Beyoncé! Tom Hanks! Madonna! Will Smith! Usher! Queen Latifah!
No, no, this wasn’t a celebrity phone bank for those impacted by the overflowing Mississippi River …it was the taping of Oprah’s second and third-to-last episodes!
Earlier this week, 13,000 fans filled Chicago’s United Center (home of the Chicago Bulls) for what was billed as “Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular.” The evening quickly transformed into a star-studded affair honoring the long-reigning “Queen of Daytime.”
There were performances from Jerry Seinfeld, Josh Groban, Patti LaBelle, and Aretha Franklin along with appearances by Michael Jordan, Tom Cruise and Catie Holmes, Rosie O’Donnell, Maya Angelou and more. Even the recently-spotlighted Maria Shriver made an appearance.
‘You have given me love, support, wisdom and, most of all, the truth,’ Shriver told Winfrey, a longtime friend. ‘And I know I’m not alone in receiving those gifts from you.’”
Celebrities weren’t the only ones paying tribute to the world’s most famous talk show host.
Winfrey also received messages from some less-famous admirers. Female American soldiers gave a taped message from Iraq and three female fans from countries around the world came on stage. The show was interspersed with clips of Winfrey’s fans and flashbacks of previous episodes.
The resulting two episodes will air on Monday and Tuesday of next week before 25 seasons culminate in one final episode on Wednesday.