Radiotopia from PRX Launches “Oprahdemics,” a New Podcast Breaking Down the Most Iconic Episodes of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and What the Queen of Talk has Meant for Our Culture
The podcast is co-hosted by historians Kellie Carter Jackson and Leah Wright Rigueur. Guests will include Cultural Critics, Authors, and Thinkers including Wesley Morris, Carvell Wallace, Christina Greer, Roy Wood Jr., Nicole Hemmer, and more
The Radiotopia podcast network from PRX today launched “Oprahdemics,” a new podcast breaking down the most iconic episodes of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” while placing Winfrey and her work in historical, cultural, and critical context.
For its first season, new episodes of “Oprahdemics” will be released every Wednesday through June. The show is available free across all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Overcast, and Amazon Music.
“Oprahdemics” — the study of the Queen of Talk — is co-hosted by historians, authors, and friends Kellie Carter Jackson (“Force and Freedom: Black Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence”) and Leah Wright Rigueur (“Black Collar Criminals”). Together and joined by guests, they will sift through the decades-long run of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and analyze the impact of Winfrey as the historical, social, and political force that she is. “Oprahdemics” will bring audiences on a wide-ranging and big-hearted journey, including through book club celebrations and controversies, fad diets and the meat industry, police brutality and social justice, and self-discovery.
The podcast production team also includes executive producer Jody Avirgan (“This Day in Esoteric Political History”; “Death at The Wing”) and producer Nina Earnest (“BackStory”).
To begin, “Oprahdemics” will dive into a week in 2011, when Winfrey and her staff at Harpo Studios went vegan and the results sparked a conversation about health, ethical eating, and food as privilege. Pulitzer Prize Award-winning author Marcia Chatelain (“Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America”) will join to discuss.
“Oprahdemics” will also examine the following topics, among others:
- The Rodney King verdict and the Los Angeles riots — In 1992, Winfrey moved her show to Los Angeles to tackle the ongoing fallout from the Rodney King verdict, resulting in one of the most memorable episodes of Oprah.
- Oprah’s Book Club — One episode will focus on the appearances of Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, who played a pivotal role for the Book Club, with Winfrey serving as a bridge between Morrison’s work and audiences for decades. Another will zoom into 2006, when Oprah’s Book Club was at the peak of its powers. James Frey’s “A Million Little Pieces” was a harrowing story that captured the country’s attention. But then live on air, Winfrey had to confront Frey about the lies in his book.
- Actor and producer Tyler Perry — Multi-hyphenate actor and producer Tyler Perry appeared on Oprah’s show ten times. An episode of the podcast will consider their friendship, their shared trauma, and their rise to mogul status.
- Politics — Among Winfrey’s many guests were now-controversial political figures, including Donald Trump, who first appeared on the show in 1988 to discuss his real estate empire and his presidential aspirations, as well as Sarah Palin during her vice presidential candidacy in 2008. What was the relevance and the consequences of these appearances?
- Hip hop — Guests on “The Oprah Winfrey” show have included Jay-Z, Ice Cube, and Ludacris, but Winfrey has a complicated, sometimes contentious relationship with hip hop. An episode of the podcast will break down why.
- Family and self — Oprah’s 50th birthday party in 2004 was a blowout, with guests including Tina Turner, John Travota, Gayle King, and Stevie Wonder. What was the significance of those invited, and who wasn’t? Then, in 2011, Winfrey surprised fans with a highly personal announcement. She had recently discovered her half-sister.
- Philanthropy — When Winfrey announced that she was founding the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in Gauteng province, South Africa, the show on which she discussed the opening of the school was a mix of charity, celebrity savior-ism, and complicated racial dynamics.
Guests throughout the season will include cultural critic Wesley Morris (The New York Times), Carvell Wallace (“Finding Fred”), political scientist Christina Greer (“Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”), journalist Scott Poulson-Bryant (co-founder of VIBE Magazine), comedian Roy Wood Jr. (“The Daily Show”), author Elizabeth Hinton (“America on Fire: The Untold History of Police Violence and Black Rebellion Since the 1960s”), historian Nicole Hemmer (“This Day in Esoteric Political History”), and more.
