We all know that Oprah Winfrey is ending her reign as the Queen of day time talk after 25 years on the air, this Spring. We also know that Oprah does everything big so she’s probably going to go out with a bang. One of her main agendas is that celebrities can’t just come on her show for promo, they have to create moments. She has a team of people figuring out exactly what those moments will be. TV Guide caught up with the media maven to get the run down on her exit plans. Here are some excerpts:

TV Guide Magazine: Why did you decide to end your show after this season?
Winfrey: It just feels like the right time. I always wanted to leave when I felt the platform was still vital and held some kind of meaning in the hearts and minds of the audience.

TV Guide Magazine: The Oprah Winfrey Show has been a major part of your life for 25 years. Will there be a lot of tears?
Winfrey: I don’t intend to be crying the whole season. The only time I get really emotional and nostalgic about the show is when I think about the viewers. Hopefully some of them will follow me to OWN, but I know not everybody will. And it will be bittersweet because it’s bringing this chapter to a close. The show hasn’t been a big part of my life. It’s been my life. I didn’t have children. I had the show. And I have created a family of support from my staff and the audience that really has had a huge impact on my life.

TV Guide Magazine: Throughout the season, will you go back to your favorite moments on the show?
Winfrey: There will be some of that. We have nearly 5,000 hours [of footage], and we broke up into different teams of people who have over the past eight, nine months looked at every single show.

TV Guide Magazine: What about celebrity guests?
Winfrey: This year is about creating moments. So I can assure you we’re saying to all of our celebrity friends this is not the year you can come on and just promote your book or promote your song. You have to create moments. So the team is looking at ways of pairing different celebrities to create unexpected moments. They had asked me, because after Mary Tyler Moore’s [surprise appearance] — when I went into the ugly cry on the air — I made a rule that I was never to be surprised again on air. I don’t want to lose that kind of control. If you’ve ever looked at that tape, snot’s running out of my nose and I had such a headache that I couldn’t focus. I don’t handle surprise very well.

TV Guide Magazine: How did Oprah evolve into a show that is about inspiration and aspiration?
Winfrey: Yesterday I was looking at a skinhead show [we did in 1988], and I said to my staff, “That’s the show that caused me to do television differently.” What I learned from that is you cannot allow yourself to be a vehicle that promotes the energy of hatred in any form. That was life-changing for me.

TV Guide Magazine: Is there a secret to creating a great talk show?
Winfrey: The secret is authenticity. The reason people fail is because they’re pretending to be something they’re not. And even those who are not in alignment with my value system, people like Jerry Springer, he works because he’s real. If you can find what the passion is and figure out a way to express that in an authentic and entertaining way, you have a chance at success.

I really like that last quote. When you think about the work that anyone does, a lot of times they do it because they saw someone else doing it successfully  and not because it comes from a genuine place, but she’s so right.

As far as for the rest of her finale season, Oprah also hinted at a taped appearance from Obama and says that while she’s not sure what her last season’s kick off will be but that it will be meaningful. We’re sure Oprah has tons of tricks up her sleeves. Between giving out cars and Tom Cruise couch moments, Oprah and her celebrity friends will not disappoint.

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TAGS: Oprah Winfrey, OWN

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