O, Yes! Oprah Turns 65—With No Retirement Plans in Sight

There was a time when 65 was considered retirement age, but of the many sexagenarians shifting that paradigm, leading the charge has to be the indomitable, innovative, inspirational force that we know as Oprah Winfrey.

Winfrey is 65 years young today, and shows no signs of slowing down, as her media empire continues to grow and flourish—it’d be a billion dollar understatement to say she’s come a long way from being born into abject poverty in 1954 Kosciusko, Mississippi.

Fun fact: As the child of a former news producer at WLS-Chicago who spent many an after-school hour in the newsroom, I had the dumb luck to have a front row seat for the rise of the mononymous phenomenon the world now knows simply as “Oprah,” as she worked her way from a hosting gig on the local morning news show AM Chicago to her ongoing status as “The Queen of All Media.”

Along the way, Winfrey has broken barriers, changed lives and won hearts, proving to the world just how powerful black girl magic truly is, long before the catchphrase (in fact, she’s accomplished so much, we can’t even begin to list it all here). And at 65, she’s still showing us just how far a black woman’s brilliance can take her, while taking legions of others along for the ride.

And O, what a beautiful ride it’s been, so far.

In honor of Winfrey’s latest milestone, we’ve compiled 65 of our favorite Oprah moments—and look forward to many, many more.