CHICAGO (AP)- "The Oprah Winfrey Show" is coming to an end, at least in its current form.
Winfrey said Friday that her decision to end "The Oprah Winfrey Show" came "after much prayer and careful thought."
Winfrey held back tears as she talked to the studio audience. She thanked viewers who invited her into their living rooms over the years.
The 55-year-old Winfrey says that when the show started in 1986, she was nervous. She says she never could have imagined the "yellow brick road of blessings" that led her to this moment.
After 25 seasons, the show is seen by an estimated 42 million viewers in the U.S. each week and airs in 145 countries.
Winfrey's broadcasting career started in Nashville, Tenn., and Baltimore, Md.. She relocated to Chicago in 1984 to host WLS-TV's morning talk show "A.M. Chicago." That show was renamed "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 1985.
A year later, Winfrey established Harpo and her talk show went into syndication. In 1990, Winfrey opened Harpo Studios in Chicago's West Loop neighborhood.
Winfrey is widely expected to start a new talk show on The Oprah Winfrey Network. The much-delayed joint venture with Discovery Communications is expected to debut in 2011. OWN is to replace the Discovery Health Channel and will debut in some 74 million homes.
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