Watch Oprah Winfrey's 1983 Audition Tape That Led To Her Talk Show (VIDEO)

The 1983 Audition Tape That Changed Everything For Oprah

In the late 1970s, Oprah Winfrey was the co-host of a Baltimore morning show called "People Are Talking." She'd enjoyed her time there, alongside co-host Richard Sher, but felt that she'd grown enough in that role and was ready for her next adventure. That's when Oprah heard there was a morning show in Chicago that needed a new host.

Determined to land the Chicago job, Oprah stayed up all night with an editor working on her audition tape.

Watch the above video to see the 1983 audition in which Oprah explains the origin of her unique name. Oprah first shared the video with her viewers on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 2005 after her production team unearthed it, but the video has gone viral over the last few days.

Oprah landed the gig, hosting the morning talk show titled "AM Chicago." In a matter of months, the half-hour program became Chicago's highest-rated talk show. Soon, it was extended to a full hour, renamed "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and began broadcasting nationally, which it continued for 25 more years.

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