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Oprah Winfrey, veteran talk-show, journalist, TV executive, and interviewer, is set join CBS News Magazine as a Special Contributor this Fall, according to a Tuesday announcement by the network’s program’s executive producer, Jeff Fager.
Winfrey is set to make her first appearance on the legendary program on this Fall as the show enters its 50th season.
She appeared on the network in the twilight of the Obama administration in an interview with immediate former first lady Michelle Obama in December, 2016.
Winfrey’s appointment may not be unrelated to the network’s recent loss of talent over the past two years as it struggles with the void the losses have created. Prominent of these are the untimely death of Bob Simon, who died in a car accident in February, 2015 , and the passing away of Morley Safer in 2016.
In his announcement of Winfrey’s appointment, Jeff Fager, 60 Minutes’ Executive Producer, said as follows.
“There is only one Oprah Winfrey. She has achieved excellence in everything she has touched. Her body of work is extraordinary, including thousands of interviews with people from all walks of life. She is a remarkable and talented woman with a level of integrity that sets her apart and makes her a perfect fit for 60 Minutes. I am thrilled that she will be bringing her unique and powerful voice to our broadcast.”
. @Oprah Winfrey becomes a special contributor to @CBSNews ’ @60Minutes : https://t.co/tYwGJP1vDH pic.twitter.com/P39Br64jb2
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 31, 2017
In her response to the announcement, Oprah describes the network as a “bastion of journalistic storytelling.”
“I’ve been a big admirer of 60 Minutes since my days as a young reporter. I’m so excited and proud to join forces with this historic news program, which for me represents the bastion of journalistic storytelling. At a time when people are so divided, my intention is to bring relevant insight and perspective, to look at what separates us, and help facilitate real conversations between people from different backgrounds.”
Oprah Winfrey has had a storied career spanning 25 years that featured her titular talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show , which has won millions of American hearts and various awards.
Winfrey went on to start her production firm, Harpo Communications, which has spun a number of view-worthy and successful programs including the Dr. Phil , The Dr. Oz Show , and Rachel Ray . Winfrey’s Harpo also produced the award-winning movie Selma alongside Ava DuVernay, where she featured as Annie Lee-Cooper, a civil rights activist famous for punching Selma Sheriff Jim Clark.
Winfrey was also nominated for the 1985 Academy Awards Best Supporting Actress for her role in Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple. Winfrey will star in the upcoming HBO movie The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and the Disney Channel feature film A Wrinkle In Time .
She currently serves as chairman and CEO of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, which she founded in 2011 in partnership with Discovery Communications. According to CBS , OWN has become one of the fastest growing cable networks for women, achieving its highest rated and most-watched year in network history in 2016.
Oprah Winfrey also founded O, The Oprah Magazine, which recently launched her first cookbook memoir, Food, Health, and Happiness , something of a huge success shooting all the way to top New York Times Bestseller List. The magazine has been declared by Fortune as the most successful start-up in history.
The media mogul is also a philanthropist par excellence. Winfrey has spent over $100 million on her landmark project for girls in South Africa with the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary later this year.
[Featured Image by Mike Windle/Getty Images]