movie success numbers. “I think I’ve done five,” she exclaimed. “It’s rare that I feel intimated, but I felt intimidated.”

[Featured Image by Mike Windle/Getty Images]