“This is the kind of podcast I’ve wanted to listen to for a long time. I miss weekdays at four! I miss having a talk show I could talk about daily, with just about anyone because you knew everyone had watched it,” said Kellie Carter Jackson, co-host. “Being able to relive and rehash some of the most iconic episodes feels like I’m finally getting a chance to do what my younger self wanted. But, now I have the words and the wisdom.”
“Finally! A long overdue podcast devoted to exploring one of the most powerful and influential figures in media and television,” said Leah Wright Rigueur, co-host. “Oprah doesn’t just impact the culture — she is the culture. I can’t wait to jump into a world that explores her evolution from daytime talk show host to global icon: the cultural zeitgeist of a generation.”
“Kellie and Leah and their guests have found the perfect mix of enthusiasm and analysis to bring the Oprah Winfrey Show to life and explore its many joys and deep impact,” said Jody Avirgan, executive producer. “I’m mostly adding this quote to the press release to brag about the fact that I get to listen to the episodes before everyone else. But, truly, I can’t wait for the world to hear this show, and follow along as Kellie perfects her Oprah impression.”
“It’s an extreme pleasure to welcome ‘Oprahdemics’ into the Radiotopia family,” said Julie Shapiro, VP of Editorial at Radiotopia and PRX. “Kellie and Leah’s passion for all things Oprah is contagious, and their knowledge runs deep. This show is going to surprise and delight, with each episode.”
Visit oprahdemics.com and radiotopia.fm for more.
About Kellie Carter Jackson
Kellie Carter Jackson (Host, Executive Producer) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Africana Studies at Wellesley College, focusing on slavery and the abolitionists, political violence, historical film, and Black women’s history. She is the author of “Force & Freedom: Black Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence,” which won the James H. Broussard Best First Book Prize and was a finalist for the Stone Book Prize and the Frederick Douglass Prize. Carter Jackson is also co-editor of “Reconsidering Roots: Race, Politics, & Memory,” essays exploring the impact of Alex Haley’s “Roots.” She is the co-host of the Radiotopia podcast “This Day in Esoteric Political History.” Carter Jackson is also a Historian-in-Residence for the Museum of African American History in Boston. She is currently at work on two book manuscripts, “The Remedy: Black Response to White Violence” (Basic Books) and “Losing Laroche: The Story of the Only Black Passenger on the Titanic.”
About Leah Wright Rigueur
Leah Wright Rigueur (Host) is the SNF Agora Institute Associate Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University and a faculty fellow at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School. Her work focuses on 20th Century U.S. political, social, and civil rights history, while her expertise also includes race, political ideology, American political institutions, and the American presidency. She is the author of the award-winning book, “The Loneliness of the Black Republican,” and is currently working on a new book, “Black Collar Criminals.” Rigueur’s writing, commentary, and research has been featured frequently in numerous media outlets including ABC News, MSNBC, CNN, NPR, The New York Times, and The Atlantic.
About PRX
PRX is a non-profit public media company specializing in audio journalism and storytelling. PRX serves independent producers and organizations by helping them connect to their most engaged, supportive audiences. One of the world’s leading podcast publishers, PRX works in partnership with TED, PBS, the Smithsonian, Futuro Media, GBH, Religion of Sports, and more. PRX is also home to Radiotopia, known as one of the most creative and successful podcast networks. In addition, PRX distributes trusted and treasured public radio programming to hundreds of stations nationwide, including “The World,” “The Moth Radio Hour,” “This American Life,” “Snap Judgment,” “Reveal,” “The Takeaway,” and “Latino USA.” PRX programs have been recognized by the Peabody Awards, the duPont-Columbia Awards, the IDA Documentary Awards, and the Pulitzer Prizes. Visit PRX.org for more.
