Oprah Winfrey is known by millions across the globe. But many may be surprised to know that it’s not her new name.
On the “Baby It’s Keke Palmer” podcast, the host noted her surprise upon discovering Winfrey’s real name is “Orpah.”
“[It’s] from the Bible. Ruth 1:14,” Winfrey said. “Nobody knew how to spell it. On my birth certificate, it’s ‘Orpah,’ and then people started calling me Oprah. … I didn’t learn until I was 20 that this isn’t really my name.”
“My name is Oprah Winfrey. Oprah, spelled O-P-R-A-H, and if you notice, it’s ‘Harpo’ spelled backwards,” Winfrey explained. “And my folks did not particularly like Harpo Marx — we did not even have a television set in our home for a number of years. Originally, I was named from the Bible by Aunt Ida, who named me from Ruth, the first chapter at the 14th verse, Orpah. But no one knew how to spell in my home, and that’s why I ended up being Oprah.”
Oprah also revealed what her favorite guilty pleasure is as the interview went on.
“My favorite guilty pleasure is doing absolutely nothing,” Winfrey said on “Baby, This Is Keke Palmer.” “When the day has gone, and I say, ‘What have I accomplished? Not one damn thing.’”
Winfrey, who loves being home, shared that she is the complete opposite of her best friend Gayle King.
“I don’t know how we’ve remained friends for 50 years ’cause we’re so opposite,” Winfrey said. “And she’ll call me sometimes and say, ‘What are you doing, sitting with your thoughts?’ And I go, ‘That’s exactly what I’m doing.’”
“[I like] having a fireplace, having a dog and reading a book. And having another book after that to read, so you have a little stack,” Winfrey said. “But I know that’s not fun for most people. Gayle’s like, ‘Oh, God.’”