On Wednesday, May 11, Mayor Richard Daley gave the daytime talk show host a parting gift by renaming the street in front of Winfrey's Harpo Studios Oprah Winfrey Way.
- May 12, 2011
AceShowbiz - Oprah Winfrey has been honored with her own Chicago, Illinois street. Outgoing city Mayor Richard Daley gave the TV titan the parting gift as she concludes filming of "The Oprah Winfrey Show", which is shot in Chicago. The block in front of her Harpo Studios home has been renamed Oprah Winfrey Way.
During the ceremony, Daley said, "Your presence in Chicago has been a gift... (You are) a great ambassador for our city." A thrilled Winfrey said, "I just want to say thank you to the mayor and also to the city of Chicago for embracing me and allowing me to take a stand and make a stand here in this city."
The 57-year-old talk show host also gushed that having a street named after her was "better than an Oscar or an Emmy". She added, "It is really just a full-circle miracle story that a little colored girl born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, on a red dirt road ends up with my name on a street in the greatest city in the world, Chicago. So, thank you."
Winfrey will tape the final "Oprah Winfrey Show" at Chicago's United Center on Tuesday, May 17. Titled "Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular", it is set to air consecutively on Monday, May 23 and Tuesday, May 24.
