NEW YORK – As the final original "Oprah Winfrey Show" airs Wednesday, celebrities talk about the talk show host.
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"I've got to say, I bow before cultural icons like Oprah, who take things that can be as minor and goofy as an hour worth of TV and turn it into something that is actually something everybody can be talking about. You know what's going to be missing now from the vernacular? `Did you see Oprah yesterday? Did you see that girl on "Oprah?" Did you see that thing on "Oprah?'" So, we're going to miss her. God bless her service. But we'll get by." - Tom Hanks.
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"I have been an avid Oprah watcher for as long as I can remember, sharing laughs and tears with millions upon millions of viewers, all with whom she has touched in various ways. She has such a genuine compassion and intellect that is universally embraced. While I'm sad to watch this chapter in Oprah's career come to a close, I look forward to watching her legacy continue through OWN." - Nicole Kidman.
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"During the time of the Oscars she called and said, `I want you to understand the significance of what you're about to do. I don't want you to joke it away.' She knew I was being a little bit reckless. She took me to Quincy Jones' house and inside the house were all of these actors that came before me - mostly African American actors. They were like, `We're really counting on you to walk the right way, do the right thing' and this was leading up to the awards and then she took me to see Sidney Poitier. At that moment I was like, `Now here's my Oprah moment.' It's not about herself. It's about how can I take Jamie Foxx and give him a boost, give him a mental boost and change his life literally forever. Meeting Sidney Poitier and Quincy Jones and being able to hang with them, I got the keys to unlock doors that probably would have never been open to me. She's an amazing person." - Jamie Foxx.
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"Oprah was part of our lives. She was in our living rooms. She cried with us, she laughed with us. One part of me is sad to see that go but another part of me is happy for her growth and for her expanding and having her OWN network and all of that and just evolving as a person. I'm sure she wants a break as well." - Stacy Ann "Fergie" Ferguson of the Black Eyed Peas. The group appeared on "Oprah" numerous times including in September 2009 when the show shut down parts of Chicago's Michigan Avenue.
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"I think that Oprah's legacy is that she has made a difference and that's what we as women want to do. We want to make a difference in this world and she's made a difference in a lot of ways. She's made a difference in really fun things and she's made a difference in really serious things and she's told us stories that ... I'd never heard - the word abuse. ... I wouldn't even know what that was. She's made a difference so for me that's why I respect her. ... She will be remembered long after she's gone." - Stevie Nicks, who made her first appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in April 2011.
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"When I think about the Oprah legacy it's humbling. She's changed the lives of millions of people. She brought important issues to the dinner table that never would have been there otherwise. She leaves behind a body of work that will never be paralleled. Of course, she also leaves behind a time slot at 4pm." - Ellen DeGeneres.
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"It's been an honor to have been a guest on Oprah's show throughout the years. She has meant a lot to me personally and professional, and she truly is in a class of her own. I'm sure she's going to continue to pioneer the way television is presented on her OWN network." - Celine Dion who has been a guest on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" 27 times, the most of any other celebrity.
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"Oprah has set the bar so high that no one touches her. She redefined the genre. ... The thing I respect most about her is her absolute authenticity - she is genuinely curious about everyone she meets, expresses a genuine gratitude to all who cross her path and has a zest for life that is second to none. She is a seeker of the truth and then once she finds it she is generous enough to share all her wisdom with the rest of us." - Hugh Jackman who famously injured his eye in a zip line accident appearing on an "Oprah" show taping in his native Australia in December 2010.
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Associated Press video producers Mike Cidoni Lennox and Natalie Rotman in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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